America’s Blue Bastions Have Crept Right Amid Rampant Crime And Homelessness
'Walk back some of their most radical previous policies'
Leftist mayor of San Francisco defeated by political rookie
The leftist mayor of San Francisco who presided over a shocking rise in crime and homeless over the past six years will soon leave office, having lost her re-election bid to a businessman with no political experience.
London Breed, 50, became mayor of San Francisco after winning a special election in the wake of the passing of Mayor Ed Lee in late 2017. Since then, she has implemented a radical agenda.
'Over the coming weeks, I plan to reflect on all the progress we’ve made.'
She was among the first mayors of a major city to strip law enforcement of funding in keeping with the BLM cry to "defund the police" following the death of George Floyd. In 2020, Breed announced that she would cut a whopping $120 million from the budgets of both San Francisco’s police and sheriff’s departments, the New York Post reported in December 2021.
Within a year, she had reversed course about funding law enforcement, but by then, homelessness and crime, particularly property-related crime, had soared. In March, residents from the Tenderloin district even sued the city for failing to address these problems.
"Every day, at all hours, people are dealing drugs and using drugs in front of [the plaintiffs'] apartment building. There are encampments. People are lighting bonfires. Their sidewalks are filthy with all kinds of problems from used syringes to human waste," said Matthew Davis, one of the plaintiffs' attorneys.
Facing a tough re-election battle this year amid a slate of eager challengers and ranked-choice voting, Breed then tacked toward the center. At a debate in front of a crowd of unionized firefighters in July, Breed announced that she would crack down on homeless encampments following the Supreme Court ruling Grants Pass v. Johnson.
"We have had to move from a compassionate city to a city of accountability, and I have been leading the efforts to ensure that we are addressing this issue differently than we have before," Breed said at the time.
"We will continue to lead with services, but we also can't continue to allow people to do what they want on the streets of San Francisco, especially when we have a place for them to go."
Such gestures were too little, too late, apparently.
On Tuesday, voters decided to go with Daniel Lurie, the 47-year-old heir to the Levi Strauss fortune and the current CEO of the anti-poverty nonprofit Tipping Point, KTVU reported.
Because of his wealth and quick rise from relative obscurity, critics accused him of trying to buy his way into office. Lurie dismissed those allegations.
"You can't buy an election in San Francisco. You've got to go out and earn every vote," he said.
Though voters often ranked both Breed and Lurie on their ballot, as of Thursday, Breed trailed Lurie considerably, 43.8% to 56.2%. Breed then called Lurie to concede.
She also posted a concession message to X, claiming to have done her best and made significant "progress" during her time in office.
"I answered the call and always gave San Francisco and its people my heart and soul."
Breed also expressed optimism about the future.
"I am the Mayor – but you all are doing the hard work every day and the City is on the rise. Over the coming weeks, I plan to reflect on all the progress we’ve made. But today, I am proud that we have truly accomplished so much and my heart is filled with gratitude," she wrote.
Lurie, a political neophyte, has already pledged to secure 1,500 more housing units for the homeless within six months of taking office. He also wants to hire 450 new police officers within three years, according to KTVU.
However, he also cautioned that the city will not turn the corner "overnight."
"I'm deeply grateful to my incredible family, campaign team and every San Franciscan who voted for accountability, service and change. No matter who you supported in this election, we stand united in the fight for San Francisco's future and a safer and more affordable city for all," he said in a statement.
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Fed up business owners sue California city over homeless encampments — used syringes, human waste, rats
A group of California small-business owners filed a lawsuit against the City of Berkeley this week for allegedly allowing the streets around their businesses to become overrun with homeless encampments littered with used syringes, human waste, and rats.
The lawsuit was filed in Alameda County by eight businesses, which include a brewing company, a winery, a theater set production company, an automotive repair shop, a bagel shop, and a mobility equipment supplier.
'She left only to return two minutes later with a 10-foot metal pole swinging it at customers and employees.'
The county has become a hotspot for homelessness and criminal activity in recent years, largely due to soft-on-crime progressive politicians.
The owners claim that the Berkeley leaders have failed to comply with the city's nuisance laws, claiming it has "invited, permitted, and/or maintained a sprawling public encampment of tents and RVs on Harrison Street between Fifth and Ninth streets, as well as off of Harrison Street along Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Streets."
The complaint noted that encampments have been allowed to take over parts of Harrison Street and the Lower Dwight Neighborhood "because of its erroneous interpretation" of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit's ruling in two cases, which stated criminal charges cannot be filed against individuals camping in public when no shelter space is available.
However, the lawsuit argued that the rulings did not permit the city to violate public nuisance laws. Furthermore, the business owners argued that shelter space has been available.
Additionally, earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court overruled the lower court's decision, stating that municipalities are allowed to dismantle public encampments regardless of available shelter space. Despite that, the makeshift tent cities in Berkeley remain.
The complaint included images taken after the city engaged in a so-called "clean up" effort, showing that the encampments were not dismantled. Instead, tents remained lined up against the side of the street, often obstructing sidewalk access.
Emily Winston, a Berkeley resident and the owner and operator of a local bagel shop told KTVU, "It's tough. It's filthy. There's trash everywhere."
"It's not safe for our customers or our staff," Winston stated. She noted that she was "not eager" to file the lawsuit.
"This was certainly not my idea of a good time. I wish the city would just have cleaned it up anyway," Winston added.
The business owners are concerned about the health and safety issues posed by the sprawling encampments. They fear that the unsightly and unsanitary conditions are driving away customers.
Barry Braden, a brewery owner, told KTVU that a woman recently entered his establishment asking for food.
"When the manager on duty offered help, she left only to return two minutes later with a 10-foot metal pole swinging it at customers and employees; she was chased out of the building by customers and ultimately arrested by police," Braden explained.
In 2018, the same year Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) took office, there were an estimated 131,000 homeless individuals residing in California. Since then, that number has reportedly reached a projected 172,000.
The city attorney did not respond to KTVU’s request for comment.
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I Was A California Prosecutor For 24 Years. Kamala Harris’ ‘Tough On Crime’ Schtick Is A Sham
Harris wants to continue on her “progressive” path and forget about enforcing the laws passed by a democratically elected legislature, while ignoring threats to public safety.Bay Area leftist candidate who advocates for homeless apparently has campaign money stolen by brazen homeless woman
The campaign for a left-leaning candidate running for city council in Oakland, California, got off to a bad start after a homeless woman apparently stole a bag full of donations during a campaign kickoff rally over the weekend.
On Sunday, Charlene Wang, 33, hosted an event at a local park to launch her campaign for the open seat on the Oakland City Council. As the event wrapped up, a women described as homeless and "clearly mentally disturbed" by the California Globe suddenly began swiping several bags and purses, reports claimed.
'Tirelessly fighting for disadvantaged communities by launching new social programs at all levels of government for homelessness, education, healthcare, and environmental justice.'
Wang was able to wrestle most of the purses, including her own and her mother's, back. However, the homeless woman apparently kept hold and wouldn't let go of the bag containing a host of donation checks collected at the rally.
According to video, Wang and her team attempted to reason with the woman in hopes of convincing her to give the bag back — to no avail.
"I very much tried to have a de-escalatory conversation with her to convince her to hand over the bag," Wang said, according to KGO. "Offer her a warm meal at the grocery store, even give her money in exchange for the bag, but that did not work out."
Wang also attempted to solicit the help of those involved with the Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland Program, which offers "community response ... for non-violent, non-emergency 911 calls" in the city. Unfortunately, the ostensible social workers weren't available during the weekend, KGO indicated.
Finally, fearing that the situation was escalating out of control, Wang resorted to contacting law enforcement. Unfortunately, police weren't available to respond either.
"They said there were 250 calls ahead of us, and they said they would actually come by to take a report afterwards," Wang told KGO.
After allegedly throwing food and, in the words of the California Globe, "flashing her whatevers," the suspected thief reportedly wandered away, donation bag still in hand.
Wang estimated that the bag contained about $1,000 worth of checks. According to the California Globe, Wang has asked donors to stop payment on those checks.
Despite the apparent theft, Wang harbors no ill will against the suspect. "I am not angry at her or anything like that," she insisted.
"I can only imagine the trauma she is going through having to live on the streets."
Wang, who is running on a platform of reducing crime and helping the homeless, was left frustrated and confused by the silence from Oakland police. As of Wednesday, they still had not come to investigate the issue, Wang claimed.
"I think this is yet another example of first responder service. I was left to fend for myself in an essence," she said.
The New York Post reached out to the police department for comment.
Wang's campaign website brags about her work on campaigns for former President Barack Obama and failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as well as her previous work to help the homeless in Massachusetts. The website further notes that Wang identifies as LBGTQ+ and claims that she has dedicated her life "to tirelessly fighting for disadvantaged communities by launching new social programs at all levels of government for homelessness, education, healthcare, and environmental justice."
Even with those leftist bona fides, Wang is still surprised by the association between leftists and anti-cop sentiment. "I’m frustrated by the idea that progressives are automatically anti-police, that we don’t care about public safety," she said, per the California Globe.
"That is the state of the first responders in Oakland, and that’s why I’m running."
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Newsom's move to clear out homeless encampments is another 'PR stunt': California Senate Republicans
California Governor Gavin Newsom recently issued an executive order demanding local governments "urgently address homeless encampments," according to a Thursday press release.
Newsom has claimed for decades that solving California's homelessness crisis is one of his top concerns; however, under the politician's leadership, the problem has continued to escalate. The state currently has roughly 181,000 homeless individuals and only 71,000 emergency shelter beds, according to Cal Matters.
It is unclear where Newsom would like local municipalities to relocate the homeless population, but he is pushing leaders to do so swiftly.
Newsom claimed that his abrupt announcement to clean up the encampments was sparked by a United States Supreme Court decision handed down a month ago.
In a Thursday press release, the governor's office wrote, "With the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Grants Pass v Johnson, local governments now have the tools and authority to address dangerous encampments and help provide those residing in encampments with the resources they need."
The high court's ruling found that laws restricting homeless individuals from sleeping in public areas do not constitute "cruel and unusual punishment" and, therefore, such restrictions are not unconstitutional.
"I don't think there's anything more urgent and more frustrating than addressing the issue of encampments in the state of California," Newsom said in a video posted to social media. "We've invested now over $1 billion in encampment resolution grants."
"In the past, the courts have denied the ability of the local government — including the state — to clean up many of these encampments," Newsom claimed.
"We're done," he continued. "It's time to move with urgency at the local level to clean up these sites."
Newsom called on local governments to "do their job."
In a post on X, he declared, "No more excuses. We've provided the time. We've provided the funds."
Republicans speculated that Newsom's sense of urgency may have more to do with the recent announcement that Vice President Kamala Harris plans to run as the Democratic Party's presidential nominee in the upcoming 2024 election. Harris has been viewed as largely responsible for California's prison-to-homelessness pipeline for supporting soft-on-crime policies. GOP lawmakers called the move to clean up the state's streets a "PR stunt" by Newsom, who is being floated as a potential pick for running mate.
The governor previously cleaned up San Francisco's streets ahead of the U.S.-China summit in late 2023. Newsom admitted that the decision was motivated by the event.
"I know folks are saying, 'Oh they're just cleaning up this place because all those fancy leaders are coming to town.' That's true, because it's true — but it's also true for months and months and months before APEC [Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit], we've been having conversations," he said.
In response to Newsom's new executive order to clear encampments, state Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego) remarked, "It's about damn time!"
"Letting people live and die on the streets or in our parks is unsafe and unsanitary," Jones stated, according to Fox News Digital. "I introduced a proposal earlier this year that would have provided even greater and more immediate solutions. While I am cautiously optimistic that the governor has finally taken note of the urgency of this problem, albeit many years later than needed, Californians deserve government for the people, not the PR hits."
Earlier this year, all state Senate Republicans, including Jones, introduced Senate Bill 1011, a bipartisan effort to prohibit people from sleeping in public areas when shelter space is available. Some Senate Democrats rejected the measure.
Senator Roger Niello (R-Fair Oaks) called Newsom's order "a good step" but noted that it would "require significant follow-through to ensure its effectiveness."
"Homelessness is one of the biggest challenges we face today, and it is imperative we take swift, decisive and effective action to address it," Niello stated.
Republican Assembly Leader James Gallagher wrote on X in response to the executive action, "Big promises. No action. [B]lame locals. No press. Rinse and repeat."
Just last week, Newsom vetoed an assembly bill that, if enacted, would have required his administration to submit to annual evaluations of funds provided to its Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention program.
"Gavin likes to spend. Oversight? Not so much.," Gallagher said.
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San Francisco mayor announces 'aggressive' plan to clear up homeless encampments amid tough re-election battle
During an election debate this week, the mayor of San Francisco announced a plan to crack down on homeless encampments that may include criminal charges for violators, claiming that the era of "compassion" on the issue was over.
On Thursday, five candidates for mayor of San Francisco, including incumbent Mayor London Breed, gathered at the San Francisco Firefighters Union Hall on Newhall Street to discuss a range of topics including restoring firefighters fired for refusing vaccine mandates, revitalizing downtown, crime, and, of course, the homelessness problem that has plagued the city for more than a decade.
'After six years, you don’t have a plan. You have a track record.'
Recent Supreme Court decisionGrants Pass v. Johnson granted municipalities more flexibility to clear up homeless encampments, ruling that banning people from sleeping or camping in public spaces such as streets and parks did not violate the Constitution. The decision partially overrules a local injunction imposed in late 2022 that prevents Bay Area authorities from enforcing anti-camping laws.
Mark Farrell, a former mayor who is running for the role again, accused Breed of dragging her heels on addressing the homelessness problem in light of the SCOTUS decision. "The Grants Pass decision was three weeks ago and tent encampments are growing," Farrell claimed at the debate on Thursday.
Farrell then gestured to the crowd of firefighters in attendance, pledging to take swift action to clear up the problem once and for all so that "every day you can deal with fighting fires and not dealing with tent encampments."
"You have to be aggressive."
Breed seemed to agree, claiming that the so-called "compassionate" approach has not worked. "We have had to move from a compassionate city to a city of accountability, and I have been leading the efforts to ensure that we are addressing this issue differently than we have before," she said.
"We are going to be very aggressive and assertive in moving encampments which may even include criminal penalties," she continued.
"We will continue to lead with services, but we also can't continue to allow people to do what they want on the streets of San Francisco, especially when we have a place for them to go," Breed added.
"The problem is not going to be solved by building more housing. Thank goodness for the Supreme Court decision."
Though her statements at the debate mark what the Daily Mail described as "a change in tack" regarding homelessness, they were rather light on substance, offering few specifics about how the encampments would be moved and what kinds of "criminal penalties" might be assessed.
However, Breed did claim that the new policy would be implemented sometime next month. A statement from city attorney spokesperson Alex Barrett-Shorter explained that the new approach "will help us address our most challenging encampments, where services are often refused and re-encampment is common."
Still, Farrell indicated that Breed, who has been in office since winning a special-election race in 2018, has had enough time to fix the problem. "After six years, you don’t have a plan. You have a track record," he quipped.
Breed is in a tough battle to keep her seat. Mission Local doubted that she will receive a sole endorsement from the firefighters' union this time around like she did in 2018, and at least one poll published last month suggested that Farrell was well ahead of her in ranked-choice voting.
The results of the firefighters' union vote regarding mayoral endorsements, held immediately following the debate, will be released at a meeting in early August.
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Leftists wail as New Hampshire city addresses homelessness problem just days after landmark SCOTUS ruling
The largest city in New Hampshire has already begun to clean up its streets just days after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a pivotal ruling likely to have a significant impact on the country's growing homelessness problem.
While much of the focus on homelessness has been on California and other West Coast states, Manchester, New Hampshire, has had a major homelessness problem of its own in recent years. Perhaps as many as 140 Manchester residents are homeless, and another 400 or so are living in shelters, the city website said.
'During walks with my kids, we've encountered human excrement. I've had to teach them to be looking out for needles.'
"I'll be frank with you," said Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg. "This has been a strain on this police department and this community as a whole for the last several years."
Last Friday, SCOTUS justices ruled 6-3 that cities can ban sleeping and camping in public areas such as streets and parks. By Tuesday evening, Manchester leaders had already voted to change the city's local ordinances to make public areas safer.
The previous ordinance in Manchester banned public sleeping and camping only from sunrise to sunset, a measure that could be enforced only when space was available at local shelters.
On Tuesday, Mayor Jay Ruais and the city's aldermen met and voted overwhelmingly, 14-1, to ban public camping entirely, effective immediately. The measure gives police the option to impose a $250 fine on violators, and the city also allotted police an extra $500,000 to help with enforcement.
Despite the apparent enthusiasm for the new ordinance from local leaders, some residents spoke out against it during the public comment portion of the meeting. Often echoing tired platitudes, these critics expressed deep sympathy for the homeless population but seemingly little concern for area families.
"We cannot arrest our way out of homelessness," said one man.
"Unhoused people need homes, not handcuffs," added a woman.
One woman has even bragged that she regularly visits homeless encampments and does not believe they pose a threat to public safety. "I often walk through the homeless encampments while walking around town," said Phoebe Youman. "I'm a young woman. I'm under five feet tall, and I walk alone most times, and not once have the people living on the streets or living in their cars made me uncomfortable or harassed me, let alone caused a safety risk."
An area father and business owner took a decidedly different view. "I've seen camps set up on school property where our children, where my children, should feel safe and secure," said Adam Alvarez, a Manchester native.
"During walks with my kids, we've encountered human excrement. I've had to teach them to be looking out for needles."
Mayor Ruais has since defended the measure and slammed those accusing him and others of unfairly attacking the homeless.
"This is not criminalizing [homelessness]," he said. "Nobody's going to jail as a result of this. This is the deterrence effect."
Ruais also noted that the city does offer assistance to those who want and ask for it. "What we won't tolerate is people breaking our laws or ignoring our ordinances," he said.
Police Chief Aldenberg added that homeless residents may use public parks like anyone else — so long as they abide by the rules.
"If they want to be in the parks as well and act appropriately and not drink there, not urinate there, not sleep there, then they're more than welcome to be there, as well," he said.
Aldenberg also indicated that the new ordinance will allow all Manchester residents to enjoy their beautiful city: "People that want to come and sit in the park with their family on a nice day like today ... [will] feel more comfortable doing so."
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