California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Wednesday heard a Target store employee blame the state for a wave of shoplifting that has hit the state’s retail stores since the introduction of criminal justice reforms he supports. He said he was shocked.
He told this story while waiting for a Zoom call about mental health reform to begin.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said on a Zoom call about mental health proposals that he went to Target and saw someone leave without paying.
He asked the workers why the man would steal, but they blamed the governor before looking at him twice and recognizing him.
“I was like, why me?” pic.twitter.com/zpLFtNwiSZ
— Gabriel Lorenzo Greschler (@ggreschler) January 31, 2024
Newsome told a story about visiting Target and witnessing someone steal from the store. He expressed surprise that store employees didn’t pursue the thieves, only to be told that because the governor lowered the standards for punishment for thieves, no one stopped shoplifting.
The governor protested that the clerk was not aware of it, but said, “That’s not true.” But he supported Proposition 47 in 2014 and continues to oppose its repeal. reduction Felony to misdemeanor fines for theft can be up to $950.
Newsom said the $950 threshold is “the 10th most stringent standard of any state.” He added that when the clerk recognized him, he wanted to take a picture with him, but the clerk refused.
In addition to supporting Proposition 47, Newsom also supported radical left-wing prosecutors like George Gascón, who is backed by left-wing billionaire George Soros and has refused to prosecute many low-level criminals. Critics say this is fueling a wave of petty crime. Crime is currently plaguing California’s major cities.
Newsom claimed, contrary to evidence, that crime in the state is at its “lowest in 50 years.”He also suggestion New laws to deal with theft, ignoring non-enforcement of current laws.
In San Francisco, where Mr. Newsom once served as mayor, shoplifting and crime have been rampant in the city’s once prosperous shopping district, prompting retailers to flee the city. Major retail chains have withdrawn, and those that remain are focused on general merchandise.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. He is the author of a new biography, Rhoda: “Comrade Cadderly, you are abnormal.”. He is also the author of a recently published e-book. Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 US Presidential Election. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
