Federal Bureau of Investigations crime data released this week show California is again falling behind the nation on public safety. The annual release shows violent crime continued to rise in California during 2023 even while national figures dropped during that period.
“The latest FBI crime data confirms what Californians already know: our state becomes a more dangerous place to live each year and an ever-safer haven for criminals,” said Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego). “It’s time to make crime illegal again. Enough empty promises and false claims of victory from a governor more concerned with his national ambitions than protecting his own constituents here at home.”
While Governor Newsom used the data earlier this week to praise a decrease in crime in a post on X, an analysis conducted by Fiscal experts in the Senate Republican Caucus reveals the other side of the story. In fact, using the FBI data, we found:
California’s rate of violent crime is 521 violent crimes per 100,000 residents per year. The rest of the nation’s violent crime rate is 356.9 violent crimes per 100,000 residents per year. Therefore, Californians are nearly 46% more likely to be victims of violent crime than the rest of the nation on average.
The FBI figures also show that violent crime in California INCREASED by 3.6% while the rest of the nation decreased by 5.8% over the last year. And in specific areas, California generally fared worse than the rest of the country in all four violent crime categories (homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault).
“We’re seeking real solutions to the ever-increasing crime problem in our state, and this data is further evidence that we need to change course on the policies that directly correlate to higher crime rates,” said Vice Chair of the Senate Public Safety Committee Senator Kelly Seyarto (R-Murrieta). “The people in our communities deserve safety and security, and we must take decisive action to reverse the current trends.”
Senate Republicans were quick to point out the other side of the story on X to the governor and remind him that he does still in fact govern the state of California, despite his recent questioning on what state he may live in.