SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California crime fell in nearly every major category in 2024, according to new state data highlighted Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who credited the drop to billions in public safety investments. The announcement came as President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., and threatened to take similar action in other states.
The Governor’s statement cited data from the California Department of Justice released last month showing homicide and violent crime rates decreased by 10.4% and 6%, respectively, since 2023.
“President Trump is peddling the same tired lie he used in Los Angeles,” Newsom said, referencing the June deployment of the National Guard without his consent. Newsom filed a lawsuit against Trump over the move, with the trial beginning Aug. 11.
“Trump also mentioned Los Angeles, Oakland, and other major cities in which he would similarly seek to deploy troops of federal law enforcement,” the statement said.
“The truth?” Newsom added. “GOP-led cities have higher crime rates.” According to CDC data from 2022, Alabama’s homicide rate was 152% higher than California’s, Arkansas was 100% higher, and Oklahoma was 41% higher.
Since 2019, property crime, arson, burglary and robbery have all decreased in California, with the burglary rate dropping by 18.8% from 2019 to 2024, according to CADoJ data.
Newsom’s office attributes the declines to public safety spending that has totaled $1.7 billion since 2019 to “fight crime, help local governments hire more police, and improve public safety.”
In 2023, the Governor announced the largest-ever investment to combat organized retail crime in state history. As part of California’s Public Safety Plan, the state increased annual spending by 310% on proactive retail crime operations, including $267 million distributed to law enforcement agencies statewide to “hire more police, make more arrests, and secure more felony charges against suspects.”
In August 2024, Newsom signed bipartisan legislation that he called “the most significant bipartisan legislation to crack down on property crime in modern California history.” The bills provided new tools to prosecute robberies, property crime, retail theft, and auto burglaries.
The Governor also directed the California Highway Patrol to more closely monitor high-crime areas, which has led to more than 7,300 arrests, recovery of over 5,000 stolen vehicles, and seizure of more than 350 firearms in cities including Bakersfield, San Bernardino, and Oakland.
Newsom’s office said these actions are responsible for the state’s crime rate reaching “historic lows,” allowing California to “adapt to evolving criminal tactics to ensure perpetrators are effectively held accountable.”
