Gov. Newsom pledges to continue anti-crime efforts in Oakland
After a five-day surge in CHP personnel across the East Bay, Governor Newsom says the state will continue to support anti-crime efforts in the region.
But despite the surge in police presence, AGAVE Restaurant in Uptown Oakland still suffered a burglary.
"Three weeks, three break-ins," said Osvaldo Sanchez, the general manager of AGAVE.
The latest incident happened on Thursday morning, when a man broke the front doors to steal alcohol from the bar.
Sanchez said since they opened in 2016, burglars have broken in 22 times.
"It's frustrating, stressful, tiring. It's just way too much," said Sanchez.
He said the worst burglary happened in last August, when thieves stole $10,000 in cash from the safe and caused thousands of dollars in damage. That is why he's been demanding more police patrols. He also supports calls to bring in the National Guard, which the governor has pushed back on.
"You don't need to put the military out on the streets and sidewalks. National Guard can't cite people for your traditional citations. They're literally military," said Governor Gavin Newsom.
Governor Newsom said he's not sending in tanks and soldiers. Instead, he sent in CHP officers for a five-day surge from February 5th to 9th. He said officers arrested 71 people and recovered 145 stolen cars and several guns. He also sent in attorneys from the National Guard to Alameda County to help prosecute suspects.
"You're going to see a lot of unannounced surges on a pretty consistent basis," said Gov. Newsom.
When asked why only five days and not five weeks or five months, he said the strategy was only meant to be temporary and supportive. He's spending millions of dollars to tackle crime, homelessness, and other underlying issues in Oakland. He said oakland leaders have to do better.
"$200 million in homelessness specifically in Oakland since I've been governor. This is unprecedented in investments in building the community here in Oakland. What I need is partners at the local level. I was a mayor; I worked with city administrators. I worked with city councils and boards of supervisors. And at the end of the day, there's no substitute for localism. I can only do so much," said Gov. Newsom. "We're not doing enough, period."
