Proposition 5

Proposition 5 could have provided sensible, understandable and needed improvements to the criminal Justice System. Unfortunately, it did not. Not even close.

Say you've got a huge prison crisis in your state. Who you gonna call? In California, you might call the five living governors together. And Thursday, someone did.

The drug war continues to be an electrified third rail in American politics. And political money continues to be a roadblock to real reform. Don't believe the hype. Vote Yes on Prop 5.

On crime and prisons, the Golden State lags behind many others, with a costly and overburdened prison system that now consumes more than $10 billion each year.

Prop. 5 starts with youth. It launches the state's first system offering drug treatment for at-risk youth. Stop addiction early, and we reduce crime.