By Peyton Sorosinski | Washington Examiner
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) reportedly rebuked Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao for not utilizing the $267 million that Newsom’s administration approved for cities to grapple with their skyrocketing retail theft.
The funds, which the governor approved in September, were given to 55 local police departments throughout the state to hire and train staff, assemble task forces, and upgrade new technology, though Oakland did not receive any funds after missing the deadline to apply, Local News Matters reported.
At a meeting in January between Oakland leaders and the governor to discuss the city’s crime surge, Robert Harris, a member of Oakland NAACP, told the outlet Newsom repeatedly raised the issue of the city’s inability to use the funds.
“The governor brought that up one, two, three times,” Harris said. “He talked about the missed deadline, and then about 10 minutes later, he said the same thing over: ‘We’ve made that available to you, and you didn’t file.’”
From 2021 to 2023, the city’s violent crime is up 21%, robberies have increased by 38%, and vehicle theft is up 45%, according to a crime report from the Oakland Police Department.
To help combat these alarming statistics, which have caused the city to shut down several businesses, including a long-standing Denny’s and In-N-Out, Newsom sent California Highway Patrol officers to the city last year at Thao’s request. He also recently deployed state prosecutors to Oakland to help charge crimes as they continue to increase.
“An arrest isn’t enough,” Newsom said in a statement. “Justice demands that suspects are appropriately prosecuted. Whether it’s ‘bipping’ or carjacking, attempted murder or fentanyl trafficking, individuals must be held accountable for their crimes using the full and appropriate weight of the law.”
In a statement posted to X on Tuesday, the mayor thanked Newsom for sending CHP officers to help the crime-infested city.
“The City of Oakland is hard at work turning the tide — increasing law enforcement investigations, increasing police recruitment, and investing in community and violence intervention efforts,” Thao wrote. “I’m grateful for Governor Newsom for providing these critical law enforcement resources that are a game-changer in helping us hold more criminals accountable and make Oakland safer.”
