California voters have narrowly rejected Proposition 66. The measure would have restored California's "Three Strikes" law to the voters' original intent -- providing for sentences of 25-years-to-life for violent repeat offenders. Right now, several thousand people are serving 25-to-life sentences only for petty, nonviolent offenses, such as drug possession or shoplifting.

Prop. 66 received major support from the Drug Policy Alliance Network, and our supporters were extremely enthusiastic about this chance to restore fairness to the justice system in California. A Field Poll in the closing weeks of the campaign showed strong support among voters. But that support for Prop. 66 quickly eroded after the prison guards' union, three former governors and current Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger spent millions of dollars in a late advertising buy to spread falsehoods about the measure.

In televised ads, Schwarzenegger claimed that under Prop. 66, "26,000 dangerous criminals will be released from prison." But Superior Court Judge Raymond Cadei called this statement "patently false" and "mathematically impossible." The Sacramento Bee took the governor to task for this, calling it a "desperate bid" full of the "worst kind of late attack ads."

In truth, Prop. 66 would not have released anyone from prison. It simply would have allowed those who are serving third-strike sentences for nonviolent felonies to apply for a resentencing. And Prop. 66 even includes tougher "one-strike" penalties for child molestation.

Prop. 66 was supported by the Los Angeles Times, Sacramento Bee, San Francisco Chronicle, San Diego Union Tribune, San Jose Mercury News, North County Times, Santa Cruz Sentinel, Modesto Bee and Redding Record Searchlight. The state Democratic, Green and Libertarian parties all endorsed the initiative as well.