Home>Articles>With Crime in California Out of Control, is Newsom Now the Law and Order Governor?

Governor Gavin Newsom. (Photo: Kevin Sanders for California Globe)

With Crime in California Out of Control, is Newsom Now the Law and Order Governor?

The Governor claims he’s ‘Building on the Administration’s ongoing efforts’

By Katy Grimes, December 19, 2021 2:24 am

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced he will seek more than $300 million in state funding over three years to in an effort to provide more support to law enforcement efforts to combat retail theft. This is in response to a massive crime wave taking place across the state: smash-and-grabs, large group robberies, and every imaginable retail establishment from malls to high-end boutiques experiencing untold theft.  Walgreens announced that five more outlets in San Francisco would be closing on top of the 17 already shuttered just since 2019, the Globe reported.

Support for law enforcement is much deeper than the creation of a “Real Public Safety Plan” focused on “new investments that will bolster local law enforcement response, ensure prosecutors hold perpetrators accountable and get guns and drugs off our streets.”

While Newsom commits millions to the problem now, he wasn’t always so concerned about the growing crime in his home state.

In June 2020, while Californians were still locked down under Gov. Newsom’s COVID orders, the governor visited Oakland on a “listening tour” following the killing of George Floyd the month before in Minnesota.

The Times Herald reported:

“The city of Oakland marked the latest stop on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s listening tour as he travels the state to meet with community leaders to discuss racism and systemic injustices.”

After the meeting, Newsom was asked specifically about whether he would support calls to defund police departments in the state.

“If you’re calling for eliminating police, no,” Newsom said. “If you’re talking about reimagining and taking the opportunity to look at the responsibility and role that we place on law enforcement to be social workers, mental health workers, get involved in disputes where a badge and a gun are unnecessary, then I think absolutely this is an opportunity to look at all of the above.”

“Reimagining” is the buzz word politicians use when they don’t want to come out and say “reform” or “defund.”

Read that statement again:

“If you’re talking about reimagining and taking the opportunity to look at the responsibility and role that we place on law enforcement to be social workers, mental health workers, get involved in disputes where a badge and a gun are unnecessary, then I think absolutely this is an opportunity to look at all of the above.”

Law enforcement officers make countless life-or-death decisions every day, and political and public support for their work is imperative. When it is not, society descends into chaos and anarchy, as we have in California’s most dangerous cities: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento.

The Governor claims to be “Building on the Administration’s work in partnership with local law enforcement to bolster public safety,” but it is not clear, nor did he say what they are building on. This is all new.

Governor Gavin Newsom “unveiled a multipronged plan to fight and prevent crime in California,” his press statement announced Friday. “The Governor’s Real Public Safety Plan focuses on new investments that will bolster local law enforcement response, ensure prosecutors hold perpetrators accountable and get guns and drugs off our streets.”

“We’re doubling down on our public safety investments and partnerships with law enforcement officials up and down the state to ensure Californians and small businesses feel safe in their communities – a fundamental need we all share,” said Governor Newsom. “Through robust new investments and ongoing coordination with local agencies, this plan will bolster our prevention, deterrence and enforcement efforts to aggressively curb crime, hold bad actors to account and protect Californians from the devastating gun violence epidemic.”

Not everyone bought this new and improved law-and-order Governor, who up until to Friday, had not addressed the crime wave and violent crimes taking place in the state.

“Today Newsom announced he’s ‘doubling down on our efforts to fight and prevent crime.’ Even math-challenged politicians know what multiplying by zero gets you,” said Assemblyman Kevin Kiley (R-Granite Bay) in a Tweet.

California State Senator Melissa Melendez (R-Lake Elsinore) had plenty to say on the Governor’s Public Safety Plan:

“It’s laughable to think the Governor, and majority party democrats, can announce a public safety plan seeking to stop the real epidemic crime wave without acknowledging their bad policies led to these disasters.  Prop 47 and AB 109 have allowed criminals to freely roam our streets and rob our businesses, without ever receiving the punishments for their actions.  I would like to thank Governor Newsom for committing to increase funding for our District Attorneys, police and law enforcement officers, and for coming to the realization that our criminal justice system as a whole is what keeps our communities, families and businesses safe.  Im also pleased my colleagues have finally discovered that there is a fentanyl and drug crisis in our state. With this renewed interest in public safety by the Governor and legislative democrats, I look forward to their support for my SB 350, which seeks to slow down the fentanyl poisoning epidemic, when it comes up for a vote in January.  Additionally, I welcome their advocacy for the public safety measures I plan to introduce next year to restore many of the criminal penalties removed or lessened by the majority party over the past decade.”

Assembly Public Safety Committee Vice-Chair Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale) issued a stern statement:

“This plan is too little, too late. While Democrats around the state are scrambling to evade the fallout from a decade of pro-criminal policies, they can’t hide from their record of zero bail, defunding the police and pathetically light sentences for criminals who repeatedly prey on innocent Californians.

“More funding for law enforcement is a good thing, but it won’t make a dent in the crime wave if radical prosecutors let criminals out as they’re caught and state lawmakers continue watering down penalties for breaking the law.”

“Democrats are the party of defunding the police, zero bail and early release for felons. No matter how tough they act, things won’t change until they begin putting victims and law-abiding Californians first.”

Assemblyman James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) had this to say:

Senate Republican Leader Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita) commented:

“The Democrats’ relentless push for their ‘criminals first’ agenda has turned this once-majestic state into a sanctuary for criminals. It shouldn’t have taken increasing homicide rates, widespread news reports of smash-and-grabs, and pleas from Californians for Democrats to come to this realization.”
“Ironically, today’s announcement comes just 15 days away from several new laws taking effect, including ones that greenlight reduced sentences for murder accomplices and let gang members off the hook for being gang-affiliated. It is no surprise criminals feel empowered here. Time will tell if today’s announcement is about meaningful action or just more political grandstanding.”

An astute bail agent also weighed in:

“Newsom and (AG) Bonta avoided the elephant in the room responsible for the rise in crime in CA. ZERO BAIL Pilot Program that cost CA Taxpayers $76M and Prop 47. Both should have been addressed today. Instead Newsom decides to throw $250M into a burning inferno.”

Again, claiming to be “Building on the Administration’s ongoing efforts,” the Governor says “the Real Public Safety Plan’s three core areas of focus crack down on crime to keep communities safe by:”

Bolstering Local Law Enforcement Response to Stop and Apprehend Criminals

  • Increased Local Law Enforcement to Combat Retail Theft: The Real Public Safety Plan includes $255 million in grants for local law enforcement over the next three years to increase presence at retail locations and combat organized, retail crime so Californians and small businesses across the state can feel safe.
  • Smash and Grab Enforcement Unit: Governor Newsom’s Plan includes a permanent Smash and Grab Enforcement Unit. Operated by the California Highway Patrol, the unit will consist of enforcement fleets that will work with local law enforcement to crack down on organized retail, auto and rail theft in the Bay Area, Sacramento, San Joaquin Valley, Los Angeles and San Diego regions.
  • Keeping Our Roads Safe: With the Real Public Safety Plan, CHP will now be able to strategically deploy more patrols based on real-time data to help keep our roads safe. Governor Newsom will also work with the Legislature to upgrade highway camera technology to gather information to help solve crimes.
  • Support for Small Businesses Victimized by Retail Theft: Governor Newsom’s Plan will create a new grant program to help small businesses that have been the victims of smash-and-grabs to get back on their feet quickly.

All of this is certainly needed, but even more, Californians deserve a governor who supports public safety more than he cares about politics, platitudes and virtue signaling soundbites. Police and sheriffs need to know they are supported from the top, which has not been the case. These have not been “ongoing efforts.”

For more information on the crime wave in California and to understand the origins, read “California’s Alarming Cocktail of Criminal Justice ‘Reforms’ Responsible for Major Crime Wave,” and “Californians’ Quality of Life is on a Collision Course With the Rule of Law.”

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27 thoughts on “With Crime in California Out of Control, is Newsom Now the Law and Order Governor?

  1. The more afraid you become then the more you are willing to spend the money to feel safe.
    He created this problem (fear) so that he could get more money from you (taxpayer) to spend.
    While he is so nobly allocating your money to the problem he is reaping the $$ reward from his testing center and his build out for the vagrants (that you paid for) If everyone is fat and happy we don’t need government. We need to create a problem so that we can fix it. Next up is a state police department to enforce mandates! Welcome to Venezuela North!

    1. Tomorrow. I agree. Dims want to use “emergencies” to enact a police state. This is all part of their “final solution” to that pesky problem of Freedom.

  2. Appreciate all the great and incisive comments from the “good guys” above. It sure looks like what is at the bottom of this is that the Dems are desperately trying to save themselves from a huge loss next year because we see the same talking points from the usual-suspect Dems nationwide that Gruesome blathered here. But it just won’t work.

  3. Total BS! Do they include legislation to reverse all the damage they have done? If not no one will actually go to jail as zero bail will let them out on the street within hours. Then there are the laws that have defined crimes down from felonies to misdemeanors and all the other programs designed to keep criminals out of jail.

    This is smoke and mirrors leading up to the 2022 elections where Dims have realized that everyone hates them. No one is going to buy these theatrics!

  4. One simple solution: “Theft with a prior” needs to be a felony again, as it was before Prop. 47 turned it into a misdemeanor.

    Sure, you can get six months for a misdemeanor, and ten of them stacked side-by-each will get you ten years. The problem is, in California, a misdemeanor crime NOT witnessed by a police officer can only be cleared by Citizen’s Arrest. The victim has to identify the crook, track him down and corner him himself before the police will come out and hook up the bad guy.

  5. I have a message for the “new” smash and grab crime unit, Newsom is conjuring up.
    Hint: if young gangs of guys are stealing sledgehammers from the local hardware store then you can be sure a smash and grab is soon to happen in your area????

    Question, isn’t a crime a crime, why the need to segment into special units? Comes down to more spending does it not?

    One would have to be brain dead to consider Newsom is a Law and Order Governor!!

  6. The governor needs to focus on the Omicron variant of Covid. Cases are surging in the U.S. and in just a few weeks hospitals, including CA, will be overwhelmed.
    Crime is important but right now the devastating omicron surge is what the gov needs to focus on right now.

    1. w16521: A virus does not suspend the US Constitution. Calm down and cite your data. I’ll cite mine. Cases do not equal hospitalizations. Case merely means a positive test, regardless of true positive or false positive. Try following the data from CDPH at https://covid19.ca.gov/data-and-tools/ . Also, 80% of all Covid-related deaths in California have been in the 60 and over age category: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/COVID-19-Cases-by-Age-Group.aspx . There have been a total of 41 Covid-related deaths in the 17 and younger in the state of California since March 2020 according to CDPH.

    2. Wow, sounding like Chicken Little there Globe Troll…!!! You’re fear of Omicron (I know a few with it right now and they feel like they have a bad cold or flu) tells me that you’re one of those special people who wears two masks and gloves while driving in your car alone.

      Go away Troll..!!!!

    3. You back? I guess I need to call a plumber tomorrow. You are that turd in the toilet that just won’t flush.

    4. Omicron has not killed anyone. The South Africa doctor who discovered it over a month ago has stated that no one has died from it or been hospitalized from it in South Africa. You really need to do more research on your lies.

  7. Quoting (in part) Katy Grimes, who in providing the list below was responding to a commenter on a recent Sacramento homeless/vagrant article to make a point about who exactly is living on our streets now.

    Katy Grimes wrote:
    “Crimes now considered “nonviolent” under Proposition 57 in California include:
    human trafficking of a child
    rape of an unconscious person or by intoxication
    drive by shooting at inhabited dwelling or vehicle
    assault with a firearm or deadly weapon
    assault on a police officer
    serial arson
    exploding a bomb to injure people
    solicitation to commit murder
    assault from a caregiver to a child under eight years old that could result in a coma or death
    felony domestic violence.”

    1. What chance was that, Irate Nate? And what choice? You might want to leave your comments over at HuffPost or Mother Jones or similar to better hit the target you are presumably aiming for. Also I presume you don’t live in California and don’t know what goes on. If not, never fear, you’ll soon learn about the whole mess for yourself, and when you do, there will be no one left who is in a position to make snarky comments to you.

  8. This is the oldest scam in the book: create a crisis, then come riding to the rescue. We can see this playing out on a national scale.

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