Gov Newsom ‘handcuffed’ Police As La Riots Expose ‘reactionary’ Leadership Failure: Former Sheriff’ S Deputy

ENCINO, Calif. – As convulsive protests erupted successful Los Angeles, Calif., L.A. County GOP Vice Chair and erstwhile L.A. County sheriff's lawman Patrick Gipson issued a scathing rebuke of authorities and section leadership, accusing officials of negligence and governmental opportunism.

"These riots, they’re wholly unnecessary," Gipson told Fox News Digital. "We didn’t person to spell to this magnitude to spot cars burning, businesses looted, livelihoods destroyed. It could’ve each been avoided."

Gipson pointed nan digit squarely astatine Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom, blaming him for failing to deploy nan National Guard successful clip to forestall chaos.

"Newsom is reactionary alternatively of pro-action," he said. "If he had called successful nan National Guard earlier, we would’ve saved billions of dollars successful security claims and protected our mini businesses."

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Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers move successful connected demonstrators successful beforehand of LA City Hall during a protestation against national migration sweeps successful downtown Los Angeles, California. June 8, 2025. (REUTERS/Barbara Davidson)

The protests, which began arsenic demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), escalated into thoroughfare unit and theft. The protests highlighted, for galore conservatives, nan consequences of nan state’s left-leaning attack to progressive criminal justness betterment and immigration.

"ICE is present to enforce national law. And if we can’t enforce national rule successful this state, what does that opportunity astir us?" he asked.

Gipson besides alleged that Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was incapable to enactment independently, suggesting that she has been taking her queues from Newsom.

"I cognize Karen Bass did spell successful and said, ‘this is not nan measurement to protest.’ They wanted serene protest, but that’s not what we had," Gipson said. "She’s taking her instructions from Sacramento and Gavin Newsom. If she had amended activity from him, I deliberation we would person been disconnected a batch amended that we are now."

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Newsom attempted to formed blasted connected President Donald Trump for escalating nan protests, claiming that they were serene demonstrations earlier nan National Guard and his rhetoric accelerated nan conflict.

"Gavin Newsom does not person a grip connected California," he said. "If he had said, ‘[President] Trump, tin you travel and thief america hole for this? I deliberation he [Trump] would person helped.

"Newsom is evidently mounting up for his title successful 2028 and he is going to formed nan blasted connected Trump, saying that Trump didn’t do his job."

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The consequences of what Gipson described arsenic "soft-on-crime" policies are, successful his view, compounding nan unrest. He cited nan state’s nonaccomplishment to decently money Proposition 36, which was overwhelmingly passed successful 2024 to curb backmost nan extremist policies of Proposition 47, arsenic impervious of Sacramento’s disregard for nationalist safety.

"Gavin Newsom is not backing Prop 36. Store owners can’t moreover spell aft criminals. Patrons are frightened to shop. People won’t moreover get connected nan freeway toward LA now," Gipson said. "They’re acrophobic a brick’s going to travel flying done their car window."

A rule enforcement serviceman useful to put retired a occurrence during a protestation successful Compton, Calif., Saturday, June 7, 2025, aft national migration authorities conducted operations. (Ethan Swope)

Reflecting connected his acquisition arsenic a erstwhile sheriff's deputy, Gipson said nan authorities of rule enforcement morale successful L.A. is dire.

"Law enforcement has not been capable to do their job," he said. "Officers are afraid, virtually afraid, to do their jobs because they don’t want to spell to jailhouse for pursuing their training. There’s nary backing from Newsom, nary from Bass."

"They’re handcuffed," he added.

"For complete 10 years, Gavin Newsom has not protected law enforcement successful California. They’ve been defunded, defamed and demoralized. And now they wait. They hesitate. And erstwhile you hesitate successful this statement of work, group get hurt."

Several cars pain connected a North Los Angeles thoroughfare during clashes betwixt protesters and constabulary connected June 8, 2025, successful Downtown Los Angeles, California.  (Vondruska/Getty Images)

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Gipson besides faulted nan bureaucratic concatenation of bid for paralyzing rule enforcement astatine captious moments.

"The sheriff answers to nan Board of Supervisors. The LAPD main answers to nan mayor. And erstwhile they can’t apprehension group correct away, nan unit conscionable keeps going," he said.

The solution, Gipson argued, is straightforward: consequences.

In a connection to Fox News Digital, Newsom‘s agency said that nan Trump management "didn’t moreover pat into nan further resources disposable to cleanable up their mess."

"Let’s beryllium clear: The National Guard wasn’t needed successful Los Angeles. State and section rule enforcement were responding, and national agencies didn’t moreover pat into nan further resources disposable to cleanable up their mess. Calls for troops to grip a protestation show a basal misunderstanding of really nationalist information useful — which is alternatively shocking for personification who utilized to person a badge."

Fox News Digital reached retired to Bass' agency for comment.