California sounds like a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.

On second thought, it doesn’t really sound like a place I’d care to visit anymore either!

Don’t get me wrong, I lived in northern California for close to a year, and I loved it…, but that was over 40 years ago.

Things there sure appear to have changed.

Besides the earthquakes, forest fires, oppressive taxes, expensive gas, poop and homeless people laying around everywhere, an out of control drug problem, and over 5 million undocumented immigrants, we now see a steep rise in shoplifting, thefts, and criminal activity across state.

Just to put some of this into perspective, there are 26 states with smaller populations than California’s illegal immigrant population!

And California is nicknamed “the golden state?”

It sounds more like a living hell to me now…, unless you’re an illegal immigrant, a welfare warrior, a drug addict, a criminal, or an elite liberal who can afford to insulate themselves from the mess they’ve helped to create.

Barnini Chakraborty of Fox News reports that, “In 2014, Prop[osition] 47 was passed to reduce certain non-violent felonies to misdemeanors in order to free up resources for cops and prosecutors to go after serious, violent offenders. Data shows that after Prop 47 passed, shoplifting and thefts increased.”

Gee…, who could have predicted that?  Apparently not any of the democrats out there in California.

“Fox News spoke with San Francisco and Oakland shop owners about the recent rise in crime.”

“In a lighted garage on one of San Francisco’s busiest streets, a young man in baggy trousers and messy brown hair pulled down his pants. He had been hiding two pairs of stolen jeans with the tags still on them. He handed them to another man waiting nearby, took some money, pulled up his pants and headed back into another store on Market Street — home to the city’s high-end designers and big-chain retail shops.”

“These brazen acts of petty theft and shoplifting are a dangerous and all-too-common consequence of Proposition 47, a referendum passed five years ago that critics say effectively gives shoplifters and addicts the green light to commit crimes as long as the merchandise they steal or the drugs they take are less than $950 in value. The decision to downgrade theft of property valued below the arbitrary figure from felony to misdemeanor, together with selective enforcement that focuses on more ‘serious’ crimes, has resulted in thieves knowing they can brazenly shoplift and merchants knowing the police will not respond to their complaints, say critics.”

“Over in the City by the Bay’s famous Tenderloin district, Cassie, a 21-year-old mother of two and a former heroin junkie, told Fox News that when times were tough, she too has stolen from stores.”

‘“If my babies need diapers or formula, who is going to get that for me? No one. I have to do it,’ she said. ‘They ain’t out here arresting people for (shoplifting) and everyone knows it.’”

“Proposition 47 is seen by critics as one of California’s biggest blunders. Supported by the state Democratic Party and championed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the referendum was passed by a wide margin in 2014. The idea behind it was to reduce certain non-violent felonies to misdemeanors in order to free up resources for cops and prosecutors to focus on violent offenders.”

“Since Proposition 47 was passed, there has been an increase in theft across the state. Cities like San Francisco have seen organized crime rings turn shoplifting into a well-organized racket involving desperate thieves and unscrupulous black-market re-sellers.”

“Among the nation’s 20 largest cities, San Francisco now has the highest rate of property crime, which includes theft, shoplifting and vandalism.”

Wow!  You would have to say that San Francisco is a liberal policy over-achiever!

You should be in line to win some kind of award from your fearless leader, and representative, Nancy Pelosi.

“Del Seymour, founder of the non-profit Code Tenderloin, told Fox News that fencers – often from Mexico and Guatemala – set up shop in the middle of the day and night around the city’s United Nations Plaza area. He said he’s also noticed that the stealers and dealers have gotten bolder by the day. The retail heists taking place, he said, aren’t some small-time operation but instead a sophisticated network of international dealers who cross the border to buy stolen goods.”

“Seymour believes San Francisco is stuck in a cycle and, until it’s able to pull itself out, the problem will continue. Drug addicts, who are often homeless, need money for a fix so they walk into a store, steal merchandise, sell it for half the value and use the money they made to buy more drugs. Seymour added that the mayor and elected city officials have been spending too much time and money trying to coddle addicts and have done nothing to eliminate San Francisco’s drug problem.”

“The problem isn’t just San Francisco-based. Across the state, retailers say they have been hit hard by shoplifters since Prop 47 went into effect.”

“In San Diego County, 7-Eleven franchise owner Jassi Dhillon told NBC 7 that he has to deal with shoplifters at all six of his store locations.

‘“It’s happening every day, hour by hour,’ he said.”

“Dhillon said shoplifting isn’t a priority to law enforcement and said when cops do show up, the shoplifter has left the store or isn’t concerned about the citation they are issued.”

‘“It’s becoming a lifestyle for us now because we can’t do anything much except take the loss,’ he said.”

“Rachel Michelin, president of the California Retailers Association, said shoplifting is not only hurting retailers but is also ‘becoming a public safety issue for consumers.’”

“She said black-market dealers frequently cross state lines because they know California will go easy on them if caught.”

‘“They know what they’re doing. They will bring in calculators and get all the way up to the $950 limit,’ Michelin told Fox News, adding that ‘one person will go into a store, fill up their backpack, come out, dump it out and go right back in and do it all over again.’”

“Michelin said she’s seen footage from member retailers that she described as ‘completely insane.’”

‘“They will go into a grocery store, steal alcohol and walk out the front door with it. They know no one is going to prosecute them.’ — Rachel Michelin, president of California Retailers Association.”

‘“They will go into a grocery store, steal alcohol and walk out the front door with it,’ she said. ‘They know no one is going to prosecute them. The district attorneys aren’t.’”

“She added that there are even more sinister acts afoot. Many out-of-state crime rings use children to do their dirty work because they know they’re low on the totem pole of prosecutions.”

‘“There are folks that are using and exploiting children,’ she said. ‘But I also think that teenagers know that there are no consequences anymore. It’s part of a game. If you get caught, all you have to do is get out of the store.’”

‘“Law enforcement [officials] are trying to protect the streets and then they might do a sting and arrest a bunch of people but then the district attorney will drop it or downgrade the charges,’ she said.”

“It’s a frustrating dynamic for sure, but until the state finds a fix, retailers have been reaching into their own pockets to hire private security guards but even then there are no guarantees that the stealing will stop. In fact, all that private guards can do is observe and report thefts.”

“Frustrated business owners say they feel their needs are being ignored by elected officials.”

“Fox News asked Democratic Mayor London Breed’s office six separate times for an interview or to comment on this story. Her office did not respond to a single request about the growing crisis. Fox News also reached out to the district attorney’s office multiple times but did not get a response.”

Ha!  No kidding!

How dare anyone try and hold these democrats accountable for their actions?!

They don’t feel obligated to explain themselves to me, you, or anyone else.

We are all below their level of social understanding and “enlightedness.”

‘“Big and small businesses are hit hard financially by these thefts, which often endanger employees and discourage law-abiding customers. SFPD is collaborating closely with local businesses and our partner agencies to deter and investigate these crimes to make our city even safer and enable businesses to prosper,’ San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said in the press release forwarded to Fox News.”

Okay, Chief.  You just keep on collaborating there while you keep on kissing the backsides of all of the “all talk and no do (at least no doing of anything positive or effective) politicians there.

As with most liberal policies, law abiding, productive citizens, receive little or no consideration.

They are just left to pay the bills and contend with the fallout of all of these great liberal ideas!

 

NOTE:  If you’re not already “following” me and you liked my blog(s) today, please “click” on the comment icon just to the right of the date at the bottom of this article.  From there you can let me know you “like” my blog, leave a comment or click the “Follow” button which will keep you up to date on all of my latest posts.

Thank you, MrEricksonRules.