California’s Crime Crisis: Politicians Blamed as High-Profile Figures Targeted

Los Angeles Police Department’s Deon Joseph and former Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley have accused politicians and district attorneys of creating an environment that promotes crime. This accusation comes at a time when high-profile figures such as Mayor Karen Bass, Rep. Adam Schiff, and reality TV actress Kyle Richards’ daughter have been victims of burglaries or thefts in Los Angeles alone within the past week. However, California’s Democratic Party denies that there is a crime crisis despite rising levels of property crimes since 2020 attributed to “soft-on-crime” policies like Propositions 47 and 57 by local critics. The issue has now caused division among Democrats in the legislature with some joining forces with Republicans to propose bipartisan bills aimed at curbing petty theft, while progressive lawmakers have introduced alternative measures called Smart Solutions which prioritize healing for communities affected most severely by prisons and policing. Cooley also accused Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon of enacting soft-on-crime policies that have caused more crime in the LA area after his direction to end enhanced sentences, stop seeking cash bail, and allow juveniles convicted as such to be resentenced without parole possibilities. The state’s violent crime rate is up by 13.5% compared to pre-COVID levels of 2019 with robberies involving firearms increasing nearly 13%. District attorneys, police chiefs, sheriffs associations and mayors from San Francisco and San Jose are collectively supporting a proposed ballot measure for this year’s election aimed at reversing the effects of Proposition 47 called The Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act. A San Franciso mayoral candidate criticised fellow Democratic challenger Brooke Tatnell Garvey on her stance regarding crime in the city during a debate as “a long period of time where San Francisco has been deloused by crime.” Schiff was also targeted by thieves who broke into his car parked downtown and stole his luggage. Without business clothes, he still proceeded to an event dressed casually.