Richmond just voted to reinstate its Flock Safety cameras after car thefts spiked 33% following their removal—with immigrant shopkeepers leading the charge to bring them back. The reversal exposes a recurring pattern across California: cities making symbolic policy decisions that end up punishing the small business owners and working-class communities they claim to protect. From SF fining graffiti victims while taggers walk free, to mall closures blamed on remote work while crime goes unmentioned, the regulatory and governance choices hitting local commerce hardest are the ones least honestly debated.
Car thefts jumped 33% after Richmond killed its Flock cameras. The people begging to bring them back were immigrant shopkeepers.
The city disabled its license plate readers to virtue signal national issues. Immigrant shopkeepers are paying the price.
California Forever just brokered the largest construction labor agreement in American history. YIMBY is winning.
The city charges property owners $362+ if graffiti isn't removed in 30 days—while taggers walk free.
San Francisco Centre's last tenants get evicted while the Chronicle pretends shoplifting and drug use had nothing to do with it.