Gov. Gavin Newsom estimates 4,000 stolen vehicles recovered ‘in Oakland alone’ by CHP officers

OAKLAND Gov Gavin Newsom noted Thursday the deployment last year of California Highway Patrol officers to combat this city s crime predicament led to the recovery of over stolen vehicles in Oakland alone Newsom lauded the success of CHP s involvement in Oakland where state Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin stated the available details clearly reflects that crime has declined in the city since last year The two were flanked by CHP leaders at a news conference in Newsom s office where the governor communicated that new teams of officers from the state law enforcement agency would similarly be deployed to major cities and areas up and down California including San Diego Sacramento and the Central Valley We initiated that operation in Oakland Newsom mentioned which continues to this day with tremendous success Newsom resisted suggestions by reporters that the press event had anything to do with President Donald Trump s threats earlier this month to send National Guard troops to major cities in the country Trump had gone out of his way to call out Oakland saying the city is so far gone on the crime front that it was hardly worth a mention Details from the Oakland Police Department shows crime is down across the board in the city starting with homicides arguably the category where it is the greater part formidable to juke stats and extending to other violent crime plus property crime and burglaries A California Highway Patrol investigator surveys the crime scene after a state parole agent was fatally shot at the State of California parole office building in Oakland Calif on Thursday July Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group Oakland has fewer police officers now than when crime was spiking in though Newsom s deployment early last year of CHP officers provided reinforcement amid the city s financial troubles The governor reported he had been petitioned last year in the very office where Thursday s news conference took place by then-Mayor Sheng Thao unnamed Alameda County supervisors and members of the local Oakland clergy to deploy CHP officers His estimate that over stolen vehicles were recovered in Oakland alone was not forthwith established Thursday by city representatives Newsom also credited but did not name Mayor Barbara Lee who the governor commented had embraced the CHP s involvement in Oakland Now he announced the operations include DUI enforcement and seizures of illegal guns And although he explained the news conference Thursday was routine and unrelated to Trump s current threats Newsom suggested the White House should look into deploying the National Guard in Louisiana and Tennessee where voters helped elect Trump if his concerns about crime are genuine Those two states placed among the worst in rankings of violent crime rates published by the U S News and World Assessment Trump who deployed National Guard troops to take over policing in Washington D C has not formally explored taking such a measure in Oakland A trial concluded earlier this month in a lawsuit filed against the Trump administration by state Attorney General Rob Bonta over the deployment in June of the state military force to Los Angeles in response to protests of federal immigration raids We appealed the court to grant a permanent injunction Bonta announced in a release at the time to stop the Administration from using the military for domestic law enforcement and maintaining a standing army in Southern California Shomik Mukherjee is a reporter covering Oakland Call or text him at - - or email him at smukherjee bayareanewsgroup com