Sacramento City Hall. (Photo: cityofsacramento.org)
Sacramento City Attorney Threatens Target it Will Face Fines for Reporting Retail Theft ‘Nuisance Calls’
We have officially entered George Orwell’s 1984
By Katy Grimes, July 9, 2024 8:36 am
The Sacramento City Attorney’s Office has issued a warning to gigantic national retailer Target that it will face fines for reporting so many retail theft incidences.
We have officially entered George Orwell’s 1984.
Think about that – Target reports retail theft to the city of Sacramento hoping for any enforcement, and the city’s attorney gets mad that there are so many “nuisance” calls.
According to the Bee, “city officials threatened the Target at 2505 Riverside Blvd. in the past year with an administrative fine.” This is the Target in my Land Park city neighborhood, which is a target for retail theft (pun intended). This Target, sadly, has been a bit of a s-hole store for three decades. Target attempted to do a massive remodel in the early 2000’s, but the neighborhood association thwarted them at every turn, including demanding outdoor seating for the food court – which at the time consisted of liquid cheese nachos and a soda fountain, on a blighted boulevard.
The Bee reports “The alleged warning issued by Sacramento city officials — and similar actions by other cities across the state — prompted lawmakers to add an amendment to a retail theft bill that would outlaw such threats made by authorities. Pursuing legal actions against businesses for reporting crime brought heavy criticism from law enforcement.”
This is the same City Attorney, Susana Alcala Wood, who rather than working to improve the degraded quality of life of Sacramento residents and taxpayers, asked a Superior Court to dismiss the Sacramento DA’s lawsuit against the City of Sacramento for failing to abate the homeless crisis in the Capitol city by refusing to enforce existing laws. The Sacramento City Attorney called the DA’s lawsuit “deeply flawed.”
District Attorney Ho said Sacramento’s homeless crisis has exploded by more than 250% in just 7 years -– the length of time Darrell Steinberg has been Sacramento Mayor.
“We believe the court will see this and correctly bring an end to a case that can’t hope to achieve anything beyond staggering expense to taxpayers and a drain on both City and court resources,” the City Attorney said.
While city residents make calls (as instructed) to 311 to report open drug use, sidewalks and private property blocked by tents and homeless garbage, harassment, violence and other crimes, their calls go unanswered, or they are told to stop calling 311. Residents even report fires set by homeless.
DA Ho described the treatment by the city as “egregious” and “willful neglect,” and said residents are being treated like second class citizens.
City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood, “received her Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy-Ethics and Public Policy,” her bio states. Practicing some ethics would come in handy right about now. After all, Ms. Wood is a public servant and would serve her city well if she acted like one.
“Retail crime, violence and theft continue to impact the retail industry at unprecedented levels,” the 2023 National Retail Security Survey reports. And three California cities made the Top 10: Sacramento sadly factors prominently coming in at #7 in the nation for organized retail theft. Los Angeles ranks at #1 topping the list, with San Francisco and Oakland coming in at #2, the Globe reported in 2023.
In September, the Globe reported that Sacramento ranked as the 2nd dirtiest city in America, with only Baltimore coming in dirtier than California’s State Capitol in sanitation-related 311 complaints.
As the Globe has consistently and repeatedly reported, this didn’t happen in a bubble. Proposition 47, passed by tragically misinformed voters in 2014, and flagrantly titled “The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act” by then-Attorney General Kamala Harris, reduced a host of felonies to misdemeanors, including drug crimes, date rape, and all thefts under $950, even for repeat offenders who steal every day. Prop. 47 which also decriminalized drug possession from a felony to a misdemeanor, removed law enforcement’s ability to make an arrest in most circumstances, as well as removing judges’ ability to order drug rehabilitation programs rather than incarceration.
Proposition 36, the ballot initiative to reform and “Fix” Prop. 47, which has caused crime to surge throughout the state, will be on the November 2024 ballot.
The Bee correctly surmises, “It’s unclear why City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood’s office would allegedly resort to issuing such a warning to any business seeking help from police.” Especially when Target is the victim, and likely pays among the highest property taxes of any retailer in the City of Sacramento.
The Globe contacted the City Attorney’s office to ask what the legal violation is for reporting so much retail theft? We will report back when we hear from the City Attorney.
Did I already say we have officially entered George Orwell’s 1984?
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Just. Amazing.
Also completely, thoroughly, 100% UNACCEPTABLE.
What’s next? Jail time for reporting that a vicious dog on the loose attacked your 3 year old?
Hey taxpayer! Just pay me and shut up. Don’t bother me with your annoying requests for services.
Why do voters keep voting for their own demise? Covering up crime will only make Target close their doors. She will kill the golden goose. A poorer quality of life and more crime will be the result of shoving the truth under the rug. I haven’t been to California in years. I’ll keep my memories from twenty years ago.
Besides Target how many other stores have been treated in this manner? Mom and Pop shops? Small business etc..Target provides a place to shop and jobs for citizens.Does the city attorney want Target to leave?The problem is gov.reps think they are doing good ..But they are not thinking of certain needs for citizens..The turmoil in gov is relevant when the DA sues in court..There decision making process is terrible..
Since the City Attorney is appointed complaints about her responsiveness should be directed to the City Council. These people are not empowered by their oath to make City policy on their own. If the Council is not responsive a recall or two will bring them into line. Citizen activism in our local democracy is what will bring about change. While recently in West Covina I saw signs to recall a Councilman. Recalls are brewing up and down the state of unresponsive/corrupted local elected officials.
When things are so bad that Democrat propaganda rag The Sacramento Bee has to call out Democrats for their stupidity.
We can always count on a MAGAT to be partisan and devisive.
We can always count on liberal dolts to destroy cities and somehow blame the conservatives. Liberals are pathetic juveniles.
We can always count on liberal dolts to destroy cities and somehow blame the conservatives. Liberals are pathetic juveniles.
go blow soros loser
That’s California for you. California caters to homeless people, excuse me unhoused and crime. To mention a few other amazing things were known for, our roads, aren’t they the best. How about the toll bridges, isn’t it amazing how they just keep going up but yet we don’t know where the money’s going. However, visit Southern California and in certain areas you’ll see where the money’s going. Beautiful parks with outdoor workout equipment, yes, free to use. Dedicated bike Lanes they go on for miles and miles. Oh let’s talk about Bridge toll down there, sorry they don’t have any. The two bridges that they do have at least the ones that I know of, soon as the bridges were paid for they took the toll booths down. That’s exactly they told Californians years ago in the bay area, once the bridges were paid for the tolls would come down. Nah, Democratic state ran by Democratic idiots, say no
Having once been to that particular Target during a visit to Sacramento, Katy is right about it being a s-hole store on a blighted boulevard plagued by crime. How it managed to stay open this long is a mystery and Target will probably end up closing that store sooner than later?
According to City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood’s bio on the City of Sacramento website, she’s a graduate of Whitter College which closed in 2017 after several years being ranked among the poorest-performing law schools in the United States. She has worked in multiple cities throughout California, including as City Attorney for the City of Modesto and as Assistant City Attorney for the City of Stockton. She states that her primary focus is advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts of the organization. She’s a DEI nightmare hire who was installed to advance the Democrat’s agenda of destroying cities and turning them into lawless hellholes? She’s succeeded in doing that to Sacramento?
(https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/attorney/management-team/susana-alcala#anchor-educa-ad54-b051)
Well stated TJ and very appropriate. DEI hires are killing all of America not just California. I have been trying to follow CA politics for some time now and believe the entirety of the democratic politicians are using CA as a testing ground to see how far they can go nationally. This article highlights the depth these morons will go to. But they have not hit bottom yet. November is not far but the damage these yuts are causing is going to be around for years to come. Can we go home again? EVER?
I really don’t think that they are “DEI hires”, they are more like Soros plants to destroy our cities through Marxist policies.
The City of Sacramento proudly announces that reports of retail theft declined 95% in the last reporting period.
City officials intend to expand their new and innovative crime reduction strategy from retail theft to murder, rape, armed robbery, and carjacking.
And there it is-it’s a “crime reduction” policy! Who votes for this? I assume Target must report the theft to make an insurance claim or write it off for tax purposes, to prove the losses were authentic, and to validate profit/losses to shareholders.
Isn’t anyone in Sacramento familiar with standard business practices?
glad we moved to rural Georgia where life is good and people are still beautiful
If I were the CEO of Target, I would’ve ordered all the Target stores in Sacramento and in the whole Bay Area shut down IMMEDIATELY. No more time wasting.
Retail theft is lost revenue to businesses like Target, it increases the cost of goods and merchandise, and it leads to high insurance costs.
Interesting, you would think the city attorney would want to curb the crime, alert local authorities but no! It does not reflect well on her that her city is riddled with theft!
Another key example that progressives really do not care about the everyday Joe/Jane!
They do not care about solutions, just appearances!!
2+2 =5
The result of not nipping crime in the bud:
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-07-10/l-a-robber-avoided-prison-after-stealing-rolex-now-hes-accused-in-fashion-island-killing
Typical Affirmative Action/DEI policing.
Crime prevention through enforcing the law is their number one job. Nothing like announcing to the world “Come rip off Target! We’ve got your back!”
‘You are making me look bad – stop it!
Not a good look.
Target should sue the city for negligence or abuse of power. Maybe a giant like Target can be successful in making the DA and Sacramento Police Department actually do their job.
Let me guess…Target is going to be the Next Chain store to leave Sacramento if not Kalifornia as a whole.
To be the devil’s advocate: sounds like a tussle over Target not wanting to invest in sufficient security and using P/R to try to get the city to pay for it at a time when police pensions are out of control. Yes, it is unfortunate retailers need extra security nowadays, but places like Costco can get it under control and there are problem Targets in states without Prop 47. It was only recently Target closed a number of urban Targets and blamed lack of security but in reality it had expanded into neighborhoods with limited parking with smaller inventories and that business model proved not to work. Of course, the police unions are going to back the crime narrative because they want more officers at outrageous salaries.
Even if Target employs scores of private security officers who can identify and detain thieves, you need a police officer to cite the thieves for their $949.99 “misdemeanor.” Lunacy such as this marks a milestone in the dismantling of Western Civilization by weak-minded leftist fools.
I agree, Target is in on it. They fully embraced Marxist policies and a number of them were involved in the 2020 riots most likely on purpose. They may also be under the corporate credit score system which puts them under globalist control.
Me and my family left California due to business in 96 for the east coast. Me and my wife still have family in the state but many have left. My wife’s oldest brother has left Sacramento and retired to a city to the east in the state. We still have family in different parts of the north, central, and southern California. California is destroyed compared to how it was when I grew up as a kid in elementary school in the 60s.
Thank you for reporting on this, it is unacceptable, yet, the ideology not only of this City Attorney, but of the State Legislature, and what the party machine has put in place in many city and county governments in California
In Millbrae, 15 miles from San Francisco, with a major Bart station, has had a Walgreens and Lucky Store (Savemart) close due to retail theft, being close to public transport , and now residents are trying to recall two City Council members who really are not city residents, but were installed by a group associated with Sutton Law Firm in San Francisco, who have been the source of financing them and getting them elected. This probably is true for many city and county officials and state legislators….they were put in their position from deep pocket financers from the outside with a progressive agenda
I agree, Target is in on it. They fully embraced Marxist policies and a number of them were involved in the 2020 riots most likely on purpose. They may also be under the corporate credit score system which puts them under globalist control.
The best allies of crime and criminals: Democrats
The criminal’s best allies are always Democrats.