It is beyond time to call out and remove the politicians and political machines that run these cities. Because it's an election year we are starting to see stories like this "Rising crime risks turning Oakland into a ‘ghost town.’ Newsom is sending in reinforcements" but as with failing businesses, depending on the people who made the mess to execute the turnaround is stupid.
From the San Francisco Chronicle, January 5:
MarRem Remington’s 2018 Honda Fit was snatched from her garage as she slept. Thieves stole Milan Sanders’ 2019 Kia Sorento outside of the building where she worked. And Emily Frazier’s 2020 Kia Forte was stolen as she visited her boyfriend.
It’s not a good time to own a car in Oakland.
Vehicle thefts have been rising dramatically and making residents’ lives difficult across the Bay Area. The problem is acute in Oakland, where nearly 15,000 cars were reported stolen last year — the highest number in the city in at least 15 years and 45% more than 2022, according to Police Department and state data. Uptown and North Oakland had the biggest spike, with a 69% increase in car thefts.
Factoring in population, the theft rate was equivalent to roughly one car stolen for every 30 people living in the city. That’s more than four times the rate in both San Francisco and San Jose, which had increases over the past year of 5% and an estimated 12%, respectively. And it comes on top of other woes car owners are facing including rampant break-ins and catalytic converter thefts.....
....MUCH MORE
They go on to blame Kia for what the thieves are doing: "She shouldn't have been wearing a miniskirt."
