Newsom counters Trump's federal crackdown with state-led police surge
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is dispatching more state police officers to the Bay Area and across California — a previously used crime-fighting tool now doubling as a counter to President Trump's federal crackdown in Democratic cities.
Why it matters: Newsom is framing the California Highway Patrol expansion as a state-led and cooperative initiative, contrasting it with Trump's recent unilateral federal actions in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. that the governor blames for escalating conflict.
- "As it relates to the president in particular, he's doing things to people, not with people. It's a point of profound and consequential contrast," Newsom said at a press briefing Thursday.
The big picture: The governor is betting that tackling crime with state resources and the help of local government can boost public safety as Trump indicates he's weighing more federal interventions in San Francisco, Chicago and Baltimore.
Driving the news: The state's "crime suppression" teams will be sent to six locations: the Bay Area, San Diego, the Inland Empire, Los Angeles, the Central Valley and Sacramento, Newsom said Thursday.
- The state has yet to identify which Bay Area cities will receive the deployments, CHP spokesperson Jaime Coffee told The Chronicle.
How it works: The state teams will work with local law enforcement to flood high-crime zones, pursue repeat offenders and seize guns, cars and narcotics. They'll also target crimes like auto theft, drug dealing and organized retail theft.
- The effort builds on earlier CHP deployments in Oakland, Bakersfield and San Bernardino, where officials made 9,000 arrests, recovered nearly 5,800 stolen vehicles and seized 400 firearms, per Newsom's office.
By the numbers: Newsom's crime-fighting surge comes as crime rates have fallen in San Francisco and across the state.
- There's been a 20% decrease in homicides and 19% decrease in robberies in California so far in 2025, per data from the Major Cities Chiefs Association, an organization representing police in cities across the country.
Zoom in: San Francisco recorded a 27% year-over-year crime decline through Aug. 24, per the most recent data from the San Francisco Police Department.
- In nearby Oakland, where Newsom deployed state officers last February, homicides were down 34% at the end of 2024, as were robberies (25%), burglaries (50%) and vehicle thefts (33%), state data shows.
What's next: A federal court is weighing California's challenge to Trump's deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles. The ruling could help determine whether the president has the authority to send military forces into U.S. cities.