Newsom rips Oakland mayor for not using $267 million set aside to combat retail problem

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) reportedly rebuked Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao for not utilizing the $267 million that Newsom’s administration approved for cities to grapple with their skyrocketing retail theft. 

The funds, which the governor approved in September, were given to 55 local police departments throughout the state to hire and train staff, assemble task forces, and upgrade new technology, though Oakland did not receive any funds after missing the deadline to apply, Local News Matters reported. 

At a meeting in January between Oakland leaders and the governor to discuss the city’s crime surge, Robert Harris, a member of Oakland NAACP, told the outlet Newsom repeatedly raised the issue of the city’s inability to use the funds.