The governor pointed to falling crime statewide and cited partnerships with local law enforcement as the key to success.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Aug. 28 that new California Highway Patrol (CHP) crime suppression teams will be deployed in major cities across the state, expanding a program officials say has already reduced violent and property crime.
The teams will work in Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area, the Central Valley, and the Inland Empire, focusing on high-crime areas in coordination with local police. Newsom said the expanded deployments build on earlier partnerships in Oakland, Bakersfield, and San Bernardino.
“When the state and local communities work together strategically, public safety improves,” Newsom said in a statement, accusing the Trump administration of “underm[ing] cities” while California is partnering with them in “delivering real results.”
“With these new deployments, we’re doubling down on these partnerships to build on progress and keep driving crime down.”
In response to Newsom’s claim that the Trump administration was undermining cities, the White House told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that after Newsom spent weeks criticizing President Donald Trump’s crackdown on crime, he had “reverted to his tried-and-true strategy: embracing and copying the Trump agenda.”
“Stopping crime should not be a partisan exercise,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said, accusing the governor of making it such.
“President Trump’s partnership with DC MPD has resulted in record drops in crime and countless dangerous criminals being removed from DC’s streets. And the more Democrats follow the President’s lead to crack down on crime, the better it is for the American people!”
According to California state data, violent crime dropped by 12.5 percent in the state’s eight largest cities during the first half of 2025 from the same period last year. Homicides fell by 20 percent, and robberies decreased by 19 percent statewide, according to the Major Cities Chiefs Association.
Oakland reported a 30 percent decline in violent crime, while San Francisco reported a 22 percent decline.
The CHP crime suppression teams will use data-driven policing to target repeat offenders, seize illegal firearms, and disrupt organized crime, CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee said.
By Chase Smith
