Oakland mayor favors criminal penalties but won't endorse Prop. 36

OAKLAND, Calif. - Despite saying she believes in strong criminal penalties, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao told KTVU on Tuesday that she is not endorsing Prop. 36, the statewide ballot measure that would strengthen penalties for certain theft and drug crimes, because she said it doesn't solve the problem at its core. 

"If you say yes to Prop 36, that doesn't solve the problem for the many juveniles who are out there committing crimes," Thao said. "I think that when we say yes on 36, we have to be holistic about what does that mean?"

Gov. Gavin Newsom opposes Prop. 36, fearing that it could lead to mass incarceration. 

San Francisco Mayor London Breed and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan support it. 

And in fact, a new statewide poll in California found that nearly three-quarters of Golden State residents support Proposition 36, a ballot measure that would re-classify some misdemeanors as felonies and would also create a new category of crime called a "treatment-mandated felony." 

But even though she said she doesn't support Prop. 36, philosophically, Thao said she believes in strengthening penalties. 

"If there's no punishment for doing something that is wrong, something that's going to violate and hurt the community, then there's no actual wherewithal to actually correct the behavior," she said. 

She did say she supports Prop. 36's goals when combined with other strategies, such as gun violence prevention.

Thao added that her family was a victim of crime.

Her home was burglarized when her son was home alone when he was younger.

He is now a freshman in college and "still suffering through that trauma," Thao said.