A George Soros-backed progressive group behind many of California's soft-on-crime reforms has launched a fundraising effort against a potential November voter referendum to restore tougher criminal penalties for theft and drug offenses—even as Golden State voters increasingly disapprove of their state's lax approach to criminal justice. Action for Safety and Justice, which is organized under the San Francisco Bay Area's progressive dark money network Tides—bankrolled by Soros and other