We've got to get back to the victims.
In California, a tension as old as governance itself has surfaced once more — the question of whom the law is ultimately meant to protect. Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper has stepped forward as a public voice for that tension, arguing that the state's criminal justice apparatus has drifted from its foundational obligation to victims, leaving voter-approved reforms underfunded and accountability subordinated to ideology. His critique arrives not as a partisan salvo alone, but as a warning that the distance between democratic mandate and institutional follow-through can itself become a form of harm.
- Voters passed Proposition 36 with nearly 70% support, yet the state has allocated only $50 million of the needed funding for the courts and pretrial systems that would make the law actually function.
- Lawmakers are simultaneously proposing expanded mental health diversion programs that Cooper says would quietly gut the very reform voters just enshrined — allowing serious offenders, including those accused of felony child abuse, to sidestep prosecution entirely.
- California's classification of many felony domestic violence offenses as 'non-violent' continues to draw Cooper's fire, as victims sustain grave injuries while the legal system treats their cases as something less than violent crime.
- A compassionate release case — in which a convicted attempted cop killer was freed over law enforcement objections and later arrested on new weapons charges — has become a flashpoint for Cooper's argument that ideology is actively overriding expert risk assessment.
- Despite the state reporting its lowest homicide rate in nearly six decades, Cooper insists the headline statistic masks ongoing harm to victims living under a system that prioritizes diversion and early release over consequence.
Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper has emerged as one of the more persistent critics of Governor Gavin Newsom's approach to crime, using a recent television appearance to deliver a measured but pointed indictment of the state's criminal justice priorities. With the legislative session nearing its close, Cooper argued that California has consistently placed the interests of offenders above those of the people harmed by crime — and that the consequences are real and ongoing.
His sharpest criticism is directed at Proposition 36, the 2024 ballot measure that passed with nearly 70 percent support in all 58 counties. The initiative stiffened penalties for repeat retail theft and drug offenses while offering treatment pathways for eligible offenders. Retailers have already reported drops in theft since its passage. Yet Cooper contends the state has effectively abandoned the law by refusing to fund it adequately — allocating only $50 million toward the court and pretrial infrastructure the measure requires to function. He noted with particular frustration that not a single statewide official had supported Proposition 36 before voters approved it.
Cooper is equally troubled by legislative proposals to expand mental health diversion programs, which he believes would allow more theft and serious offenses to bypass traditional prosecution — quietly hollowing out what voters just approved. Even after Newsom signed legislation adding some guardrails to diversion, Cooper maintained that the program still permits individuals accused of felony child abuse and crimes involving sexually violent predators to avoid prosecution altogether.
On domestic violence, Cooper has long argued that California's classification of many felony offenses as non-violent represents a fundamental failure to take victims seriously. He has pushed for reclassification legislation repeatedly, and when asked why lawmakers continue to vote it down, his answer was spare: 'They have no argument. They just vote against it.'
Cooper also pointed to a compassionate release case — a convicted attempted cop killer freed early despite explicit warnings from prosecutors and law enforcement, who was later arrested on new weapons charges — as evidence that ideology has come to outweigh public safety in the state's decision-making. 'The experts in the room saw the risks and they were ignored,' he wrote.
California has pointed to its lowest homicide rate in nearly six decades as a sign of progress. Cooper does not dispute the number, but argues it obscures a more troubling picture — one in which victims continue to bear the cost of a system that has lost sight of its most basic obligation.
Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper has become an unlikely thorn in Governor Gavin Newsom's side, using a recent television interview to deliver a blunt assessment of the state's approach to crime: not enough is being done, and victims are paying the price.
With roughly a month remaining in the legislative session, Cooper laid out a systematic critique of California's criminal justice policies during an appearance on KCRA 3's California Politics 360. His central complaint is straightforward—state leaders have prioritized the interests of offenders over those harmed by crime, failed to adequately fund voter-approved reforms, and embraced a philosophy that weakens accountability. When asked to grade the governor and Legislature's response to crime, Cooper did not equivocate. "Not enough. Not enough," he said. "It's just frustrating that people are hesitant to do anything."
The sheriff's criticism centers heavily on Proposition 36, the crime measure that California voters approved in 2024 with nearly 70 percent support across all 58 counties. The initiative increased penalties for repeat retail theft and certain drug offenses while allowing some eligible offenders to have felony charges dismissed after completing court-ordered treatment. Retailers have already reported declines in theft since its passage, suggesting the measure is working as intended. Yet Cooper argues that Sacramento has essentially abandoned the law by refusing to fund it properly. The state budget includes $375 million for Proposition 36 implementation overall, but only $50 million is specifically directed toward court and pretrial services—the machinery needed to make the law function. "The issue is no funding, no funding came with it," Cooper said. "It is working. But without funding, it doesn't go anywhere." What makes his complaint particularly pointed is that not a single statewide official supported Proposition 36 when voters were deciding on it—a fact Cooper finds deeply troubling.
Beyond funding, Cooper is alarmed by what he sees as an end-run around the voter mandate. State lawmakers have proposed expanding California's mental health diversion system, which would allow more theft offenses to be diverted away from traditional prosecution. Cooper views this as an attempt to hollow out Proposition 36 from within. "It would water it down," he said, accusing some lawmakers of not wanting "anybody held accountable." Even after Newsom recently signed legislation adding guardrails to the diversion program, Cooper maintains that it still permits offenders accused of serious crimes—including felony child abuse and crimes involving sexually violent predators—to avoid prosecution entirely. Some crimes, he argues, are simply too shocking to qualify for diversion.
The sheriff has also renewed his campaign against California's domestic violence laws, which he views as fundamentally inadequate. The state continues to classify many felony domestic violence offenses as non-violent crimes, a classification that Cooper sees as a betrayal of victims who suffer devastating injuries. "Domestic violence goes on every day. Doesn't matter if you're rich or poor. Happens in every neighborhood. We have to treat it seriously," he said. When pressed on why lawmakers continue to oppose legislation that would reclassify felony domestic violence as a violent felony, Cooper's answer was blunt: "They have no argument. They just vote against it."
Cooper's broader concern extends to what he views as a systemic failure to hold serious offenders accountable based on the severity of their crimes. He has criticized Proposition 57 and related youth offender parole laws, arguing they prioritize an offender's age over the harm inflicted on victims. After five young suspects were charged in the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old Sacramento State student, Cooper pointed to the case as emblematic of a system that places limits on how long offenders can be held while taking "zero ownership of the damage done to victims and their families." He has also criticized California's compassionate release program after a convicted attempted cop killer, released early despite warnings from prosecutors and law enforcement, was later arrested on new weapons charges. "The experts in the room saw the risks and they were ignored," Cooper wrote. "This is what happens when ideology outweighs public safety."
While California recently announced its lowest homicide rate in nearly six decades—a statistic that might suggest progress—Cooper argues the numbers obscure a more troubling reality. Victims continue to suffer under policies that emphasize diversion and early release, and the state's refusal to fully implement and fund voter-approved reforms represents a fundamental failure of leadership. As Cooper framed it in closing his interview, Sacramento has lost sight of a basic principle: "We've got to get back to the victims."
Citas Notables
It's just frustrating that people are hesitant to do anything.— Sheriff Jim Cooper, on state lawmakers' response to crime
The issue is no funding, no funding came with it. It is working. But without funding, it doesn't go anywhere.— Sheriff Jim Cooper, on Proposition 36 implementation
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Why is a Sacramento sheriff making such a public case against his own governor? Isn't that unusual?
It is, but Cooper isn't acting in isolation. He's speaking for a constituency—law enforcement and crime victims—that feels ignored by state policy. The unusual part is how directly he's doing it, on camera, by name.
He keeps returning to Proposition 36. What makes that particular law so important to him?
Because voters gave it a mandate—70 percent support in all 58 counties—and then the state essentially refused to implement it. Cooper sees that as a betrayal of the public will. The law is working, retailers report less theft, but without funding it's a shell.
He's also critical of mental health diversion. Isn't diversion supposed to be more humane?
It can be. But Cooper's argument is that diversion should be selective, not expansive. He's saying some crimes—child abuse, sexual violence—shouldn't be diverted at all. The state keeps broadening eligibility, which he sees as undermining Prop 36 by the back door.
What about his domestic violence criticism? That seems like a separate issue.
It connects to his larger point about accountability. California law still classifies many felony domestic violence offenses as non-violent crimes. Cooper sees that as a legal fiction that minimizes real harm. He's asking why lawmakers won't fix it—and his answer is they simply don't want to.
He mentions ideology outweighing public safety. What does he mean by that?
He's saying the state's criminal justice philosophy—emphasizing rehabilitation, diversion, and early release—has become so dominant that it overrides practical concerns about victim safety and offender accountability. When a released attempted cop killer gets arrested again on weapons charges, Cooper sees that as ideology failing in real time.
Does he have allies in this, or is he mostly alone?
He's not alone—other law enforcement officials share these concerns—but he's unusually vocal about it publicly. Most sheriffs don't spend this much political capital criticizing a governor from their own state. That's what makes his campaign notable.