Public Safety
5 explainers on the debates that make up this issue. Each shows the neutral facts first, then the strongest case on each side, with every claim sourced.
- Cash BailRead →
Cash bail is money you pay to get out of jail before your trial. You get it back only if you show up to all your court dates.
- Retail Theft & Sentencing (Prop 36)Read →
Proposition 36 is a 2024 California law. It raised penalties for repeat theft and hard-drug crimes. It undid part of a 2014 reform that had lowered them.
- Police FundingRead →
Police funding is the public money a city or county spends on its police, and the debate is whether to hire more officers or move some of that money into programs that prevent crime.
- Drug Policy & DecriminalizationRead →
Drug policy is the mix of laws and health programs a government uses to deal with illegal drugs. It shapes what happens when people use or carry them.
- The Death PenaltyRead →
The death penalty is when the government puts a person to death for the worst crimes. That almost always means murder. It is also called capital punishment.
Every explainer is reviewed by a person before it goes live. We summarize what each side argues; we never tell you how to vote.