Crime
Blog
Read about California's growing crime problem
Violent Crime in California– The Newsom Years, 2019-2023
Newsom, in turn, called out the murder rates in each of the lawmakers’ home states, proclaiming that Alabama had “…3X the murder rate of California”, Oklahoma had a murder rate “…40 % higher than California’s” and Arkansas was “literally DOUBLE California’s”. In order for Newsom’s posts on X to be ...
Steve Smith
June 27, 2025
Blog
Newsom and the National Guard
Newsom’s office stated that the president’s order and the presence of the guard: “not only caused widespread panic and chaos, but have unnecessarily created an additional diversion of resources as the state tries to calm a community terrorized by this reckless federal action.” In fact, the “panic and chaos” was ...
Steve Smith
June 23, 2025
Blog
Getting it all wrong about the other city by the bay
To be charitable, miners brave enough to go digging can discover occasional nuggets of value in Madrigal’s ponderous, and entirely predictable, jeremiad. For example: Oakland had its own version of the urban-renewal thuggery that would eventually lead to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Kelo v. City of New London. In ...
D. Dowd Muska
June 20, 2025
Blog
Read the latest about the LA ICE riots
The Challenge of Democratic Policing
News of the fairly small federal enforcement action spread quickly amongst opponents of immigration enforcement, and based on the flags and signs, a host of other political causes as well, resulting in days of riots, assaults on police officers, arson, and vandalism. The situation is made more confusing in California ...
Steve Smith
June 11, 2025
Blog
Months after election, is crime still a potent urban issue?
Months after election, is crime still a potent urban issue? Passed by 68% of voters last November 5, Proposition 36 increased penalties for certain drug offenses and for thefts under $950. On the same day, Nathan Hochman defeated Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón, 65% to 35%. Gascón was a ...
John Seiler
May 30, 2025
Blog
Read the latest on Gov. Newsom's state budget plan
Governor Newsom’s Budget Message to Crime Victims – Like it or lump it.
For those who may have forgotten, Prop 36’s passage in November 2024 was historic. Despite opposition from Gov. Newsom, the majority of the state legislature, and a host of criminal rights groups, it passed in every county and won passage with over 68 percent of the vote statewide. One would ...
Steve Smith
May 19, 2025
Commentary
Dr Currie Myers Interview of Steve Smith
An eye-opening discussion on the real state of public safety in the Golden State
Steve Smith
May 9, 2025
Blog
Read about the latest bill to weaken CA's public safety laws
AB 622 – Early Release for Violent Offenders
Historically, an inmate serving a 25 to life sentence for murder is eligible for parole review 13 months prior to their 25th year in custody, adjusted for time in custody prior to sentencing. This is known as the Minimum Parole Eligibility Date (MEPD). After the passage of Prop 57, the ...
Steve Smith
April 29, 2025
Blog
California’s Criminal Justice Reforms – A License to Kill
In 2015 California passed AB 953, The Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) in order to “improve diversity and racial identity sensitivity” in law enforcement. It’s target – police racial profiling. The 2025 RIPA report chronicles highly granular statistics from over 4.7 million police encounters that occurred in 2023. Of ...
Steve Smith
April 16, 2025
Blog
California’s Broken Juvenile Justice System
On March 17, Cristo Rey De La Salle High School student Derbing Gonzalez was walking to soccer practice with four of his teammates on 100th Ave in Oakland when they were set upon by an armed suspect who demanded Gonzalez’s Sprayground backpack. Gonzalez refused and, after a brief struggle, four ...
Steve Smith
April 9, 2025
Read about California's growing crime problem
Violent Crime in California– The Newsom Years, 2019-2023
Newsom, in turn, called out the murder rates in each of the lawmakers’ home states, proclaiming that Alabama had “…3X the murder rate of California”, Oklahoma had a murder rate “…40 % higher than California’s” and Arkansas was “literally DOUBLE California’s”. In order for Newsom’s posts on X to be ...
Newsom and the National Guard
Newsom’s office stated that the president’s order and the presence of the guard: “not only caused widespread panic and chaos, but have unnecessarily created an additional diversion of resources as the state tries to calm a community terrorized by this reckless federal action.” In fact, the “panic and chaos” was ...
Getting it all wrong about the other city by the bay
To be charitable, miners brave enough to go digging can discover occasional nuggets of value in Madrigal’s ponderous, and entirely predictable, jeremiad. For example: Oakland had its own version of the urban-renewal thuggery that would eventually lead to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Kelo v. City of New London. In ...
Read the latest about the LA ICE riots
The Challenge of Democratic Policing
News of the fairly small federal enforcement action spread quickly amongst opponents of immigration enforcement, and based on the flags and signs, a host of other political causes as well, resulting in days of riots, assaults on police officers, arson, and vandalism. The situation is made more confusing in California ...
Months after election, is crime still a potent urban issue?
Months after election, is crime still a potent urban issue? Passed by 68% of voters last November 5, Proposition 36 increased penalties for certain drug offenses and for thefts under $950. On the same day, Nathan Hochman defeated Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón, 65% to 35%. Gascón was a ...
Read the latest on Gov. Newsom's state budget plan
Governor Newsom’s Budget Message to Crime Victims – Like it or lump it.
For those who may have forgotten, Prop 36’s passage in November 2024 was historic. Despite opposition from Gov. Newsom, the majority of the state legislature, and a host of criminal rights groups, it passed in every county and won passage with over 68 percent of the vote statewide. One would ...
Dr Currie Myers Interview of Steve Smith
An eye-opening discussion on the real state of public safety in the Golden State
Read about the latest bill to weaken CA's public safety laws
AB 622 – Early Release for Violent Offenders
Historically, an inmate serving a 25 to life sentence for murder is eligible for parole review 13 months prior to their 25th year in custody, adjusted for time in custody prior to sentencing. This is known as the Minimum Parole Eligibility Date (MEPD). After the passage of Prop 57, the ...
California’s Criminal Justice Reforms – A License to Kill
In 2015 California passed AB 953, The Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) in order to “improve diversity and racial identity sensitivity” in law enforcement. It’s target – police racial profiling. The 2025 RIPA report chronicles highly granular statistics from over 4.7 million police encounters that occurred in 2023. Of ...
California’s Broken Juvenile Justice System
On March 17, Cristo Rey De La Salle High School student Derbing Gonzalez was walking to soccer practice with four of his teammates on 100th Ave in Oakland when they were set upon by an armed suspect who demanded Gonzalez’s Sprayground backpack. Gonzalez refused and, after a brief struggle, four ...