Gavin Newsom is tacking rightward on crime -- and he's not the only one

San Francisco Chronicle / 3-19-24

SACRAMENTO — In the last six months, Gov. Gavin Newsom has sent state police into Oakland to crack down on thefts, announced new efforts to charge drug dealers with murder and sent attorneys from the California National Guard and the California Department of Justice to help Alameda County prosecute more people.

His focus on prosecution and policing marks a departure from his past embrace of criminal justice reform efforts that focused more on rehabilitation than locking people in jail. It has increased speculation that he’s preparing for a future presidential run, but Newsom is just one of many Democratic leaders across the country shifting to the right on criminal justice policies amid rising concerns from Americans about crime and safety.

Before he became governor, Newsom forged much of his political reputation through advocacy on criminal justice-related ballot measures. He was a leading supporter of Proposition 47, a 2014 law approved by voters that reduced punishments for drug possession and theft of property worth less than $950. In 2016, he spearheaded the successful campaign to legalize recreational cannabis in California and supported a failed effort to end the death penalty. Though Californians affirmed their support for capital punishment that election, Newsom thwarted the will of the voters when he became governor in 2019 and placed a moratorium on executions in the state.

But in the last year, he’s embraced a tougher approach to crime. Earlier this month, he touted his efforts to recruit and train more state police officers, and promoted a string of arrests in Oakland by more than 100 state police officers he sent to crack down on crime there. Last year, he similarly deployed state police to San Francisco to crack down on fentanyl dealing and ordered the California National Guard to help target drug traffickers operating in the city.

Link to more (and paywall): https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/newsom-crime-california-19031249.php

• According to the link, polls by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found that in February 2024, 11% of Californians identified crime, gangs and drugs as the top issues facing the state, an increase from five years before when 3% identified it as a top issue.*

• According to the Public Policy Institute of California, the state’s violent crime rate increased by 5.7% from 2021 to 2022.

• In 2023, 63% of Americans identified crime as extremely or very serious in a Gallup poll, up from 54% in 2021.

*Social media, the manner in which many property crimes stats and videos are shared and distributed today, wasn't nearly as ubiquitous in 2014 as 2024. While the number of crimes may have very well increased in 10 years, the ways in which they have been brought to our attention increased a lot more. This may help explain why Californians, and the nation, identify it as a top issue.