Crime
Blog
Read latest on corruption in local government
Corruption, crime, and cover-ups
The March 27 sentencing of Sam Bankman-Fried to 25 years in prison for his role in a multi-billion-dollar fraud scheme brings closure to years of high living off the backs of his investors in his online crypto trading platform FTX. Fraudsters like Bankman-Fried, Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos, Bernie Madoff, Jeff ...
Steve Smith
April 3, 2024
California
Mike Gatto – Noir By Necessity
Our guest this week is former Assemblymember Mike Gatto, who during his tenure, chaired the powerful Appropriations Committee. Mike Gatto was an up-and-coming lawmaker when his father was brutally murdered. To try and solve the mystery of his father’s murder, Mike journeys through the world of crime investigations, modern law ...
Pacific Research Institute
March 25, 2024
Blog
Read latest on efforts to reform or repeal Prop. 47
Proposed Reforms Aim to Ensure Crime Doesn’t Pay on Retail Theft
California is in its tenth year of a noble but failed idea – Prop 47. Despite the well-meaning and overwhelming number of voters who supported Prop 47 when it was passed in 2014 and who have twice resisted ballot initiatives to amend it, Prop 47 has not lived up ...
Steve Smith
March 25, 2024
Blog
Read about SF's turn to the right
San Francisco voters turn to the right on crime and schools
The most controversial, Measure E, passed 54% to 46%. It allowed the following: After a public hearing, the chief of police could install surveillance devices without the approval of the Police Commission; Police could use drones to pursue vehicles and for investigations, including facial recognition, without the approval of the ...
John Seiler
March 22, 2024
Blog
What do the California primary results mean?
Wake Us When It’s Over – A Few Takeaways from the California Primary
Legendary journalists Jules Witcover and the late Jack Germond, famous political columnists from an era past, wrote several terrific books chronicling presidential campaigns. I was reminded of one of the titles of their books when thinking about this year’s California primary – wake us when it’s over! Despite hundreds of ...
Tim Anaya
March 11, 2024
Blog
Hamburger Politics
Making headlines around the country, California’s iconic In-N-Out recently announced closure of its Oakland California location due to high levels of crime in Oakland’s “crime triangle.” This marks the first ever closure of an In-N-Out location in the company’s 75-year history, which is being celebrated this year. But In-N-Out isn’t ...
Steve Smith
February 13, 2024
Blog
When it Comes to Crime Statistics it’s Important to “Mind the Gap”
The Atlantic Monthly, using the work of crime statistician Jeff Asher, have been publishing articles recently putting forth the idea that 2023 homicide statistics indicate that the United States is experiencing the lowest crime rates in “50 years.” On January 19th, Rogé Karma boldly wrote in an article entitled “The ...
Steve Smith
February 5, 2024
Blog
Is Prop. 47 reform in sight?
Prop. 47 Reforms Gain Traction
It doesn’t take a deep understanding of crime statistics to understand that theft is on the increase. The media and social media provide almost daily examples of brazen shoplifting and car burglaries. The San Francisco Chronicle’s auto burglary “tracker” shows hundreds of thefts from vehicles every month and KRON 4 ...
Steve Smith
January 29, 2024
Blog
High Crime in Oakland Claims In-N-Out
Why is In-N-Out Closing in Oakland? Out of Control Crime in the “Crime Triangle”
Last month, In-N-Out, California’s iconic purveyor of burgers and fresh cut fries, opened one of its newest locations in Boise, Idaho. Eager Idahoans waited in eight-hour long lines for what for many was their first Double-Double with fries “animal” style, proving perhaps that not everything from California is bad in ...
Steve Smith
January 23, 2024
Blog
Newsom public safety budget shortchanges crime victims
For California’s Crime Victims – Budget Dust
Despite his protestations to the opposite in the recent debate with Governor DeSantis, California’s violent crimes are up 6.1 percent and property crimes are up 6.2 percent over their 2021 levels, making California a crime outlier compared to national crime statistics which have dropped. The Governor’s “Real Public Safety Plan” ...
Steve Smith
January 17, 2024
Read latest on corruption in local government
Corruption, crime, and cover-ups
The March 27 sentencing of Sam Bankman-Fried to 25 years in prison for his role in a multi-billion-dollar fraud scheme brings closure to years of high living off the backs of his investors in his online crypto trading platform FTX. Fraudsters like Bankman-Fried, Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos, Bernie Madoff, Jeff ...
Mike Gatto – Noir By Necessity
Our guest this week is former Assemblymember Mike Gatto, who during his tenure, chaired the powerful Appropriations Committee. Mike Gatto was an up-and-coming lawmaker when his father was brutally murdered. To try and solve the mystery of his father’s murder, Mike journeys through the world of crime investigations, modern law ...
Read latest on efforts to reform or repeal Prop. 47
Proposed Reforms Aim to Ensure Crime Doesn’t Pay on Retail Theft
California is in its tenth year of a noble but failed idea – Prop 47. Despite the well-meaning and overwhelming number of voters who supported Prop 47 when it was passed in 2014 and who have twice resisted ballot initiatives to amend it, Prop 47 has not lived up ...
Read about SF's turn to the right
San Francisco voters turn to the right on crime and schools
The most controversial, Measure E, passed 54% to 46%. It allowed the following: After a public hearing, the chief of police could install surveillance devices without the approval of the Police Commission; Police could use drones to pursue vehicles and for investigations, including facial recognition, without the approval of the ...
What do the California primary results mean?
Wake Us When It’s Over – A Few Takeaways from the California Primary
Legendary journalists Jules Witcover and the late Jack Germond, famous political columnists from an era past, wrote several terrific books chronicling presidential campaigns. I was reminded of one of the titles of their books when thinking about this year’s California primary – wake us when it’s over! Despite hundreds of ...
Hamburger Politics
Making headlines around the country, California’s iconic In-N-Out recently announced closure of its Oakland California location due to high levels of crime in Oakland’s “crime triangle.” This marks the first ever closure of an In-N-Out location in the company’s 75-year history, which is being celebrated this year. But In-N-Out isn’t ...
When it Comes to Crime Statistics it’s Important to “Mind the Gap”
The Atlantic Monthly, using the work of crime statistician Jeff Asher, have been publishing articles recently putting forth the idea that 2023 homicide statistics indicate that the United States is experiencing the lowest crime rates in “50 years.” On January 19th, Rogé Karma boldly wrote in an article entitled “The ...
Is Prop. 47 reform in sight?
Prop. 47 Reforms Gain Traction
It doesn’t take a deep understanding of crime statistics to understand that theft is on the increase. The media and social media provide almost daily examples of brazen shoplifting and car burglaries. The San Francisco Chronicle’s auto burglary “tracker” shows hundreds of thefts from vehicles every month and KRON 4 ...
High Crime in Oakland Claims In-N-Out
Why is In-N-Out Closing in Oakland? Out of Control Crime in the “Crime Triangle”
Last month, In-N-Out, California’s iconic purveyor of burgers and fresh cut fries, opened one of its newest locations in Boise, Idaho. Eager Idahoans waited in eight-hour long lines for what for many was their first Double-Double with fries “animal” style, proving perhaps that not everything from California is bad in ...
Newsom public safety budget shortchanges crime victims
For California’s Crime Victims – Budget Dust
Despite his protestations to the opposite in the recent debate with Governor DeSantis, California’s violent crimes are up 6.1 percent and property crimes are up 6.2 percent over their 2021 levels, making California a crime outlier compared to national crime statistics which have dropped. The Governor’s “Real Public Safety Plan” ...