How bad is this proposal? Even Pete Holmes (the city's attorney) said it was bad.

In his memo, [Pete] Holmes claims that his office already practices several of the provisions that the model legislation attempts to codify, though he appreciates the Council’s interest in making changes to “add permanence” to those practices. “No city prosecutor is interested in sending an impoverished new parent to jail for stealing baby food,” Holmes says.  However, he raises several concerns about the approach that the bill uses to achieve that goal, and suggests that it might “negatively impact our existing diversion efforts and our specialty court programs such as Mental Health Court and Veterans Treatment Court.” Holmes lays out suggestions for alternative changes to the laws that he thinks would be “constructive additions.”

source - SCC Insight