Gov Newsom ‘handcuffed' police as LA riots expose ‘reactionary' leadership failure: former sheriff' s deputy

Fox News

a day ago

ENCINO, Calif. – As violent protests erupted in Los Angeles, Calif., L.A. County GOP Vice Chair and former L.A. County sheriff's deputy Patrick Gipson issued a scathing rebuke of state and local leadership, accusing officials of negligence and political opportunism.
"These riots, they're completely unnecessary," Gipson told Fox News Digital. "We didn't have to go to this length to see cars burning, businesses looted, livelihoods destroyed. It could've all been avoided."
Gipson pointed the finger squarely at Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom, blaming him for failing to deploy the National Guard in time to prevent chaos.
"Newsom is reactionary instead of pro-action," he said. "If he had called in the National Guard earlier, we would've saved billions of dollars in insurance claims and protected our small businesses."
The protests, which began as demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), escalated into street violence and theft. The protests highlighted, for many conservatives, the consequences of the state's left-leaning approach to progressive criminal justice reform and immigration.
"ICE is here to enforce federal law. And if we can't enforce federal law in this state, what does that say about us?" he asked.
Gipson also alleged that Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was unable to act independently, suggesting that she has been taking her queues from Newsom.
"I know Karen Bass did go in and said, 'this is not the way to protest.' They wanted peaceful protest, but that's not what we had," Gipson said. "She's taking her instructions from Sacramento and Gavin Newsom. If she had better leadership from him, I think we would have been off a lot better that we are now."
WATCH: Newsom says people will be prosecuted to fullest extent of law
Newsom attempted to cast blame on President Donald Trump for escalating the protests, claiming that they were peaceful demonstrations before the National Guard and his rhetoric accelerated the conflict.
"Gavin Newsom does not have a handle on California," he said. "If he had said, '[President] Trump, can you come and help us prepare for this? I think he [Trump] would have helped.
"Newsom is obviously setting up for his race in 2028 and he is going to cast the blame on Trump, saying that Trump didn't do his job."
The consequences of what Gipson described as "soft-on-crime" policies are, in his view, compounding the unrest. He cited the state's failure to properly fund Proposition 36, which was overwhelmingly passed in 2024 to curb back the radical policies of Proposition 47, as proof of Sacramento's disregard for public safety.
"Gavin Newsom is not funding Prop 36. Store owners can't even go after criminals. Patrons are scared to shop. People won't even get on the freeway toward LA now," Gipson said. "They're afraid a brick's going to come flying through their car window."
Reflecting on his experience as a former sheriff's deputy, Gipson said the state of law enforcement morale in L.A. is dire.
"Law enforcement has not been able to do their job," he said. "Officers are afraid, literally afraid, to do their jobs because they don't want to go to jail for following their training. There's no backing from Newsom, none from Bass."
"They're handcuffed," he added.
"For over 10 years, Gavin Newsom has not protected law enforcement in California. They've been defunded, defamed and demoralized. And now they wait. They hesitate. And when you hesitate in this line of work, people get hurt."
Gipson also faulted the bureaucratic chain of command for paralyzing law enforcement at critical moments.
"The sheriff answers to the Board of Supervisors. The LAPD chief answers to the mayor. And when they can't arrest people right away, the violence just keeps going," he said.
The solution, Gipson argued, is straightforward: consequences.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Newsom's office said that the Trump administration "didn't even tap into the additional resources available to clean up their mess."
"Let's be clear: The National Guard wasn't needed in Los Angeles. State and local law enforcement were responding, and federal agencies didn't even tap into the additional resources available to clean up their mess. Calls for troops to handle a protest show a basic misunderstanding of how public safety works — which is rather shocking for someone who used to have a badge."
Fox News Digital reached out to Bass' office for comment.