Now, certain drug offenses and thefts under $950 can be classified as felonies rather than misdemeanors if the suspected perpetrator has two or more past convictions for theft crimes.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom strongly opposed the measure, saying that “Prop 36 takes us back to the 1980s, mass incarceration — it promotes a promise that can’t be delivered.”

California voters approved Proposition 36 to roll back soft-on-crime policies in Proposition 47, raising penalties for some crimes, including theft and drug offenses.