By James Bredley, Photo by Jason Negonga
California is reeling under a relentless crime wave, with violent crimes—robberies, assaults, homicides—and property crimes like car break-ins and smash-and-grab retail thefts surging from San Francisco to Fresno. Alarmingly, countless incidents go unreported as victims lose faith in a system that often fails them. This crisis was powerfully dissected on KMJ’s Afternoon Drive podcast episode “Where Are the Cops?” featuring Major Terry Slatic and Eric Olsen, and further explored in Olsen’s Uncensored Beat interview, where they exposed how the “defund the police” movement and soft-on-crime policies have created a climate where criminals wield more rights than victims. While progressive politicians and their disastrous laws have fueled this lawlessness, new 2025 legislation targeting smash-and-grab robberies offers a glimmer of hope. Let’s confront this betrayal, amplify the podcast and interview insights, name the culprits, and examine how recent laws aim to restore justice.
The Unseen Crime Surge: A Crisis in the Shadows
The statistics are grim, but they only hint at the true scale. The Public Policy Institute of California reports a 1.7% rise in violent crime from 2022 to 2023, with robberies up 3.8% and aggravated assaults up 1.7%. Oakland logged nearly 500 homicides between 2018 and 2022, earning it the Bay Area’s deadliest city title. Property crimes are epidemic—San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf saw 374 car break-ins at one intersection in a single year, a 25% spike. Yet, as Major Terry Slatic, a retired Marine and Fresno Unified School Board Trustee, stressed on KMJ’s “Where Are the Cops?” many victims no longer report crimes. “People call 911, wait hours, or see offenders walk free the next day. They’ve given up,” Slatic said, describing a Fresno where police shortages cripple response times.
Eric Olsen, a former Army officer, West Point graduate, Iraq War veteran, and hero who helped rescue abandoned U.S. citizens during the Afghanistan withdrawal, brought a piercing perspective to both the KMJ podcast and his Uncensored Beat interview. On Uncensored Beat, Olsen stated, “The system is so broken that victims don’t report because they know nothing will happen. Criminals are back on the streets before the ink dries on the police report.” In Fresno, retail theft and car break-ins are so pervasive that businesses and residents often ignore them, knowing police are overwhelmed and progressive prosecutors rarely pursue serious charges. This wave of unreported crime reflects a deeper failure: policies that have disempowered law enforcement and emboldened criminals.
The “Defund the Police” Debacle: A Recipe for Chaos
The defund the police movement, ignited in 2020 after George Floyd’s death, promised reform but unleashed disaster. Progressive leaders slashed police budgets and vilified officers, a point Slatic drove home on the podcast. “You can’t gut police funding and expect safe streets,” he argued, highlighting Fresno’s struggle to maintain patrol numbers. San Francisco redirected $120 million from police and sheriff budgets in 2020. Oakland cut $17 million, diverting funds to civilian programs that failed to curb violence. Los Angeles slashed $150 million, leaving the LAPD at its lowest staffing in decades. The result? A loss of 3,600 sworn officers statewide in two years and a crime surge.
Slatic underscored the human cost: “Officers are quitting or moving to states where they’re respected.” In Fresno, the police department is critically understaffed, with non-emergency response times stretching hours. Oakland’s 911 system is collapsing, with wait times up to 20 minutes. The Oakland NAACP declared a state of emergency, blaming “failed leadership, including the movement to defund the police” for the violence ravaging minority communities. When residents can’t rely on police, they stop reporting crimes, fueling a cycle of lawlessness.
Perpetrators Over Victims: A Justice System Turned Upside Down
California’s justice system has long favored criminals, a reality Olsen passionately critiqued on both KMJ and Uncensored Beat. On Uncensored Beat, he stated, “Victims are an afterthought. The system is rigged to give perpetrators every break, while those harmed are left to pick up the pieces.” Proposition 47, passed in 2014 and championed by then-Attorney General Kamala Harris and Governor Jerry Brown, downgraded thefts under $950 and certain drug offenses to misdemeanors. The result? Shoplifters and drug dealers face minimal consequences, empowering organized retail theft rings. Stores from Fresno to San Francisco lock up everyday goods, and chains like Walgreens and Target are closing locations.
Proposition 57, backed by Brown in 2016, expanded parole for “non-violent” offenders—a category that shockingly includes human trafficking and domestic violence. Assembly Bill 109 (2011), signed by Brown, shifted thousands of inmates to county jails, overwhelming local systems and triggering early releases. Olsen noted on KMJ, “Criminals know they’ll be out in hours. It’s a free pass.” In Fresno, Slatic shared stories of repeat offenders arrested multiple times in a week, only to be released under zero-bail policies.
Progressive district attorneys have deepened the crisis. In San Francisco, former DA Chesa Boudin, elected in 2020 with progressive support, refused gang enhancements and downplayed low-level crimes, fueling a crime spike that led to his 2022 recall. In Alameda County, DA Pamela Price’s refusal to charge juveniles as adults or seek sentencing enhancements has sparked a recall effort amid soaring homicides. These DAs, backed by figures like Governor Gavin Newsom, prioritize rehabilitation over accountability, leaving victims feeling erased.
A Turn Toward Accountability: New 2025 Smash-and-Grab Laws
In response to the smash-and-grab epidemic, where groups brazenly loot stores in plain sight, California has enacted a bipartisan package of laws effective January 1, 2025, signed by Governor Newsom in August and September 2024. These measures, the most significant anti-retail theft legislation in modern state history, aim to crack down on organized crime and restore accountability. Key bills include:
- AB 2943 (Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur): Allows prosecutors to aggregate the value of stolen goods from different victims or counties to meet the $950 felony grand theft threshold, targeting theft rings. It also creates a new crime for possessing over $950 in stolen goods with intent to sell, punishable by up to three years in jail, without requiring proof the defendant knew the goods were stolen.
- AB 1960 (Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas): Reinstates sentencing enhancements for felonies involving property damage or destruction over $50,000, targeting violent smash-and-grab robberies. This law, signed in September 2024, revives penalties that expired in 2018 and will sunset in 2030.
- SB 905 (Senator Scott Wiener): Closes the “locked door loophole” for vehicle thefts, making it a felony to break into a vehicle to steal items worth $950 or more, especially with intent to resell.
- SB 1416 (Senator Josh Newman): Mandates sentencing enhancements for large-scale resale of stolen property, targeting fencing operations.
- AB 3209 (Assemblymember Marc Berman): Allows courts to issue restraining orders preventing convicted thieves from entering retail locations for up to two years.
- SB 1144 (Senator Nancy Skinner): Requires online marketplaces to collect seller information to curb the sale of stolen goods.
These laws allow police to arrest suspects based on probable cause, such as video footage or witness statements, even if officers didn’t witness the crime. They also extend probation periods for shoplifting to two years and protect retailers from fines for reporting theft. Governor Newsom has bolstered these efforts with $267 million since 2023 to 55 communities, resulting in 6,900 arrests in the first six months of 2024. The California Highway Patrol’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force has recovered $45 million in stolen goods since 2019.
However, critics, including criminal justice advocates, argue these laws may disproportionately harm low-income individuals and increase prison time for non-retail crimes, such as DUI-related property damage. Some, like Olsen on Uncensored Beat, caution that while these measures are a step forward, they don’t fully address the root causes, such as Proposition 47’s lenient thresholds.
The Political Culprits: Names and Laws Fueling the Fire
The podcast and Uncensored Beat interview named those responsible for the crisis. Governor Gavin Newsom has played both sides, historically supporting reforms like Prop 47 while now signing tougher laws to combat smash-and-grabs. Slatic called out Newsom’s initial opposition to Proposition 36, a 2024 voter-approved measure that toughened penalties for repeat theft and drug offenses, as “political spinelessness.” Newsom’s recent actions, however, show a shift, with his signing of AB 1960 and other bills signaling a tougher stance. Vice President Kamala Harris, as AG, pushed Prop 47, laying the groundwork for today’s leniency. Former Governor Jerry Brown’s signatures on AB 109, Prop 47, and Prop 57 set the stage for this chaos.
In the legislature, Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer and Senator Steven Bradford have driven anti-police policies. Jones-Sawyer’s AB 256 (2021) restricted police use of force, complicating responses to violent situations. Bradford’s SB 731 (2020), though it failed, reflected a broader anti-law enforcement sentiment that demoralized officers. Slatic remarked on KMJ, “These lawmakers demonized police while criminals ran wild.” However, Jones-Sawyer also co-authored AB 1802 in 2024, part of the new retail theft package, showing some lawmakers are pivoting.
The Fallout: A State on the Brink, But Fighting Back
The consequences of past policies are stark. California’s crime clearance rate—crimes solved by arrest—plummeted to 13.7% in 2023, down 41% from 1990, despite $26.5 billion in law enforcement spending. Victims are losing faith, businesses are fleeing, and communities are fracturing. Olsen shared on Uncensored Beat: “In Fresno, people are arming themselves because they don’t trust the system.” Even progressive strongholds are shifting—San Francisco Mayor London Breed reversed her defund stance in 2021, admitting criminals had taken over.
Proposition 36, passed in November 2024, and the 2025 retail theft laws are steps toward accountability. AB 2943 and SB 905, for example, directly target the smash-and-grab epidemic by enabling felony charges for aggregated thefts and vehicle break-ins. Yet, Slatic warned on KMJ, “These are bandages. We need to repeal Prop 47 and restore real consequences.” Olsen echoed this, noting that while the new laws help, they don’t fully undo a decade of leniency.
A Call to Arms: Restore Justice, Reclaim California
Californians deserve a system that protects them. As Slatic and Olsen argued on KMJ’s “Where Are the Cops?” and Olsen reinforced on Uncensored Beat, the path forward requires fully funding and supporting police, repealing catastrophic laws like Prop 47 and Prop 57, and electing leaders who prioritize safety. The 2025 laws—AB 2943, AB 1960, SB 905, and others—are a start, but they must be enforced rigorously. The silent crime wave must be exposed, and those responsible—Newsom, Harris, Brown, and their allies—must face accountability for past failures, even as some, like Newsom, take steps to correct course. This is our state, our home, and with new tools to fight smash-and-grabs, we can reclaim it. Rise up, California. The fight for justice is now.
Sources: KMJ’s Afternoon Drive, “Where Are the Cops?” with Major Terry Slatic and Eric Olsen; Uncensored Beat interview with Eric Olsen; Public Policy Institute of California; Fox News; Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice; CalMatters; Newsweek; Vox; Governor of California’s Office; San Francisco Chronicle; Oakland Police Department data; AP News; ABC10; Governor of California; The New York Times; VCStar; US News; NBC Los Angeles; NBC Bay Area; The Columbian; KTLA; KCRA; PBS News.