Yes, violent crime has increased in California. Here’s where it was the highest, lowest

Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

YES, CRIME IS INCREASING IN CALIFORNIA

Crime is top of mind for California voters, as evidenced by the strong polling for Proposition 36, which would reimpose felony penalties for certain drug- and theft-related offenses.

But is it really as bad as people think it is?

It’s true that violent crime rose 1.7% in California from 2022 to 2023, and the state’s violent crime rate remains up by 15.4% compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

While violent crime remains low when compared to the ‘80s and ‘90s, it has trended upward in the last decade, with increases in seven of the last 10 years, according to the PPIC.

One category of violent crime that is up significantly? Homicides, which in 2023 were 19.6% above 2019 levels.

Property crime, too, remains above pre-pandemic levels in certain categories, though it is down overall. In particular, auto thefts increased by 8.6% in 2023 and are now 42.9% higher than in 2019. Also up is shoplifting, rising by nearly 40% in 2023 and up 29.3% from 2019.

The PPIC analyzed where in the state crime is the least, and most, rampant.

The southern coast and border counties — Imperial, Orange, San Diego and Ventura — had the lowest violent crime, while the Sierra region had the lowest property crime.

The San Joaquin Valley had the highest violent crime rate, while the Bay Area saw the most property crimes, according to the PPIC.

VOTE-BY-MAIL TRACKING INSPIRES ELECTORAL CONFIDENCE

A new study from the USC Price School of Public Policy’s Center for Inclusive Democracy found that voters in California, Colorado and Georgia who used a free vote-by-mail ballot tracking tool during the 2022 midterms had more confidence in the electoral process.

“Vote-by-mail is increasingly the way voters participate in elections, especially in California and Colorado,” said Mindy Romero, CID Director and one of the study authors, in a statement. “When a voter can additionally track his or her mail-in ballot and be assured that it been received and processed, this reduces uncertainty and boosts trust in the electoral process. Our study found that more confidence in the vote-by-mail option also translated into stronger voter turnout.”

The study found that ballot tracking use was highest in California and Colorado, and that ballot tracking users had notably higher turnout rates than those who didn’t use the tools.

It also found that ballot tracking users had a lower vote-by-mail rejection rate.

You can sign up to track your ballot by visiting here.

CALIFORNIA AGREES TO PAUSE IN ENFORCING ELECTION LAW IN FACE OF BABYLON BEE LAWSUIT

The conservative humor website Babylon Bee scored a small legal victory in its challenge of a state law, AB 2839, that bans the distribution of election-related disinformation, when the California Attorney General’s Office stipulated in a Tuesday filing that the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California’s preliminary injunction applies while the case is ongoing.

Recall that the Babylon Bee, through the libertarian Alliance Defending Freedom, sued the state to block the law from going into effect, citing the potential chilling effect to the First Amendment. Conservative blogger Kelly Chang Rickert also is a plaintiff in the case.

“California’s war against political memes is censorship, plain and simple. We shouldn’t trust the government to decide what is true in our online political debates,” said ADF Vice President of Litigation Strategy and Center for Conscience Initiatives Jonathan Scruggs in a statement. “Gov. Newsom has no constitutional authority to act as the humor police.”

The case originally was filed in the Central District, but the case was merged with another legal challenge and relocated to the Eastern District.

The Attorney General’s Office did not respond to The (Sacramento) Bee’s request for comment by deadline.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“As Mayor of Sacramento, I have always fought for policies that promote equity, justice, and opportunity for all. Proposition 6 represents an important step forward in addressing one of the most glaring remnants of our nation’s troubled past — forced labor in our prison system. Slavery in any form is morally wrong, and it is time that we, as Californians, take action to remove this practice from our state constitution once and for all.”

- Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, in a Tuesday statement.

Best of The Bee:

• Former oil mogul invests $200,000 in PAC to sway voters against tax measures in Yolo County, via Jennah Pendleton.

• Ad slams Sacramento mayoral candidate for views on homeless sites in city parks. Is it true? Via Theresa Clift.