Looting in San Francisco: Retail theft sweeps Bay Space

Good morning, California. It’s Monday, November 22nd.

Targeted high-end stores

A pedestrian walks past an empty storefront on Powell Street in the Union Square shopping district of San Francisco on June 14, 2021. Photo: Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

Evidence that crime is likely to be a central theme for California voters in 2022 can be found this weekend.

On Sunday, a pack of looters raided a jewelry store in a Hayward shopping center, smashed glass cases and fled the valuables in waiting cars. Also on Sunday, Walnut Creek police recommended that businesses close earlier, citing information that the 80 thieves who ransacked a north stream on Saturday night could strike again. Officials labeled the Nordstrom robbery “organized retail theft” and said it may have been linked to a series of break-ins in San Francisco on Friday night.

In San Francisco, social media videos showed masked looters sprinting from high-end Union Square stores – including Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, Burberry and Bloomingdale’s – with arms full of thousands of dollars’ worth of stolen goods. Police arrested eight suspects and confiscated two cars and two guns, while Mayor London Breed announced plans to restrict vehicle access to Union Square to prevent thieves from escaping in getaway cars.

In addition to the city’s troubles, the San Francisco Chronicle published a wealth of stories over the weekend suggesting residents are becoming increasingly frustrated with responding to crime – and fear for their own safety. A resident’s garage was broken into nine times in two days; Video surveillance footage showed the thief strolling leisurely, as if “not afraid of being caught”. And San Francisco’s martial arts academies, locksmiths, and home security firms are seeing a huge surge in demand.

Meanwhile, a group of children, teachers, and parents of the Tenderloin handed a letter to Breed’s secretary asking the mayor to review conditions in the neighborhood, which include an open-air fentanyl market, frequent gun violence and attempts at old age from 9 years old. One of the city’s proposals for a solution: the opening of a supervised injection site for drugs.

In addition to the crime headlines, a stray bullet fatally hit a 13-year-old Pasadena boy playing video games in his bedroom on Saturday.

• Neighbor Stewart Baynes: “We heard the sirens and knew it was another shootout. It’s getting so damn ridiculous out here. “

The spate of shoplifting and shootings could bring San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin – a progressive prosecutor who faces dismissal in June and responsible for shop closings – and Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón, whose policy is controversial, the subject of controversy is facing challenges from a recent deep dive of the New York Times Magazine and a second attempt to recall it. The trends could also prove momentous in the 2022 election, when voters vote California’s next top cop.

The slumps are another setback for companies trying to recover from the pandemic and address persistent staffing shortages. Although the Golden State’s unemployment rate fell to 7.3% in October as the state created 96,800 jobs, California still has the highest unemployment rate in the country with Nevada, according to the Employment Development Department.

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Conclusion on the coronavirus: As of Saturday, California had 4,758,297 confirmed cases (+ 0.1% from the previous day) and 73,000 Deaths (+ 0.2% from the previous day), according to country data. CalMatters is also tracking coronavirus-related hospital stays by county.

California managed 56.996.463 Vaccination doses, and 67.1% of eligible Californians are fully vaccinated.

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Other stories to know

1. Turpin case exposes state, local failures

Image via iStock

California’s complex network of social services was put to the test following an ABC News special Friday report of the 13 Turpin siblings rescued in 2018 from the Riverside County home where their parents had subjected them to years of brutal torture and abuse. But prosecutors and attorneys – along with several of the Turpin siblings – say one horror has been exchanged for another as gaping holes in the county and state social safety nets collide with the secrecy of California’s strict Conservatory laws and sealed court records, the one effectively prevent public scrutiny. Among the findings:

• The siblings – who were between 2 and 29 years old at the time of the rescue – were prevented from accessing much of the $ 600,000 in private donations they received.
• The court-appointed public guardian overseeing the trust has denied some of the siblings’ requests for financial assistance and restricted their access to food, health care, transportation, stable housing and education.
• The seven minor siblings were placed in nursing homes overseen by an agency with a long history of suspected verbal and physical abuse. One of the families is charged with allegedly mistreating several foster children, including one of the Turpins; five Turpin children lived in this house for three years while the alleged abuse took place.

“They live in misery,” said Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin, who was prosecuting Turpin’s parents. “This is inconceivable to me – that we could have the worst case of child abuse I have ever seen and then we would not be able to bring them together to meet their basic needs.” The county has an independent investigation ordered how his public guardian’s office handled the Turpin case, the results of which are due to be released in March.

2. Supply ripples jeopardize medical care

The Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro on September 29, 2021. Photo by Mike Blake, Reuters

Henry Genung, 18 months old, has a rare genetic mutation that requires a rubber tracheostomy tube to help him breathe. The hose is said to be replaced weekly to minimize the risk of infection – but Henry’s parents have not been able to get a new one for months due to a lack of medical care due to a congestion of ships in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The scarcity is driving inflation rates and health care costs higher, which experts say will likely lead to higher premiums and limited coverage for California’s poorest residents. To make matters worse, the attempts by federal and state heads to prioritize the transport of health goods are hindered by a lack of data: not only does nobody know how many ships are carrying medical care, but also the contents of certain containers themselves are often unknown. reports Kristen Hwang from CalMatters.

Speaking of bottlenecks, California’s understaffed airports are preparing for a massive surge in travelers ahead of Thanksgiving. LAX and most of the Bay Area airports are expected to serve twice as many people as they did last year. “We are seeing demand at levels that are at or near COVID. But airlines as an industry still have tens of thousands fewer employees, ”Henry Harteveldt, president of Atmosphere Research Group, told Mercury News. Experts say travelers should be prepared for delays every step of their journey: taxi drivers serving Mineta San Jose International Airport, for example, are preparing to grapple Thanksgiving over a dispute with the airport’s new taxi company. And car-traveling Californians will face their own challenges – rising gasoline prices that drove the price of a liter of tip over $ 6 in remote Mono County.

3. California environment update

A helicopter drops water on the KNP Complex Fire in Sequoia National Park on September 15, 2021. Photo by Noah Berger, AP Photo

At the risk of doing the same pun twice, here’s a California update on earth, wind, fire, and water:

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CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: We still don’t know if California’s plan to fill the public school achievement gap is working.

Billions in funding for forest fires just one down payment: Almost half of the money the state raised this year was one-time funding – but large annual investments will be required for the foreseeable future, argues Stacy Corless, of the Rural County Representatives of California.

A model for combating climate change: Something remarkable is happening in the San Fernando Valley communities of Pacoima and Sun Valley: a little-known government program called Transformative Climate Communities, write Emi Wang of the Greenlining Institute and Dora Frietze-Armenta of Pacoima Beautiful.

Other things worth your time

Editorial: California lawmakers dine with lobbyists in Maui. Why is this legal? // Los Angeles times

The mysterious removal of the legislature from the committee Post is condemned. // LGBTQ nation

California Governor Pardoned 2 in recognition of the Native American people. // Associated press

Outgoing MP Jackie Speier’s idea to fix Washington: compulsory retirement at 75. // San Francisco Chronicle

How women took on leadership roles in California protests against masks, vaccines. // Sacramento bee

Mayor offers to extend a $ 26.6 million loan to the school district – with conditions. // San Francisco Chronicle

Alameda County could intervene in Oakland Unified about budget concerns. // The Oaklandside

SEIU Local 1000 Presidential Post Credit card statements online. // Sacramento bee

Audits, internal documents show problems for sure, test failure in the San Diego Crime Lab. // San Diego Union Grandstand

It is the last California prison used by the ICE. And he’s the only immigrant prisoner in it. // San Francisco Chronicle

Protesters demand renaming Squaw Valley Parish. // CalMatters

A black art gallery owner in South LA fights against gentrification. // Los Angeles times

California Housing “Affordability Gap” near the pre-crash level. // Mercury news

Californians flee the coast to inland cities in a mass exodus of the pandemic era. // Wall Street Journal

The newest Texan are not who you think they are. // Texas monthly

Money overflow on the freeway in San Diego: The police ask drivers to give money back or risk fees. // Washington Post

See you tomorrow.

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