‘Egregious’: Denver City Council’s Health and Safety Committee Argues Against Proposition 132

By Nahila Bonfiglio

Members of Denver City Council’s Health and Safety Committee voiced their opposition to proposed fentanyl ballot measure Proposition 132 in an Oct. 7 meeting. Council members Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez and Amanda Sandoval came together to take a stand against the proposition, which they called “egregious.” 

The pair of council members asked their colleagues to join them in voting “no” on the proposition, which would “significantly increase prison sentences for fentanyl offenses,” according to the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition. Proposition 132 would make it a felony to possess any amount of fentanyl, and would attach a mandatory prison sentence of between eight and 32 years for anyone convicted of possessing the drug with the intention to distribute. The proposition is backed by conservative political nonprofit Advance Colorado. 

Gonzales-Gutierrez argued in the committee meeting that vital questions must be considered regarding Proposition 132, which Colorado voters will get the chance to vote on in the state’s 2026 midterm elections. 

“Is this causing more harm to our community,” she said. “Are these types of measures that could potentially cause more harm rather than actually help?”

She noted that several laws have already been passed to address issues relating to “drug addiction and fentanyl,” and she emphasized the need to “make sure that people are able to access the help that they need when they need it.”

Proposition 132 “does not provide an avenue” for people to access that help, according to Gonzales-Gutierrez. Council member Sandoval agreed with her assessment, adding that they oppose the proposition because it would “impose mandatory minimum sentences, reduce judicial discretion, and because it fails to provide a balanced, data-informed approach necessary to address Colorado’s fentanyl crisis effectively.”

The argument earned broad support from their fellow council members, who noted that the proposition fails to actually reduce fentanyl usage among Coloradans. Instead, it overburdens the jail system and “criminalizes our most vulnerable,” according to Denver City Council President Diana Romero-Campbell. She proposed investing instead in areas like education, prevention, and treatment, adding that Proposition 132 “will harm our community.”

Council members across the board acknowledged that fentanyl is a problem among Denver communities, but that Proposition 132 is not the solution to that problem. Council member Paul Kashmann emphasized that people need “programs that are actually going to ease their pain and heal what is definitely a societal problem.”

“If there is a bill to target specifically the folks who are actually causing harm to our family on the streets, that would make sense,” added Health and Safety Committee Chair Darrell Watson.

“This bill, from my perspective, is not the right thing.”