SEIU and Wealthy Donors Trying to Kill California’s Retail Theft Reform Bills

The SEIU has thrown down its cards and is now trying to kill retail theft reform bills – even the bills authored by Democrats. And they are joined by the wealthy spouses of real estate developers, tech billionaires and daughters of oil barons – people who live behind tall walls and secured gates. Their cars and homes aren’t broken into.

Yet because they don’t shop at Target, Walgreens, Home Depot, Walmart, or even Nordstrom and Macy’s, somehow the bills targeting repeat retail theft, organized retail theft, enhancing penalties for selling fentanyl, and making it easier to prosecute car thieves, just aren’t of interest to them – so much so that they are trying to kill them.

Doesn’t retail theft impact everyone in the state – not just the supporters who are collecting signatures to overturn parts of Proposition 47? Nearly 50% of the stores in San Francisco have closed and residents are fleeing the city.

Escalating crime throughout California’s cities and communities has taken its toll on the state’s residents and businesses. Because of Proposition 47, there is no accountability when it comes to these crimes, theft is underreported and some stores are even told not to report theft crimes. And we all are paying the price for the rampant thefts.

The proposed ballot initiative to amend Prop. 47 is currently collecting signatures for the November 2024 ballot.

However, as Politico reports:

“Criminal justice reform advocates are mobilizing to thwart a ballot initiative that would reverse California’s recent turn away from tougher criminal penalties.

The counteroffensive signals that those advocates fear the initiative to crack down drug and property crimes, backed by prosecutors and major retailers, has a strong chance of landing on the November ballot. If it does, it could unravel a series of recent political victories seeking to overhaul sentencing and incarceration.

A six-figure digital advertising campaign, funded by some of the same groups and people that have championed lighter criminal penalties, urges Californians to reject the tough-on-crime ballot measure and instead push for changes in the Legislature.

A newly launched committee supporting the advertising campaign has reported donations from Quinn Delaney and Stacy Schusterman, who have together poured millions into California prosecutor and crime ballot measure campaigns, and an organization whose leader, Tinisch Hollins, has championed efforts to reduce criminal penalties.”

Don’t you want to know why?

Some of these same “donors” spent $3.7 million alone to elect George Gascón Los Angeles District Attorney, the failed pro-criminal justice reform DA who has harmed victims, their families, and the average taxpayer who faces the indirect burdens of his actions, Aidan Chao wrote for the Globe. “Over the last two years, property crimes have increased a staggering 14 to 42%, highlighting a troubling correlation: a spike in crime, particularly retail theft and “smash-and-grab” incidents, have surged under overly lenient policies like zero-bail and the elimination of the three-strike system. This uptick not only undermines public confidence but also imposes substantial economic burdens on a county already wrestling with affordability crises and inequality.”

These same “philanthropists” also tried to pass Proposition 16 in 2020, the initiative to bring back race-based preferences in hiring and education (to overturn Proposition 209). As Edward Ring wrote for the Globe:

“And while the unions came up with $1.7 million to support this bill, another $17.5 million came from private donors, including $5.5 million from M. Quinn Delaney – who along with her wealthy husband Wayne Jordan are among California’s premier limousine liberals.”

How is this progress? What is it with these super-wealthy women? Are they compelled out of guilt to fund disruption and destabilization in California? Are they self-loathing America-hating anarchists? Do they see themselves as female versions of George Soros?

During their acceptance speech for the @carnegiemedal, Lynn and Stacy Schusterman reflected on the origins of their family’s giving and the urgent need to ensure all people can access the opportunity to realize their full potential. Watch here: https://t.co/dKkyLrPIuZ #CMoP pic.twitter.com/KQcRkKEbKN

— Schusterman Family Philanthropies (@Schusterman_Org) October 20, 2022

Stacy Schusterman is an oil heiress from Oklahoma: “Stacy Schusterman, a major Democratic donor, helms both her family’s philanthropic foundation and the new incarnation of the family’s drilling company, called Samson Energy,” Jewish Telegraph Agency reported in 2022. “The Schustermans’ foundation is known as a funder of liberal and progressive efforts in a wide array of areas, including voting rights, education, criminal justice reform and gender and reproductive equity. The family donates millions to Democratic party campaigns,” and supports”#JewsForAbortionAccess,” because “Reproductive freedom is a Jewish value.”

Today’s Politico article  reported:

“They have raised more than $7 million and, in a sign that the idea could resonate with California’s overwhelmingly Democratic electorate, they have won endorsements from San Francisco Mayor London Breed and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, both Democrats,”

However, nowhere in the article does Politico link to this new committee or the advertising campaign.

And now we have the SEIU also opposing retail theft reform efforts, claiming it is a race issue, in a letter to Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Public Safety (letter below):

And if those weak and flawed arguments don’t pass muster, the SEIU claims:

Tinish Hollins. (Photo: CDCR.ca.gov)

CDCR.ca.gov has a bio posted for Tinish Hollins on their website, and says she “has over two decades of professional experience in community organizing, guiding government systems, and informing public policy to make social change. Currently, she serves as the Executive Director of Californians for Safety and Justice (CSJ), one of the nation’s most effective criminal justice reform advocacy organizations.”

So the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is now taking “guidance” from a community organizer bent on social justice, criminal justice reform and social change?

Or from the bored wives and daughters of wealthy philanthropists? Politico identified Delaney and three others in 2021 as “4 wealthy donors fueling overhaul of California’s criminal justice system.”

The 2021 article continues: “social justice advocates are preparing to defend the state’s top prosecutor, Attorney General Rob Bonta, who is closely aligned with the reform movement and one of the nation’s most liberal AGs.”

“The four donors — Patty Quillin, Quinn Delaney, Elizabeth Simons and Kaitlyn Krieger — channeled $22 million toward criminal justice ballot measures and allied candidates the previous two years.”

Quinn Delaney. (Photo: https://women.ca.gov/commissioner-quinn-delaney/)

“Delaney has been involved in criminal justice fights for decades, launching a foundation with her husband Wayne Jordan — a prominent Bay Area real estate developer — after voters passed a 2000 ballot proposition toughening sentencing for youth offenders.”

The female “donors” and now the SEIU are venturing into dangerous territory. California is already on shaky ground having now dabbled in failed social justice experiments for 10 years following the passage of Propositions 47 and 57 in 2016.

Because it’s not just about retail theft run amok – everyday people are getting hurt and even killed with so much money having been spent to defend criminals – in the name of “social justice.”

Perhaps that is what they want.

AB 1990 (Carrillo) .docx