Caitlyn Jenner tours homeless-plagued Venice Beach after tearing into Gavin Newsom over rampant crime as she kicks into high gear her campaign in California recall election
California's Republican gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner kicked off her campaign tour by blaming Gov. Gavin Newsom for an 'epidemic of crime' afflicting the state.
For the final stretch of the campaign season, Jenner went to Venice Beach on Thursday to call attention to the homeless population and crime afflicting the area, which she says will be her first priority if elected.
'From what the residents here have told me, Gavin Newsom has never even been here to see for himself this devastating crisis’, Jenner told DailyMail.com while walking up and down the tented streets.
Caitlyn Jenner made her way to California's Venice Beach as the Republican gubernatorial candidate claimed Gov. Gavin Newsom has not done enough to help the situation there
During her press conference on Thursday, Jenner promised to make the Venice Beach problem her first priority should she be elected in September
Jenner spoke with Soledad Ursua, to her right, of the Venice Neighborhood Council. Jenner said the homeless and crime situation at Venice Beach need to be fixed
Jenner, who will continue her tour in Orange County, at the border and of the Northern Californian wildfires, said addiction and mental illness need to be addressed in a way that actually helps people.
‘You just can’t move these people into housing, and expect change. It doesn’t work that way. Many need rehab, counseling. We need boots on the ground here,’ Jenner told DailyMail.com
The Las Angeles City Council had cleared up the majority of the tented cities across the boardwalk last month, but people continue to gather and live at the location.
Residents also worried about an increase in crime in the area.
With California's recent spike in thefts, assault and homicides, Jenner said Newsom should be declaring a state of emergency, noting that he has the power to call in the National Guard.
'Gavin is delusional and a failed leader. He wants to sweep the rampant crime and violence under the rug,' Jenner wrote on her Facebook page.
The former Olympic gold medalist and TV star through Venice Beach to learn about the city's problems. Jenner faces against Newsom in an upcoming recall election
A man was spotted riding his bike into a San Francisco Walgreens earlier this year, filling his bag with items and riding out. Brazen acts like these continue to plague the city
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is facing a recall election this September. He was criticized by opponents for not being tough amid a spike in homicides last year
Jenner claimed that Newsom was too busy worrying about the recall election to properly deal with the situation.
'It's legal right now to steal in San Francisco,' Jenner told Fox.
'He needs to stand up, support our police and support the communities and the safety of our cities.'
All Californians are set to receive their recall ballots by Aug. 21. The recall election is set for Sept. 14.
The Rescue California political group, which helped to lead the demand for the recall election, claims Newsom has not done enough to curb crime since he was elected in 2018, The San Diego Union Tribune reports.
According to the Los Angeles Times, 2020 saw more than 2,200 homicides last year, making it one of the most deadly years since 2,258 were killed in 2007.
The victims were predominantly black and Latino males.
However, 2019 saw the least number of killings and violent crimes committed in the state since 1966.
California's annual crime reports, from 1966 to 2020. The state saw an uptick in violent crime overall last year amid the pandemic. Homicides were also at its highest last year since 2007
A 91-year-old man was attacked and robbed in Oakland's Chinatown. Police said the ones responsible also committed three other assaults in the neighborhood
A good Samaritan who came to held the elderly man was pistol whipped by the suspects
State Attorney General Rob Bonta said it was unclear why the homicide rate jumped up, but he noted a record-breaking number of handguns were sold in 2020 amid the pandemic, a nationwide trend.
In 2020, more than 686,000 guns were sold, and nearly 75% of homicides that year involved firearms.
Larceny theft is the most common crime committed in the Bay Area, according to the San Francisco Police Department's Crime Dashboard.
As of Aug. 8, there were 16,214 instances reported this year, nearly 200 fewer than within the same time frame last year.
Burglaries, however, appear to be up this year with 4,477 cases reported so far, 47 more than last year. Assaults have also seen an increase.
Larceny is defined by the department as including 'thefts of bicycles, motor vehicle parts and accessories, shoplifting, pocket picking, or the stealing of any property or article that is not taken by force and violence or by fraud.'
Burglary is different from larceny because it involves unlawful trespassing to commit a crime.
Robberies are also down this week when compared to last year, with 1,339 incidents reported.
Larceny is the most common crime committed in the Bay Area, according to the San Francisco Police Department's Crime Dashboard
Crime continues to plague some of California's most populous cities. Year-end statistics for Los Angeles was not immediately available
The city had seen a spree of high-profile thefts in recent months.
In July, video emerged on social media showing shoplifters brazenly making off with stolen goods after ransacking a local Neiman Marcus store in the Union Square section of the city.
At least 10 people are seen in the video with armfuls of designer goods and then fleeing the luxury department store Neiman Marcus - without anyone trying to stop them.
The footage reveals the shoplifters leaving the Union Square store, each carrying bags of stolen items with the security tags still dangling off of them.
Walgreens has also seen an uptick in thefts this year.
Walgreens has closed 17 San Francisco stores, and theft in the pharmaceutical chain's 53 remaining stores is four times the average for stores elsewhere in the country, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
One Walgreens reportedly loses $1,000 a day to shoplifters, the news outlet reported.
Across the city, 18 Walgreens stores saw 94 shoplifting incidents between September 1 and December 31, 2020, according to data compiled by the San Francisco Police Department and obtained by news outlet Mission Local.
Another Walgreens theft in San Francisco occurred earlier this year. This will be the third San Francisco Walgreens to close this year due to excessive shoplifting.