Gavin Newsom’s Crime Spin Collapses Under Weight of His Own State’s Stats [WATCH]

California Governor Gavin Newsom has repeatedly criticized Republican-led states for their murder rates, but experts and data continue to challenge the accuracy and context of his claims.

In a series of posts on X during June, Newsom pointed to FBI data showing that Alabama, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri had higher murder rates than California.

His comments came in response to criticism from lawmakers in those states following violent anti-deportation riots in Los Angeles that began on June 6.

Alabama has 3X the homicide rate of California.

Its murder rate is ranked third in the entire country.

Stick to football, bro. https://t.co/xaRrF0B7Zs

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 9, 2025

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If you want to discuss violence, let’s start with your state’s murder rate — which is 40% higher than California’s. https://t.co/JIoseRPxkV

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 10, 2025

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Your homicide rate is literally DOUBLE California’s. https://t.co/wiva57iu6i

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 11, 2025

Your state’s homicide rate is 117% higher than California’s. https://t.co/3cJB702klb

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 16, 2025

Those riots, targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, resulted in multiple arrests, alleged assaults on officers, and widespread property damage, including vehicles set on fire.

The unrest soon spread to other Democrat-led cities across the country.

Despite Newsom’s attempt to shift the narrative, recent crime statistics suggest California continues to face significant public safety challenges.

The state ranks sixth in the nation for violent crime rates, according to 2023 FBI data — placing it ahead of both Oklahoma and Alabama, two of the states Newsom criticized.

“The governor’s argument lacks context and paints an inaccurate picture of crime in California,” said Steve Smith, a crime policy expert at the Pacific Research Institute.

“Most states have lower overall felony crime rates than California.”

A 2020 study from the Paper Prisons Initiative placed California’s felony rate among the top 15 states nationwide.

Newsom’s office responded to the backlash by defending the governor’s record.

“The Governor’s point is simple: Republican leaders talk tough on serious crime, but the facts tell a different story. You’re more likely to be murdered, sexually assaulted, or shot in a red state than in California,” a spokesperson said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“Since taking office, Governor Newsom has invested over $1.1 billion to improve public safety, fund the police, and crack down on organized crime. That’s why California is seeing results — and the Governor is committed to building on that progress.”

However, experts point to additional policy factors contributing to California’s crime problem.

Proposition 47, passed by voters in 2014, reduced penalties for certain non-violent offenses, including shoplifting and grand theft under $950.

Smith said the law led to a steep underreporting of theft incidents, which skewed public safety data.

“The theft undercount in California was huge due to the fact that crime victims stopped reporting due to Prop 47,” Smith said.

Retail theft has become an epidemic in California since prop 47 passed.

For 3 years, Gavin Newsom has vowed to stop it. Of course, he only really succeeded in wasting 500 MILLION taxpayer dollars.

It’s also worth noting Gavin Newsom is vehemently against repealing prop 47 pic.twitter.com/UO60DBpNxl

— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) June 8, 2024

A bipartisan state commission confirmed in July 2024 that theft reports dropped by over 7% from 2010 to 2022, even as violent crime was reported to be increasing.

In November, California voters passed a measure rolling back many of Proposition 47’s provisions.

Newsom’s use of 2022 state-level murder rates has also drawn criticism for failing to account for local-level crime trends.

Experts note that many of the highest crime rates occur in large cities run by Democrat or left-leaning nonpartisan mayors — a factor obscured by statewide averages.

According to recent data compiled by the Rochester Institute of Technology, nine of the ten U.S. cities with the highest murder rates in 2024 are led by Democratic or left-leaning mayors. California was the only state with two cities on the list.

As the 2026 election approaches, Newsom is widely expected to face mounting pressure over his public safety record, particularly if violent crime continues to rise in major urban centers.

His administration’s defense of sanctuary policies and law enforcement funding strategies is likely to remain a key point of contention with critics in both parties.

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