The latest effort in the Legislature to fix what’s termed “unintended consequences” of Proposition 47 did not make it out of committee. Prop 47 has reduced a number of non-violent felony crimes to misdemeanors. This legislation, proposed for the November ballot, would have allowed a judge to charge anyone convicted three times of certain misdemeanor crimes, within a three-year span, with a felony. But it’s been rejected by the Assembly Public Safety Committee. Nevada County District Attorney Cliff Newell says Prop 47 has had a huge impact on his office. He says he would have liked to have seen the proposal make the ballot…

click to listen to Cliff Newell

Newell says he’s starting to see more repeat offenders, locally. He says there are also longer stays in the county jail, with not every convicted felon sent to prison, as part of the state’s overcrowding reduction program. But, overall, he says Nevada County has handled the changes well, with good coordination between his office and other related agencies, including probation, law enforcement, and the courts…

click to listen to Cliff Newell

But Newell says the true impact of Proposition 47 won’t likely be known for another year or two.