California State Sen. George Runner (R-Antelope Valley) is pushing for an anti-crime measure labeled Proposition 6 to pass in November.

The measure, also called the Safe Neighborhoods Act, would increase punishments for gangs and street criminals, create funding for law enforcement to get such technology as GPS tracking and databases of gang members, and establish prevention and intervention programs aimed at children at risk of joining gangs.

Such spending would have to be approved by a publicly appointed Early Intervention and Rehabilitation Commission.

In a press release, Runner noted that Proposition 6 has support of every elected California sheriff and groups such as the California Police Chiefs' Association and the California District Attorneys Association.

"This step in the initiative process brings Californians that much closer to taking back our neighborhoods from gangs," Runner said in the press release.

A group opposing the measure has labeled Proposition 6 the Runner initiative, saying the financial commitments it would make equal more than $1 billion in its first year if it were approved, and $500 million in succeeding years.

The group, Books Not Bars, is affiliated with the Ella Barker Center, a group that advocates for widespread youth prison reform in California and is often critical of law enforcement.

Books Not Bars also maintains the initiative is a reckless idea in a state with a multibillion dollar deficit.

According to the text of the initiative at http://www.safeneighborhoodsact.com/, at least some of the funding for the proposition's programs would come from the state's General Fund.

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