At the first debate for California’s open U.S. Senate seat, Politico’s senior political reporter Melanie Mason asked Oakland Congresswoman and candidate for U.S. Senate, Barbara Lee the following prescient question: “Congresswoman Lee, you have represented Oakland in the House of Representatives for a long time. Crime in that city remains stubbornly high compared to other cities in the state. Oakland has lost the A’s, the Raiders, the Warriors, and just this week an In-N-Out. Given its struggles, why should you get a promotion to the U.S. Senate?”
Let’s just review that for a second.
Oakland lost their In-N-Out Burger outlet because of crime; but thanks to cashless bail, they still have an In-And-Out city jail.
Additionally, they’ve lost the A’s, the Raiders, and the Warriors. Also, rumor has it MC Hammer is considering a move to Branson.
Let that sink in.
Even with their bad-boy image, the Raiders left Oakland in search of a safer home. They settled on Las Vegas after Beirut and Kabul both passed.
Side note, I think that when the Raiders moved to Las Vegas, the NFL should have made them change their name. How about the Las Vegas B-Girls? The Lap Dancers? The Pawn Brokers? The Strippers Who Are Also Single Moms? The Slot Machine Players With Emphysema?
Naw, they’re still the Raiders.
But Melanie’s question was a great one, because Oakland is a dumpster fire.
So much so, that even California Gov. Gavin Newsom is feeling the heat.
Earlier this month, Newsom said he was deploying an additional 120 California Highway Patrol officers to the East Bay after 2023 crime statistics show violent crime in Oakland is up 21 percent, robberies are up 38 percent, and car thefts are up 45 percent.
Car theft is so bad now that some Oakland car thieves are even willing to steal electric ones.
On the bright side, the A’s were only 6th in the league in stolen bases.
So, they have that going for them.
All of this is part of a “law enforcement surge operation.”
In a written statement, Newsom said, “As crime rates across California decrease — including right across the Bay in San Francisco — Oakland is seeing the opposite trend…What’s happening in this beautiful city and surrounding area is alarming and unacceptable…I’m sending the California Highway Patrol to assist local efforts to restore a sense of safety that the hardworking people of Oakland and the East Bay demand and deserve.”
In response, Oakland City Councilman Noel Gallo told KGO-TV, “For the governor to send us 120 highway patrol officers, I am in complete support of that and I’m going to even add send me the national guard if you have to!”
Subsequently, Newsom also announced that he is sending prosecutors from the state to help prosecute “serious and complex” cases in Alameda County amid their crime surge.
Newsom’s approach is also known as the Warren Zevon Strategy: You know: “Send Lawyers, Guns and Money.”
Despite the fact that they’ve turned their city into a war zone, Oakland politicians are among the most politically ambitious in the state.
Not only does Congresswoman Lee want to be the next U.S. Senator representing California, former Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf is now running for state Treasurer, and former Oakland-area Assemblyman and current Attorney General Rob Bonta is rumored to be putting together a campaign to run for governor, when that seat opens up in 2026.
Lee, Schaaf and Bonta stand accused of turning Oakland into a crime-ridden hellhole, and they’re guilty as charged. But since it’s Oakland they’ll probably be released without bail on their own recognisance.
I’m a big believer in “The Pottery Barn Rule: of politics: You break it, you buy it. These politicians broke Oakland. If their hubris and narcissism are so strong that they think they deserve a role – no less promotions – in government, they should start by fixing what they broke.
John Phillips can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on “The John Phillips Show” on KABC/AM 790.