Ryder Christ
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced a major statewide expansion of California Highway Patrol crime suppression teams, though the Central and South Coast is not currently included in the rollout.
“The CHP-Coastal Division, which includes San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties, is not part of this deployment,” said Jordan Richards, Public Information Officer for CHP-Coastal Division, which has offices stretching from Moorpark to Monterey.
When asked if extra anti-crime units might be added locally, Jonathan Gutierrez, CHP PIO for Santa Barbara, said there are no plans.
“As far as I know there aren’t any plans to do so, but the anti-crime unit has jurisdiction throughout California. They can easily come through the area if they’re following up on cases,” Gutierrez said.
He noted the specialized units typically work independently but occasionally reach out to local offices.
“In most cases they do not call the area-level officers for assistance, but every once in a while they do, but it’s rare,” Gutierrez said. “We do not give out guideline strength, but I am allowed to let you know we have over 6,000 officers as a Department.”
Statewide Expansion
While the Central Coast is not included, Newsom’s announcement does add CHP suppression teams to Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, the Central Valley, and the Inland Empire.
“You may recall the early success of those efforts,” Newsom said. “There were 6,200 citations. There were hundreds of stolen vehicles that were recovered … illegal guns, over 700 pounds of fentanyl was seized because of that operation. So successful was the operation in 2023 that we started receiving phone calls from other mayors throughout the state of California, and we’re going to be expanding this operation. Building on the success that is now included over 9,000 arrests statewide.”
Newsom said the new deployments will be done in coordination with local officials and law enforcement. The announcement was also framed as a contrast to President Trump’s recent decision to deploy federal troops across the country.
Building on Previous Results
The new teams are intended to build on existing efforts in crime hot spots. In Oakland, CHP officers have recovered more than 4,200 stolen vehicles, seized 247 firearms, and made hundreds of arrests since February 2024. In Bakersfield, CHP has confiscated 114 firearms, made over 850 felony arrests, and recovered 1,386 stolen cars since April 2024.
“When the state and local communities work together strategically, public safety improves,” Newsom said. “With these new deployments, we’re doubling down on these partnerships to build on progress and keep driving crime down.”
CHP’s Approach
CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee said the teams focus on high-visibility patrols to disrupt criminal activity.
“We go in and saturate an area with high visibility, in-view patrols,” Duryee told ABC7. “We’re going to put numbers of black and white patrol cars with officers in uniform in there. It deters criminals.”
Duryee also noted that in Los Angeles, “crime is already trending downward. Both violent crimes and property crimes are down 17 percent from last year.”
Political Undercurrent
Newsom also used the announcement to draw a contrast with President Trump’s recent deployment of federal troops to Democratic-run cities. He argued California’s approach is collaborative, done in coordination with local law enforcement, while Trump’s actions were unilateral.
As part of that critique, Newsom highlighted crime statistics from Republican-led states. He pointed to Louisiana, which had a murder rate of 19.3 per 100,000 in 2023, nearly four times higher than California’s rate of 5.1. The governor suggested the disparity undercuts Trump’s claims about crime being concentrated in Democratic strongholds.
“While the Trump administration undermines cities, California is partnering with them and delivering real results.”
Statewide Trends
The governor’s office says violent crime across California’s eight largest cities has dropped 12.5 percent so far in 2025, with homicides down 20 percent and robberies down nearly 19 percent.
Newsom framed the expansion as a continuation of that progress. “The work is far from over, but we’re showing the country what’s possible when we choose collaboration over chaos.”
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