California Gov. Gavin Newsom's Wednesday press conference alongside law enforcement and mayors from the state's biggest cities focusing on addressing retail theft was no accident, according to Politico reporter Jeremy B. White.
White, co-author of Politico's "California Playbook" wrote Thursday that Newsom has "a narrow needle to thread" in addressing conservative criticism of his approach to crime without alienating the Democratic governor's progressive supporters ahead of the Sept. 14 gubernatorial recall election.
"I think it's something that we've already seen surface in the recall," White told KCBS Radio's Jeff Bell and Patti Reising on Thursday afternoon. "Other candidates have hit Gavin Newsom over crime increases in cities. Sometimes a little questionably, as when Caitlyn Jenner asserted that Newsom's (district attorneys) were 'wreaking havoc,' but we've certainly seen that framing a lot."
Newsom's press conference centered on the abundance of viral videos filming thefts at major retail stores, as the Governor signed a law reestablishing organized retail theft as a crime. He met with law enforcement officials and mayors from the state's 13 biggest cities, amid increases in some reported violent crimes.
For instance, San Francisco police said earlier this month there were over twice as many deaths related to gun violence through June compared to the first six months of 2020. Rapes, aggravated assaults, robberies, larcenies, theft and car break-ins continued year-over-year or long-term declines.
San Francisco Police Chief William Scott, standing alongside Newsom, said officials have to listen to public perception of "lawlessness."
"That has to be overcome, too," he said Wednesday.
Newsom, as of May polling from the Public Policy Institute of California, enjoys strong public support. Nearly 60% of likely voters said they wouldn't vote to recall him. But a UC Berkeley poll that same month found 46% of likely voters thought Newsom was doing a poor or very poor job on crime and criminal justice.
Thus, the narrow needle in White's eyes.
"He's not going to be a conventional law enforcement, law-and-order type of guy," White said of Newsom. "He has been a progressive on these issues, and he will continue to be, so I don't think you're gonna see the governor disavow that. But I do think you get a sense from that press conference yesterday that, whether it's Gavin Newsom, mayors of California's big cities, they're taking seriously the increases in types of crime and the public reaction to it."
