With the city of Oakland in limbo ahead of a special election to replace two politicians who were recalled from office, Gov. Gavin Newsom continues to press local officials to end policies restricting police pursuits. announced it would keep California Highway Patrol officers on city streets.
Friday’s announcement that CHP will remain in Oakland for another month is a further boost to Newsom’s previous CHP deployment, which began in the city in February.
The move comes as a series of new anti-theft laws go into effect in the new year and as local prosecutors begin prosecuting repeat thieves and drug offenders under Proposition 36, a tough measure against the crime that voters approved in November. It was done.
“This is a great city, and it remains a great city, but we’ve lost a little bit of our way,” Newsom said at a Friday news conference in Oakland.
The governor criticized local officials for not changing a policy restricting police from pursuing fugitive criminals after asking them to do so this summer. He called the policy an “extreme outlier” compared to other cities and said Auckland authorities had “turned their backs” on his demands.
“They had a chance and they didn’t take it,” he said.
His decision to expand CHP’s presence also comes after a controversial election that saw headlines about high crime rates and voters recalling Oakland Mayor Sheng Tao and Alameda Township. Ta. Atty. Pamela Price reflects widespread dissatisfaction with the way authorities handle public safety issues.
Newsom sent 120 CHP officers to Oakland for the first time in February. He also sent CHP units to several other California cities, as local police say they are strained by an increase in organized theft, illegal drug sales and carjackings. There is. By summer, the governor announced he would quadruple the number of officers. In October he announced that he would extend the program in Oakland until the end of the year.
In the latest wave of complaints, residents of the East Bay city of Vallejo, 20 minutes north of Oakland, reported an “alarming increase” in crime amid police understaffing and police shortages last week. That’s why I signed a petition imploring Newsom to put CHP officers there. “It’s a place where large-scale, violent sideshows are regularly held.”
Newsom granted those requests Friday, but said if the Vallejo Police Department is understaffed, it should first try to work with county sheriffs, like other police departments in the state. I said that and pushed back.
“I want people in Vallejo to know that CHP jobs are not being taken,” he said. “I think there’s an assumption that the state will provide the assistance for free. They have a lot of vacancies, so instead of contracting with the sheriff’s office, for example, they want the state to do it for free. I We have no intention of getting into that kind of business.”
Mr. Newsom’s aggressive police deployment has infuriated some anti-police supporters who say over-policing the area is not the solution.
While crime rates have generally declined in California’s 15 largest counties, Oakland continues to struggle with problems such as car break-ins. Democratic lawmakers in Sacramento say they are listening and are taking steps to address retail theft.
Congress passed a series of bills to make it easier to catch repeat offenders and streamline the prosecution of grand larceny cases. The law will take effect in January and includes seven pieces of legislation focused on new legal mechanisms to protect repeat offenders and retailers.
Over the past few weeks, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) has been touring the state with business leaders and other politicians to promote passage of what he calls a “historic” bill. Bill 11 primarily targets repeat retail theft offenders and streamlines the prosecution of grand theft cases.
