(RepublicanDaily.org) – Stores in Beverly Hills have been forced to shut their doors amid a theft epidemic. TikTok influencer Nostalgic Angelino posted a video showing upmarket retailers and restaurants with their shutters down. Barneys New York, Escada, Chanel, Rite Aid, Barnes and Noble, and Niketown have all been affected by the crime spree sweeping California, with some stores closing outlets permanently and others filing for bankruptcy.
Law enforcement agencies in the Golden State are responding to the crime wave with a new task force to focus solely on retail theft. The force includes the LA Police Department, the LA County Sheriff’s Department, the US Marshals Apprehension Task Force, and the FBI Apprehension Task Force. Governor Gavin Newsom said, “The state is investing hundreds of millions of dollars to crack down on organized crime and when our local partners need further assistance, we’re ready with a helping hand.”
Republican lawmakers in the state Assembly blame the crisis on Democrats, who they say enable criminals by reducing punishments and ignoring victims. Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher said the legislature has failed to provide law and order and has forgotten the plight of the victims of crime. Mr. Gallagher called Democrats “tone-deaf” and noted pieces of legislation he said encourage criminal behavior.
The Assemblyman cited SB 14, which was killed by Democrats in the Assembly Public Safety Committee when they argued that prison was not a deterrent to crime. The bill would have increased penalties for child traffickers. Jessica Millan Patterson, chairwoman of the California Republican Party, said it was clear whose side the Democrats are on, and they “would rather protect violent murderers than focus their efforts on true public safety.”
Despite reluctance to beef up punishment for child traffickers, Democrats in the legislature have passed Senate Bill 94. This will allow convicts sentenced to life without parole to apply for a sentence reduction if they have served 25 years and the offense occurred before June 5, 1990.
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