Smash and grab
© Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty ImagesCalifornia high-end store robberies target Apple, Nordstrom.
California's smash-and-grab robbery nightmare is directly tied to Gov. Gavin Newsom's continuing state of emergency declarations, according to the Orange County sheriff.

The California Judicial Council imposed a zero-bail system in response to Newsom's March 2020 executive order that imposed a yearlong lockdown, which became the most stringent in the nation. A chain reaction ensued, pushed along by district attorneys in the two hardest-hit cities, San Francisco and Los Angeles, who have refused to file stiff charges. The prosecutors are emboldened by support from Newsom, the Legislature, and local politicians, critics say.

Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes told the Washington Examiner.:
"The looters are deliberate as to what they are doing. In my opinion, it is happening because they believe they can do it and not be held accountable. [When] the declarative emergency is lifted, it will go back to the normal bail schedule throughout the state."
Last month, Newsom extended his state of emergency order until March 2022, which would retain his grip on hundreds of laws for a full two years. Two bills have been introduced to curb Newsom's emergency power and place it with the Legislature, but both died in committee.

Barnes said he doesn't have a single COVID patient in his jail, yet the courts are mostly closed and the zero-bail mandate remains in place. The Orange County inmate population is 3,500, whereas pre-COVID, it was approximately 6,300 per day.

In Los Angeles County, which has the largest jail system in the nation, the latest available report shows a population of 15,325 in March, compared to 16,715 in March 2019.

The Democrat supermajority in the Legislature placed a zero-bail measure on the 2020 ballot, but it was defeated by voters. Undeterred, a similar bill was introduced this year and was on track to a full vote when a grisly murder made headlines . A woman and her two dogs were found dead in their home, set ablaze by a career criminal let out of jail due to zero bail.

Republican state Sen. Melissa Melendez commented:
"What does the majority party do but bring back another bill because they don't like how the voters made their decision, and they want to ram it through this year? The only reason why it didn't go through is some woman had to lose her life in Sacramento. A guy out on early release broke into her home and murdered her. Everyone on the Democrat side said, 'We can't take the heat because she was murdered.'"
Melendez said the bill isn't dead but will come back to life "when the dust settles."

The Legislature might be waiting awhile. In Beverly Hills last week, Jacqueline Avant , the mother-in-law of Netflix's CEO, was murdered. A career criminal out on parole has been arrested in connection with the death. Then, more high-profile smash-and-grabs were caught on camera, and 14 suspects were arrested.
Garcetti and others
© LAPDLos Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti speaks during a December 3, 2021 press conference announcing arrest of 14 looting suspects.
Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti have started to decry the looting publicly as media attention intensifies. However, Newsom supported the zero-bail ballot measure Proposition 25 and endorsed the 2020 election of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon, as did Garcetti .

Prosecutor Eric Siddall, vice president of the Association of Deputy District Attorneys, responded:
"Gascon's bail policy, notwithstanding COVID, is that these individuals will never be held on bail. When the policy is catch and release, you should not be shocked when criminals are taking advantage of you.

"Both the governor and the mayor have blamed local prosecutors for not vigorously enforcing the law. That means George Gascon."
Siddall has frequently criticized Gascon's policy of downgrading felony crimes to lesser charges.

Republican Sen. Jim Nielsen, who headed the state parole board in the 1990s, said the Legislature has no appetite for passing laws to benefit victims or repealing the controversial Proposition 47, which downgraded felonies to misdemeanors. It raised the cap for grand theft to $950, meaning anything less than that is likely not to be prosecuted.

Nielsen said of his colleagues:
"They are meekly going along with these disastrous times and say not a word. This is a silent little area. Until the people speak out and say, 'We don't like this,' nothing is going to change."