Governor Gavin Newsom’s recent revelation about an encounter with a Target worker in the Sacramento area has gained significant attention. He recounted the incident just before a Wednesday press conference featuring mayors from California’s major cities.
According to Newsom, he approached the Target employee after witnessing a shoplifting incident. The worker initially did not recognize the governor.
While Newsom did not specify the stolen items’ nature or value, he informed the employee that California has the tenth strictest threshold in the U.S. for grand theft, set at $950.
The chairwoman of the California Republican Party responded to the clip of Newsom on X saying: “Shoutout to this store clerk for saying to the governor’s face what every Californian has wanted to say: that he and his radical (California Democratic Party) buddies are to blame for CA’s surging crime. Sadly, Newsom still didn’t seem to take the hint.”
State data indicates that shoplifting totals in 2022 have exceeded those in 2021 and 2020 but still remain below pre-pandemic levels.
Political analyst and CSU East Bay professor Nolan Higdon notes that Governor Newsom facing blame is not surprising, considering the circumstances.
In response to ABC7 News, Newsom’s office emphasized his commitment to addressing crime and enhancing public safety. They highlighted a 310% annual increase in proactive operations targeting organized retail crime, along with special operations across the state.
However, Higdon suggests that rising crime rates could pose challenges for leaders in a predominantly blue state like California when defending their policies.
“Unlike nationally where you can blame Trump or blame Mitch McConnell, it’s really tough to do that in a state like California and so Democrats have to own a lot of these problems,” Higdon said, “And I think that’s why you see him and others kind of struggling to find the right response for how to deal with it.”
