Lakers’ Anthony Davis receives Player of the Week honor

• October 28, 2024

PHOENIX — Lakers star Anthony Davis was honored on Monday for his strong start to the season.

Davis was named the NBA’s Western Conference Player of the Week for the first week of the season (Oct. 22-Sunday) – the sixth Player of the Week honor he has received as a Laker and the 11th of his career.

He was last named Player of the Week for Week 22 of the 2023-24 season (March 18-24, 2024).

The Lakers’ All-Star big man averaged a league-best 34 points on 57.1% shooting from the field to go with 11 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.3 blocked shots and 1.7 steals while the Lakers started 3-0 with home wins against Minnesota, Phoenix and Sacramento.

With his 31-point performance in Saturday’s victory over Sacramento, Davis became the fourth Laker to start a season with three consecutive 30-point performances (36, 35, 31), joining Elgin Baylor (1961-62; 1962-63), Jerry West (1961-62; 1969-70) and Kobe Bryant (2005-06).

Baylor, West and Bryant opened the aforementioned seasons with four 30-point performances, meaning Davis entered Monday night’s game in Phoenix one 30-point performance from tying the record and two from breaking it.

Boston Celtics wing Jayson Tatum was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

Lakers star LeBron James was a nominee for West Player of the Week.

More to come on this story.

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​ Orange County Register 

Convicted sex offenders denied early release under Elderly Parole Program

• October 28, 2024

Two convicted sex offenders from Riverside and Orange counties have been denied early release from prison under the state’s Elderly Parole Program, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Cody Woodsen Klemp, 68, of Moreno Valley and Oscar Mendez, 57, of Santa Ana were denied parole Thursday, Oct. 24, following a hearing by a three-member panel of the Board of Parole Hearings.

Klemp, who is serving a 170-year sentence at the California Institution for Men in Chino for repeatedly raping his 14-year-old niece in his home throughout 1990, will be eligible for another hearing in five years, unless he petitions the board to advance his next hearing date in three years and it is approved, said CDCR spokesperson Mary Xjimenez.

“This is just a small victory, but a victory nonetheless,” said Klemp’s victim, now 49, in a telephone interview Monday, Oct. 28. She said she and the sister of a kidnapping and sex abuse victim out of Riverside County are working on proposing legislation that will exclude sex offenders from qualifying for early release under the Elderly Parole Program. She said they have the full support from the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.

“We’re on a mission to get this legislation passed before (Klemp) can go up again” for another parole hearing, she said.

Mendez, who is serving a sentence of 30 years to life at Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City for sexually abusing and exploiting two boys in Santa Ana from October 2003 to March 2004, will be eligible for another hearing in three years, Xjimenez said. Mendez had founded a church in his garage and befriended the boys and their parents under the guise of offering spiritual guidance.

The Elderly Parole Program, established in 2014 via court order to help thin out the state’s prison population and ease the cost and burden of aging inmates straining the prison health care system, allows prisoners with lengthy sentences who reach the age of 50 to qualify for early release if they have served 20 continuous years of incarceration.

However, those sentenced to death or life without the possibility of parole, those sentenced under California’s three-strikes law as a second- or third-striker and those convicted of first-degree murder of a peace officer do not qualify for early release until they reach the age of 60 and have served 25 years of continuous incarceration.

According to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, more than 27,500 inmates in the prison system are at least 50 years old.

Klemp was granted parole in November 2023, prompting pushback from his victim and Riverside County prosecutors. Gov. Gavin Newsom blocked the decision in March  and requested the Board of Parole Hearings take another look at his case.

The Elderly Parole Program has come under sharp criticism from victims of violent crime and prosecutors who argue that violent sex offenders and murderers should not qualify for early release. They are rallying to try to change the law.

At least one lawmaker, Sen. Brian Jones, R-Santee, already tried to get legislation passed in 2021 to exclude sex offenders from qualifying for early parole under the program. However, his Senate Bill 445 was rejected by the Senate Public Safety Committee.

“Radical Senate Democrats on the Public Safety Committee rejected my proposal on a party-line vote, choosing to protect rapists and turning their backs on rape victims,” Jones said in an email, in which he urged Newsom to “step up, do the right thing, and deny parole” for violent rapists like Klemp.

Jones did note in his April 2021 press release that Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, R-Yucaipa, was the only member of the Senate committee to support his bill.

State officials said they conduct diligent screening of early release prospects and tout an extremely low recidivism rate for released prisoners. The Elderly Parole Program has contributed to a nearly 30% decline in the state prison population, which dropped from 135,600 inmates in 2014 to 95,700 in 2022, according to the CDCR.

According to CDCR statistics, about two-thirds of prisoners have been denied early release under the Elderly Parole Program since its inception.

​ Orange County Register 

Biden looks to maintain relevance in political conversation in final sprint to Election Day

• October 28, 2024

By AAMER MADHANI

NEW CASTLE, Del. (AP) — As President Joe Biden ’s 50 years in elected office near an end, he doesn’t appear content to quietly exit the political stage.

With a week to go before Election Day, Biden is intent on promoting his administration’s record and making the case for Americans to support Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democrats on the ballot — whether they want him or not.

He’s determined to keep up a busy schedule during the final sprint to Nov. 5 even as many in his party appear to be keeping their distance from him.

Biden, in an exchange with reporters Monday, played down the fact that he hasn’t campaigned side-by-side with Harris since their joint Labor Day campaign appearance in Pittsburgh and that he’s held few public campaign appearances with Democrats in competitive races.

“I’ve done a lot of surrogate stuff, and the fact of the matter is that I’ve also had to continue to be president at the same time,” Biden told reporters after casting his early vote on Monday in his home state of Delaware.

Biden said that he and Harris still “talk all the time.” He added that he has also made several visits to battleground states in his official capacity in recent months, and he plans to do more campaigning in the days ahead in Pennsylvania, including his childhood hometown of Scranton.

Officials say Biden also plans to attend a campaign-related event in Maryland on Tuesday with U.S. Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks, conduct a series of campaign calls on Thursday, and return to battleground Pennsylvania on Friday to spotlight Democratic support for unions.

Biden said the Harris campaign is asking him to go “where they think I should be to help them the most.”

He had pledged to campaign hard for Democrats after dropping out. Yet few Democrats have invited him to campaign by their side since he ended his reelection bid.

The dynamic has meant the outgoing president has had to pick his spots carefully as he tries to remain a relevant voice in a chaotic political season.

Trump on Monday took to his social media platform to mock Harris and Democrats for keeping Biden at arm’s length.

“The Democrats have not only greatly demeaned and embarrassed Crooked Joe Biden, but now they’re demanding that he be nowhere near Lyin’ Kamala’s Campaign,” Trump said on Truth Social. “It’s not good enough that they took the Presidency away from him, just like you take candy away from a baby, but now they have to further embarrass him by telling him to, “GET LOST.”

To be certain, not all Democrats are avoiding Biden.

Two Democratic Senate candidates, Pennsylvania incumbent Sen. Bob Casey and Delaware Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, campaigned with Biden this month. Both have deep ties to the president.

Biden on Monday stopped at a breakfast spot near his home outside Wilmington with Rochester, a longtime ally who is vying to become the first Black woman to represent Delaware in the U.S. Senate.

The night before their breakfast, he formally endorsed Blunt Rochester in a short video that her campaign released on social media. Biden, in his endorsement, praised Blunt Rochester for being “Delaware through and through.”

The four-term House lawmaker has known Biden for about 30 years and is heavily favored to win the seat in the Democratic-dominated Delaware.

At several moments over the last few weeks, Biden has used campaign trips in friendly settings to troll Trump.

At a Pittsburgh union hall on Saturday, Biden wound through a mostly standard campaign speech before veering into a sharp attack on Trump backer Elon Musk. He accused the billionaire tech mogul of working illegally when he first came to the United States to attend college.

The “wealthiest man in the world is now his ally, right?” Biden said, referring to a recent Washington Post report questioning Musk’s status when he was a student at Stanford University. “Well, that wealthiest man in the world turned out to be illegal worker here when he was here” as a student.

Musk, who was born in South Africa, denies the allegation.

Last week, during a stop at a New Hampshire campaign office to meet Democratic volunteers, Biden borrowed some of Trump’s sharp rhetoric.

“We’ve got to lock him up,” Biden told the volunteers, before quickly amending his comments to note he meant that Democrats need to “politically lock him up.”

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Blunt Rochester joined Biden on Monday as he waited in line for about 40 minutes at a busy early voting location not far from his home.

Biden thought he had one more election in him before deciding to end his campaign in July because of Democrats’ growing worries about his chances of defeating Trump.

He chatted with voters as he waited in line to cast his ballot, and helped push an older woman in a wheelchair who was ahead of him. He handed his identification to a election worker, who had him sign a form and announced: “Joseph Biden now voting.”

Outside the polling place, Biden told reporters that the moment was more “sweet” than bitter. He expressed confidence when asked if he thought Democrats — including Harris — would win.

“I think we will,” he said.

AP reporter Colleen Long in Washington contributed reporting.

​ Orange County Register 

Shohei Ohtani texted Dodgers teammates Saturday night: ‘I’m fine’

• October 28, 2024

NEW YORK — Shohei Ohtani left Dodger Stadium quickly after injuring his left shoulder during Game 2 on Saturday night, leaving his teammates with as many questions about his status for the rest of the World Series as everyone else.

Then their phones started buzzing.

“He texted the whole team as we were on our way to the airport and said he was going to be fine, and that’s it,” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy revealed before Game 3 on Monday. “He said he was going to play, so we all put it (any concerns) to the side at that moment. We said, all right, he’s got us. We’ll be ready for him to be in the lineup.”

The group chat is among players only, so Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn’t hear about the text until Muncy mentioned it to the media on Monday.

“It would have been helpful if I saw that thread,” Roberts joked. “I would have slept better Saturday night.”

Roberts was able to sleep better after watching Ohtani go through “probably 80%” of his normal daily routine during the Dodgers’ off-day workout Sunday. Ohtani traveled separately from the team after getting examined on Sunday and arrived at Yankee Stadium as the workout was winding down.

“Saturday night (when he was injured) to yesterday when I saw him in the cage hitting balls 102 miles an hour off a tee – that was joy,” Roberts said.

“He was very adamant that he was going to play. … I think there was more uncertainty in all of our minds. But in his mind from Day One, from Saturday evening, he was going to play.”

Roberts said Monday that Ohtani’s shoulder was popped back into place by the athletic training staff at the ballpark and an MRI showed no structural damage. He wasn’t sure whether the injury will heal on its own or any procedure would be needed after the Series.

Asked whether Ohtani received medication, an injection or was being taped up, Roberts said “it’s all of the above on the treatment and stuff. The tape is just protecting and stabilizing, not really limiting.”

A separated shoulder is subject to recurrence. Roberts said he doubted Ohtani will attempt any more stolen bases during the Series.

The likely National League MVP is 1 for 8 in the first two games of the series and is batting .260 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in his first postseason in the majors.

GAME 4

The Dodgers will run another bullpen game for Game 4 against the Yankees. Brent Honeywell Jr. was in the interview room before Game 3, so he was asked if that was an indication he would the ‘opener’ for the bullpen game.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Good question.”

Roberts said Honeywell was not “Plan A” to start Game 4 and the pitching plan would be “contingent’ on how the bullpen was used in Game 3.

“I say that with all honesty because there’s leverage guys in a plus game (Dodgers leading) that I’m going to use. And if the game is kind of middling or a different situation, then I’ll use other guys,” Roberts said. “I just don’t know how we’re going to come out of it.”

Roberts said Honeywell could be a part of the Game 4 bullpen game.

“It’s all about doing your job, each guy,” Honeywell said of the approach to bullpen games. “You go out, you get the outs that you’re asked to get. And once that happens, you’ve got to watch the guy coming behind you and do the same thing.

“It’s all about kind of giving a different look. I’d put our bullpen up with any bullpen that I’ve ever been on and any bullpen I’ve ever seen. I want to win, and if that’s how we’ve got to do it, that’s how we’ve got to do it.”

ALL RISE

Earlier in the postseason, when Ohtani was going through a 2-for-17 stretch and couldn’t seem to get a hit without runners on base, Roberts was asked about dropping him in the batting order. He rejected the idea.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone was being asked the same questions before Game 3 in New York about Aaron Judge. The presumptive American League MVP was 1 for 9 with six strikeouts in the first two games against the Dodgers, 6 for 40 (.150) with 19 strikeouts this postseason and is a career .199 hitter in the postseason.

“It’s the World Series, no,” Boone said of moving Judge down in the order. “That’s our guy, and there’s pressure in the Series, whatever spot you’re hitting. He’s our guy and we’re confident he’ll get it going.”

OVERSEAS APPEAL

The World Series is averaging 15.15 million viewers in Japan through two games. According to MLB, the Dodgers’ 4-2 victory in Game 2 averaged 15.9 million, making it the most-watched MLB postseason game in the nation’s history.

Besides the allure of Ohtani, the game had Yoshinobu Yamamoto as the Dodgers’ starting pitcher.

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The Dodgers’ dramatic 6-3 victory in Game 1 – which ended on Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning – averaged 14.4 million.

Tokyo is 16 hours ahead of Los Angeles, meaning the games started around 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday morning in Japan. The games are being carried through Fuji TV, NHK BS and J Sports.

Combined with the United States ratings, the first two games have a combined 29.7 million average in the two countries.

The World Series is averaging 14.55 million viewers in the U.S. on Fox, Fox Deportes and streaming, putting it on track for its best performance since 2017.

According to Nielsen, the matchup between the Yankees and Dodgers has also meant a 93% increase in viewership within the 18-34-year-old demographic. According to MLB, social engagement is up 225% and views on social channels have increased 229%.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

​ Orange County Register 

Watch paddler’s rare, up-close encounter with pod of Risso’s dolphins

• October 28, 2024

Bill Clements was out for a six-mile paddle off Dana Point when he saw huge dorsal fins piercing the glassy water in the distance.

As they got closer, he said he knew they were not the smaller common dolphins he encounters regularly off the Southern California coast. And they weren’t quite as big as orcas, either.

It turned out to be a pod of 40 or so Risso’s dolphins, typically found in deeper, tropical waters and a rarer sight for the region.

“It felt like I was paddling with small whales,” the Dana Point waterman said of the “surreal” close encounter Friday, Oct. 25.  “They look like whales, they don’t have the beak you normally see. What really struck me was how they glowed in the water, it was like a turquoise blue. It was like a bunch of missiles under the water. It was a really cool experience.”

It’s not the first time Clements has had an up close with large sea animals. Two years ago he got up close to a massive blue whale,  images of the encounter went viral.

“Every experience is awesome. But every once in a while, you come across something really unique and special,” he said.

Clements said he spent about an hour or so with the Risso’s dolphins out in the water, alone.

“I’ve just been reeling from the experience. It’s just so rare,” he said Monday. “To see such a rare species like that, and to see it alone. It was really phenomenal to be able to enjoy that moment alone and have them to myself for a while.”

According to NOAA Fisheries, Risso’s dolphins can dive to about 1,000 feet and hold their breath for 30 minutes. They can range in length from about 8.5 feet to 13 feet and weigh 660 pounds to 1,100 pounds.

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During  Clements’ encounter, the dolphins were kind of milling about, he said. They were about half the size of his board.

At one point, the pod of about 40 split up into two groups, then came back together, he said, with about 15 to 20 of them just feet from his board, some going under him, as he marveled from above.

“That was a moment to remember,” he said.

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County football season stat leaders through Oct. 26

• October 28, 2024

Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now

Here are the Orange County high school football stat leaders after the Week 9 games.

The leaderboards are based on season stats published on MaxPreps.com.

To be included, teams must have stats updated on MaxPreps each Monday by 2 p.m.

PASSING: TOTAL YARDS

Name, school  
Yards 
Yds/Gm 
Cmp. 
Att. 
TDs 

Alexander Lundsberg, Canyon
3365
373.9
269
430
38

Brady Edmunds, Huntington Beach
2537
281.9
174
277
26

Tristan Zale, Trabuco Hills
2471
274.6
165
261
26

Tommy Acosta, Capistrano Valley
2148
238.7
161
251
28

Cullen Doyle, Brea Olinda
2090
232.2
131
211
20

Xzavior Guess, El Modena
2080
231.1
139
203
26

Travis Frazier, Esperanza
2062
257.8
148
223
22

TJ Lateef, Orange Lutheran
1914
212.7
178
251
20

Vanden Dugger, Dana Hills
1857
206.3
154
228
23

Rudy Alcala, Troy
1833
203.7
111
170
28

Star Thomas, Orange
1782
222.8
170
275
11

Cash O’Byrne, Tesoro
1764
294.0
130
218
12

Tank Britton, Bolsa Grande
1683
210.4
129
213
19

Kevin Garcia, Buena Park
1664
184.9
125
207
16

Jack McKelvy, El Toro
1647
183.0
145
215
24

Noah Nam, Beckman
1615
179.4
111
165
12

Timmy Herr, San Juan Hills
1604
178.2
130
194
16

Jackson Kollock, Laguna Beach
1588
176.4
128
226
18

Nate Lewis, Villa Park
1484
185.5
84
156
16

Dawson Martinez, San Clemente
1467
163.0
116
173
9

Nate Richie, Capistrano Valley Christian
1429
158.8
150
278
11

Lucas Alexander, Fountain Valley
1415
157.2
113
184
14

RUSHING: TOTAL YARDS

Name, school  
Yards 
Yds/Gm 
Yds/Car. 
Att. 
TDs 

Lyndenn Hodge, Buena Park
1850
205.6
8.68
213
20

Julius Gillick, Edison
1489
186.1
10.20
146
19

Anthony Abad, Sonora
1394
174.2
8.20
170
18

Eimesse Essis, Tustin
1300
185.7
7.78
167
13

Jeff Brown, Estancia
1283
183.3
7.78
165
9

Ethan Mundt, Troy
1276
141.8
8.34
153
12

Jarett Sabol, Aliso Niguel
1259
139.9
6.39
197
13

Cooper Starnes, La Quinta
1207
150.9
13.87
87
22

Radley Geiss, Dana Hills
1152
128.0
6.40
180
13

Jake Dorsi, Savanna
1138
113.8
6.81
167
10

Quentin Pacelli, Garden Grove
1113
139.1
6.66
167
7

Xzavior Guess, El Modena
1109
123.2
10.87
102
15

Brandon Figueroa, Irvine
1100
137.5
8.09
136
9

Gavin Garza, Costa Mesa
1098
122.0
6.54
168
12

Nathan Gouvion, Foothill
1083
120.3
6.08
178
10

Makya Chee, El Toro
1080
120.0
10.69
101
12

Joshua Monroe, Capo Valley Christian
1059
117.7
9.13
116
11

Quaid Carr, Servite
1055
117.2
6.39
165
11

Isaac Galindo, Los Amigos
952
119.0
9.43
101
14

Wyatt Lucas, Corona del Mar
950
105.6
7.31
130
8

Nathan Aceves, Brea Olinda
914
101.6
8.31
110
18

Alexsay Nazaroff, Sonora
902
100.2
19.61
46
12

Matthew Peters, Calvary Chapel
846
94.0
7.76
109
7

Cole Nerio, Yorba Linda
845
93.9
5.56
152
13

RECEIVING: TOTAL YARDS 

Name, school  
Yards 
Yds/Gm 
Yds/Rec. 
Rec. 
TDs 

JJ Amezcua, Western
1193
132.6
15.10
79
17

Troy Foster, Huntington Beach
1126
125.1
19.41
58
13

Alex Kiernan, Trabuco Hills
1055
117.2
21.98
48
12

Vander Ploog, Troy
1038
115.3
16.74
62
19

Connor Smith, El Modena
945
105.0
18.17
52
10

Kellen Rommelfanger, Canyon
938
104.2
12.03
78
12

Gianni Porfilio, Orange
865
96.1
14.66
59
13

Fabrissio Ramirez, Savanna
861
86.1
13.67
63
10

Nicholas Cervantes, Segerstrom
832
104.0
23.77
35
8

Noah McClary, Canyon
823
91.4
14.44
57
7

Talon Spencer, Capistrano Valley
815
90.6
16.98
48
7

Nicholas Zamora, Buena Park
792
88.0
14.94
53
7

Max Krosky, Capo Valley Christian
790
87.8
11.13
71
7

Campbell Schamel, Tesoro
756
84.0
14.82
51
9

Vance Spafford, Mission Viejo
746
93.2
19.13
39
13

James Leicester, Dana Hills
732
81.3
14.94
49
10

Luke Doyle, El Toro
718
79.8
14.08
51
9

Steel Kurtz, Huntington Beach
713
79.2
13.98
51
4

Luke Taylor, Fountain Valley
688
76.4
14.64
47
7

Braiden Vaca, Tesoro
685
76.1
10.87
63
2

Trent Mosley, Santa Margarita
680
136.0
14.47
47
6

Carl Oldham, University
668
74.2
15.54
43
5

Noah Czaykowski, Beckman
659
73.2
16.90
39
4

Kaden Hunter, Capistrano Valley
635
70.6
13.80
46
12

Deacon Moss, Irvine
628
78.5
16.10
39
12

Dorsett Stecker, Corona del Mar
625
78.1
13.89
45
9

Edward Khutshivili, Esperanza
613
76.6
17.51
35
9

TACKLES: TOTAL

Name, school  
Tackles 
Tackles/Gm 
Solo 
Assist 
TFL 

Maxwell Mapstone, Portola
117
13.0
28
89
4.5

Thompson Foulger, Dana Hills
107
11.9
70
37
5

Max Krosky, Capo Valley Christian
101
11.2
77
24
1

Weston Port, San Juan Hills
94
10.4
58
36
11

Reily Walker, Capistrano Valley
92
10.2
71
21
4

Tyler White, Cypress
92
10.2
48
44
13

Isaac Real, Savanna
91
10.1
32
59
8

Roy Brown, Estancia
90
10.0
67
23
12

Carter Jones, Crean Lutheran
85
10.6
49
36
1

Brady Holcomb, Foothill
84
10.5
51
33
10

Wyatt Owens, Tesoro
84
9.3
59
25
5

Davis Post, Newport Harbor
84
9.3
49
35
1

Jose Jimenez, Century
84
9.3
45
39
0

Mike Lozano, Sonora
83
10.4
35
48
1

Julian Muro, Estancia
83
9.2
46
37
0

Matt Lopez, Edison
82
10.2
34
48
3

Noe Najera, Century
82
9.1
35
47
0

Chris Villalobos, Godinez
80
8.9
48
32
0

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​ Orange County Register 

Monster Dash brings spooky vibes to San Clemente

• October 28, 2024

Skeletons and monsters, even a lobster ran through San Clemente on Saturday, but the only thing they were chasing was a fun time.

San Clemente hosted its Monster Dash Fun Run, adding to the Halloween season’s spooky fun.

Saturday’s event started at the San Clemente Community Center, with the 5K dash that kicked off at 8:30 a.m. A Creepy Crawl 1-mile fun run followed for the kids.

The event, where many participants got decked out in costumes for the race, is now in its third year. Awards were handed out for best costumes and race winners.

There was also live music from the band Wigs and Ties to get the runners pumped up and a pancake breakfast to fuel the crowd.

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​ Orange County Register 

Election will test power of Californians’ backlash against crime

• October 28, 2024

Occasionally — perhaps once a generation — California experiences a sharp change in its political climate, upsetting whatever is considered the current norm.

The most obvious example occurred in 1978, when voters defied the almost universal advice from political figures and overwhelmingly adopted Proposition 13, which slashed property taxes and made taxes of any kind more difficult to impose.

The “tax revolt,” as it was dubbed, forced a complete overhaul of how schools and other state and local services were financed and has survived multiple efforts to change or repeal it.

Prop. 13 also forced the politicians who vociferously opposed it to adapt. Jerry Brown, the governor at the time, was running for re-election. He quickly recast himself as a “born-again tax cutter” and sought a state income tax reduction to prove his fidelity to the new paradigm.

Republicans seized the moment to make a serious bid for becoming the state’s dominant party, exploiting the twin issues of taxes and crime. Between 1980 and 1990, Republicans won eight of the 10 top-of-ticket races for president, governor and U.S. senator.

However the GOP surge fell short and by the late 1990s, in another climate change, Democrats had regained a dominance that has continued to expand. That said, California could be on the cusp of another atmospheric shift, one that could put the brakes on the party’s leftward tilt.

The issue is crime, which helped Republicans gain momentum in the 1980s and early 1990s, but seemingly had disappeared, at least in political terms, as Jerry Brown, Gavin Newsom and other prominent political figures championed what they called “criminal justice reform” in recent years.

They railed against “mass incarceration,” persuaded voters and the Legislature to downplay the severity of some crimes, reduced criminal penalties, and sharply decreased the number of offenders behind bars. But they may have gone too far.

The Public Policy Institute of California, in a newly released study, found that overall violent crime rates and some categories of property crime, particularly auto thefts and shoplifting, remain higher than they were prior to the pandemic.

The public perception of a new crime wave has generated a strong backlash that next month’s election will test.

Proposition 36, which would partially undo Proposition 47, a 2014 criminal justice reform measure, enjoys 73% support in the latest Public Policy Institute of California survey, despite opposition from Newsom and other major Democratic figures.

Newsom tried to get the Legislature to undercut Prop. 36 with a rival measure, but Democratic legislators, wary of the backlash, refused. Newsom could then have raised money for an opposition campaign but backed away, saying “it’s a question of bandwidth.”

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“I fear I can’t do everything,” he told reporters in September. “I’ve got, trying to get Kamala Harris elected President of the United States, trying to get through these 900 bills.”

Translation: Newsom knew that Prop. 36 was a slam dunk and didn’t want to risk a massive repudiation by leading an opposition campaign.

While Prop. 36 is one test of what appears to be a public revolt against California’s recent softer-on-crime policies, it’s not the only one.

Two district attorneys who were elected on reform platforms, George Gascón in Los Angeles County and Pamela Price in Alameda County, could lose their jobs. Gascón is running behind in his bid for a new term, and Price faces a recall.

Were two prosecutors in very liberal counties to be ousted, two years after San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin was recalled, and were Prop. 36 to win massively, the political fallout could be felt for years, or even decades.

Dan Walters is a CalMatters columnist.

​ Orange County Register