Abruptly Ends Presser When Confronted with State’s Crime Hypocrisy [WATCH]

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a new law enforcement initiative on Thursday, pledging to deploy additional state police resources across several major regions in the state.

The move comes as Newsom and his office face growing criticism over the accuracy and context of crime data he has promoted on social media in recent weeks.

For much of the past month, Newsom’s press office has posted crime comparisons between cities in California and cities in Republican-led states.

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The data often highlighted homicide statistics, leaving out broader violent crime trends.

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Gavin is now increasing law enforcement presence across his state. He is petrified of Trump deploying to California.

The Trump Effect is in full force 😂 pic.twitter.com/Qt7w0nEzTR

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In some cases, the comparisons pitted California cities against cities such as Memphis, Tennessee, and St. Louis, Missouri, both of which are governed by Democrats.

Critics have accused Newsom’s team of presenting a selective picture of crime while downplaying challenges within California.

The criticism extends to allegations that California has previously reclassified and underreported crimes, tactics that some have also alleged occurred in Washington, D.C.

Despite presenting social media narratives that crime is under control in major California cities, Newsom announced Thursday that the state will send officers to areas he said require “crime suppression.”

According to Newsom, the California Highway Patrol and state police will be deployed to San Diego, the Inland Empire, Los Angeles, the Central Valley, Sacramento, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Speaking at a news conference alongside the CHP commissioner, Newsom said the operations would be targeted and rely on intelligence-sharing between agencies.

Newsom on why he’s surging law enforcement around California to crack down on crime: “You still have people whose cars are broken into, you still have crimes being committed, you still have murders, you still feel unsafe.” pic.twitter.com/GipUixyDrH

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 28, 2025

“These operations will be targeted,” Newsom said at the briefing.

“They’ll be data-driven. They’ll be focused on the basis of intelligence gathering that’s coming from different law enforcement agencies. On the basis of these existing task forces and existing relationships. And these will be unannounced efforts.”

When asked why a surge was needed if crime was allegedly down in some of the same regions, Newsom did not provide a direct answer.

Reporters pressed him on whether the deployment of additional officers signaled that he believed crime was still a serious issue in California.

Newsom ended the briefing without directly addressing that question.

Gavin Newsom is asked why he’s surging law enforcement across California while simultaneously claiming that his state doesn’t have a crime problem.

He stutters through his answer and then abruptly ends his press conference. pic.twitter.com/6QSmotsmR1

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 28, 2025

The announcement also renewed debate over Newsom’s approach to Proposition 36, an anti-crime ballot initiative passed by voters in 2024.

Newsom had opposed the measure and initially attempted to keep it off the ballot. Despite the initiative passing overwhelmingly, he left out implementation funding in both of his budget proposals this year.

In mid-June, as part of a budget deal with Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, Newsom agreed to allocate limited funding for the initiative.

The agreement included $50 million for county behavioral health departments, $20 million for court costs, $15 million for pre-trial services, and $15 million for general use by public defenders.

Supporters of Proposition 36 had originally sought between $250 million and $400 million in state funding.

The $100 million ultimately included in the budget was viewed by many backers as inadequate.

The California District Attorneys Association, along with law enforcement and probation groups, had lobbied heavily for greater funding to support implementation.

Even organizations that opposed the initiative sought additional resources to offset potential consequences of its enactment.

Newsom’s critics argue that his social media messaging and public statements on crime present an inconsistent picture when compared with his policy decisions.

While his office has emphasized declines in homicide rates to compare favorably with other states, his move to authorize a statewide surge suggests ongoing concern over public safety challenges in California’s largest cities.