Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that he has witnessed shoplifters steal from targets without employee intervention. One of them accused the California governor of daring criminals to commit crimes in the state before they realized who he actually was.
Recalling an awkward exchange at the beginning of a Zoom forum about mental health proposals he supports, the Golden State leader said, as California continues to address its retail theft crisis: Ta. Mercury News reported.
Newsom said he was in line at the checkout line at Target with a store employee when he saw the thief come out of the store with unpaid items. According to footage posted online.
“I said, ‘Why didn’t you stop him?'” Newsom said. “She said, ‘Oh, the governor.’ I swear to God, her true story about her mother’s grave. ‘The governor lowered the bar. There’s no accountability.’ I said that’s not true. ”
Newsom then told the clerk, who apparently didn’t yet know who he was, that California’s Proposition 47 would make theft of property totaling more than $950 a felony, the 10th toughest in the nation. said.
“Nobody cares about that,” he said, noting that the clerk still blames the governor.
“And then she left. She looked at me twice and then she freaked out. She called everyone over and wanted to take pictures,” Newsom said, but apparently he didn’t. It seems that the request was declined.
“I’m like, ‘No, I’m not taking pictures, I’m having a conversation, where’s your manager? How do you blame the governor?'” he said. “After that. , and it turned out to be $380, so I thought, ‘Why would I spend $380 when everyone else could just walk away?'”
The governor’s office said the incident occurred at a Target in the Sacramento area, but it’s unclear when it happened.
Newsom has led California since 2019. Bill 47, which lowers penalties for drug and property crimes, was signed into law in 2014. The San Francisco Standard reported.
california republican party cheered An unnamed clerk.
“I want to thank this clerk for saying what every Californian wanted to say: about the governor and his extremists, to his face.” @CA_Dem Our allies are to blame for the rising crime in California,” tweeted Jessica Milan Patterson, chair of the state Republican Party.
“Unfortunately, Newsom didn’t seem to get the hint yet.”
Democrats recently announced a variety of measures aimed at combating out-of-control retail theft, but they plan to make no changes to Prop. 47, the Mercury News reported.
His office said in a statement Wednesday night that the new bill calls for the state to give authorities greater tools in the fight against property theft, while also expanding criminal penalties.
Since taking office, Newsom has invested $1.1 billion in security efforts, with a focus on cracking down on organized retail crime, his office added.
