Reading various local news sources, I see Chico PD are attempting to convince us that they are taking a “tough stance” on crime. A recent special tax force on retail robberies has made the news. A patient observer has to ask, “Just now? Now that the city is pursuing a sales tax measure?”
We’ve sat through 5 years of a growing anarchy in our town, a madness has swept the streets while city management have sat by wringing their hands. For years they claimed they couldn’t arrest people caught with stolen merchandise, caught in the act of shoplifting, caught in people’s homes in the middle of the night. City Public Works Director Eric Gustafson told me people who illegally camp in Bidwell Park have “4th and 14th amendment rights”. And they told us the jail won’t hold them. Now they are all the sudden going to switch gears? I smell something wrong here.
Dan Walters oftentimes seems to be thinking what I’m thinking. He sees this as a statewide pattern, coming straight from the stinking head of the stinking fish, Gavin Newsom.
“It is amusing — and a little pathetic — to see California’s liberal politicians slide to the right in response to an upsurge in crime.
Gov. Gavin Newsom is leading the unsubtle rhetorical shift from criminal justice reform —i.e. reducing punishment for those who transgress — to demanding crackdowns on criminals”
As in Chico, they are responding to crime sprees reported during the holiday shopping season – the old “smash and grab”. In Chico it was more like simple looting, the perpetrators simply filled their bags with merchandise as helpless employees cowered nearby.
No, this doesn’t look good to customers, who broke new records this year for online shopping. According to CNBC and other sources, many Americans just “sat out” the shopping season this year, and over 60% of consumers did their Christmas shopping online in 2021.
Apparently, this freaked out both Newsom and the mayor of San Francisco.
A week before Christmas, with retail stores seeing a wave of smash-and–grab robberies and cities reeling from record levels of homicide, Newsom unveiled what he called a “Real Public Safety Plan” that “focuses on new investments that will bolster local law enforcement response, ensure prosecutors hold perpetrators accountable and get guns and drugs off our streets.”
“A few days before his announcement, San Francisco Mayor London Breed did a two-step of her own. Clearly worried that the wave of store invasion robberies would discourage tourists and Christmas shoppers, Breed pledged to end “the reign of criminals who are destroying our city” by becoming “less tolerant” of what she called “bullsh*t.” Breed also declared a state of emergency in the city’s Tenderloin district due to surging street crime.“
And the city of Chico is worried too. Worried that they won’t be able to pass their sales tax increase measure! So, just look at the news – suddenly Chico PD is ENFORCING THE LAW!
https://krcrtv.com/news/local/chico-police-conducting-retail-theft-operations-to-curtail-shoplifting
Compare their current attitude to that of a year ago. While Chief Mike Madden refused to arrest transients for camping in the park, breaking into homes, or harassing business owners and customers, he personally threatened three women with imprisonment for attending a city council meeting.
So, let’s ask ourselves, what’s behind this new attitude? Yeah, they want their sales tax increase, so they can put more of OUR money toward THEIR pension deficit.
Chico Taxpayers Association 
Wow, what a great post Juanita! Nobody hits them harder than you. Thanks for calling them out. On my morning walk I’ve got people living in the bushes of Little Chico Creek Elementary and shanty towns full of open drug use within 1000ft of the school. Trash is everywhere and I don’t see any portable toilets around?
Yeah, since when is drug use within 1000 feet of a school okay? Or indecent exposure, or dumping of toxins? Only in California.