Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) is sending more state assistance to Oakland, California, to help clean up some soft-on-crime policies that could hurt him if he decided to run for president.
Newsom, who is considered a potential contender for the nomination should the party ditch President Joe Biden, said he was sending state prosecutors to the city after it saw a sharp rise in violent crime in 2023.
“An arrest isn’t enough. Justice demands that suspects are appropriately prosecuted,” Newsom said in a statement. “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.”
Preliminary reports from 2023 have indicated that violent crime has increased by 21%, robbery rose by 38%, and vehicle theft increased by 45%, according to the governor’s office.
Critics have claimed that the move is an effort to boost his credibility and popularity ahead of the 2024 and 2028 election cycles because the high crime rate is a blemish on his record. Newsom claimed he has no presidential aspirations in 2024, supporting Biden instead, but he is considered a top candidate in 2028.
The announcement has also been perceived as a slight toward the city’s District Attorney Pamela Price, who ran on a progressive platform that promised to seek shorter prison sentences, more lenient criminal charges, and a refusal to charge juveniles as adults. She has also pushed for probation being the “presumptive offer” in plea deals, or shorter sentences in cases that are not eligible for probation.
“As you all know, the governor’s office, along with the attorney general, announced that we are forming a partnership with them to address some of the crime activity that has been happening in Alameda County, particularly Oakland,” Price said at a press conference. “We appreciate that the governor, along with the attorney general, has agreed to provide additional resources for the prosecution of violent crime as well as primarily narcotics activities as well as auto theft.”
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Price is also facing recall efforts in response to the rising crime rates, which has decreased the quality of life in Oakland and even led to an In-N-Out closing its doors due to the safety of the staff.
The news builds on the 120 California Highway Patrol agents the state sent to Alameda County, which includes Oakland, earlier this week.