San Francisco turns the corner on Homelessness while Los Angeles doubles down on stupid

And we continue at one oh five in the afternoon on The John Phillips Show, broadcasting live from San Francisco. Mister Randy Wang's in Culver City. Every time you say it like that, it feels like an attack. You're in San Francisco and I'm in Culver City. It's like you can always tell who's going to win the boxing match

Can you help residents understand why you didn't feel like it was a good fit or some specifics?

A man a few words? Why even agree to sit down for the interview? If you're not going to explain what made you quit Oakland? Well, why do you even have to ask the question? Why would anyone not want to be law enforcement in Oakland? Gee? I wonder why.

Who else do we gonna call Superma?

I mean, you don't need Barbara Walters for that interview. Eight hundred two two two five two two two is telephone number one eight hundred two to two five two to two. Well, we have a couple of dueling stories about the bums today, which reminds me of Barbara Ferrara and Eric Garcetti when they teamed up for the dueling Ums. Do you remember that during COVID Randy, Oh, do I remember it? I bet you. I still have it on here. M I still haven't deleted that off of the main board. Ah,

You do whatever we can to get people to come.

Tacos balloons.

For more on the encampment. Here is Fox eleven and the Greatest Guy, Matthew Sedorf.

A massive homeless encampment stretching for a half mile in West Rancho, Domingus. Entire roads covered with RV's tents and fortified shocks our Matthew Cedar have got the tip from a viewer who said calls to the county had long gone unanswered.

If you are not getting any response from local government and you have a legitimate beef slide into Seedorf's DMS, this guy gets results. Yeah, And let me just tell you something else. If you see RV as far as the I and there isn't Mount Rushmore in the background, it's a failure of government.

Story you will only see on Fox eleven.

Well ignored no more.

A sprawling homeless and canon now dominates wes Rancho Dominguez, stretching a half mile along West Compton boulevards or shelter. Our estimate more than two hundred RV's tents and fortified shacks.

Two hundred RV's tents and shacks, that's a lot of cousin eddies.

Our estimate more than two hundred RVs.

So that's two hundred RVs all dumping their sewage right there on the street. Can you imagine the smell in that neighborhood? You know, Katie, next time you want to point out an environmental crisis, I don't even think you need to go down to the Tijuana river.

Who can smell right here?

Our estimate more than two hundred RV's tense and fortified checks the house.

To you, she's got a living room now? Oh yeah. Also again, I don't want to be stereotypical. I know there are a lot of people from a lot of different circumstances. But I can just hear meth voice to the house to you, you think she still calls it the master bedroom or do you think she's updated her language to be politically correct?

That's my bedrooms?

Do you.

Sarah walking closet?

Do you get power? Yeah?

Through the streetlight right there right?

How is that not something that we can enforce? People stealing power from the utility poles? And why do they even need to steal power from the utility poles? It sounds like they've all been hit by lightning so many times. All they have to do is wave their hand and turn the lights on. Well, they're gonna need power so they can turn on They're stolen.

TV through the tree line right there, right.

And of course all these people have dogs, and I guarantee the dogs are being abused, and nobody in government seems to care about that. Yeah, why is it? Why is it when you look at people who own animals, we have animals in their possession. It's always people who just love dogs, the Betty Whites of the world, the Bob Barkers of the world. And then on the other side of the spectrum, you have people who take math for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and the dog is just

Through the tree line right there, right countless dogs, trash piled by the ton hopper, wild or cable use condoms.

We sure want the world here for the World Cup in just a couple of weeks. Again, I guess we should be happy they're using protection. Well, the condoms tells you a different story. And we had some people point this out to us when we're doing that condom filled homeless in camp. But that Seedorf have talked about a while back. The condoms don't tell you that the homeless

Through the streetlight right there right, countless dogs, trash piled by the ton hopper wire cable.

Oh yeah, stolen copper wire of course, all over the place. Well, we can't criminalize that, Hugo said as much.

You know, let's criminalize kind of lists of converters, let's criminalize copper.

Let me just point out, for the umptyam time, that guy is up for re election and if Hollywood and Echo Park gives him another four years, that's on y'all. Clap that up. Do not vote for him.

LA and illegal hookups of cable and wines running straight from county infrastructure into shelters.

What are they also stealing the cable? I don't think they're paying for anything. Spectrum, get on it.

How long have you been out here?

I have to go, so I have to stay where I am, but you have plenty of places to go. I can't stand this mentality of I can't go anywhere, so I need to stay here and create filth. No, I'm telling you this is where the local government not cooperating with the FEDS is awful. If you really truly wanted to clean these encampments up, you need to send the police in and find all of the warrants for

Well now spill it into the neighborhood. So Petie is like the only thing we can do is actual.

Leaf alt send me this tip on Instagram, calling conditions horrible after multiple Can.

You imagine if you live in one of these neighborhoods that just been completely taken over and because you're an unincorporated LA Holly Mitchell is your mayor. And Holly Mitchell, don't give a damn Willie No, it's Lord of the flies.

ALTI send me this tip on Instagram calling conditions horrible after multiple calls to officials went unanswered.

And Holly Mitchell deserves more blame than almost anybody for this nonsense. Before she was the La County Supervisor, she was in the state Senate and she authored the Housing First Bill, which meant that you could take your drugs to the shelters, which have made the homeless problem way worse from She doesn't get a lot of attention, but she is one of the most destructive politicians in all of California.

There's a lot of people out here who have overdosed, a lot of shootings, a lot of stabbings.

Come to work and it's all everything's on fire.

There's car accidents, there's people fighting butt naked. Whoa sounds like Norman Rockwell's America, doesn't it? How do you what now? What institutes the butt naked fighting. I don't know when people on meth want to fight. I guess they need to nude up.

Coming to work and it's all everything's on fire, there's car accidents, there's people fighting butt naked.

These orange camera.

I can't wait for people from Iran to come to the World Cup game that's going to be in La and be like, I want to go back to the war zone.

These orange cam rails were put in a year ago during a major and Cameron clean up on Verdondo Beach Boulevard to prevent RVs from parking here.

They just moved one street over.

This was that clean up an La County crew who's clearing the area.

The goal is to get the people help that they need.

That guys such a hack. Oh yeah, that's the sheriff, Robert Luna, and he is also up for reelection. And if you feel that Robert Luna has been a complete failure as La County Sheriff, well I need you to not feel that way. Why in the world does he even want that job because he comes from law enforcement, so he knows better. But he's got to do the bidding of the Board of supervisors, who are four out of five or crazy, and he's happy to do it.

The goal is to get the people help that they need.

Fast forward almost a year, more RVs, more people, more help needed.

They came, they took me, and they put me in the hotel.

Has it helped you a lot?

Wow?

Not really, because all we're doing is shoving drug addicts in hotels and calling it a success. People belong in mental institutions.

I mean, my hotel's not paid and I don't know what's going to happen with me.

Hope we can. By the way, that lady that he's talking to, because I was listening to two different reports and there was one where he was going back and forth Seedorf with Christine de Vine. This woman gets placed in a hotel instead of giving up her RV, which I thought was the whole idea. Her son takes over the RV and she leaves the hotel to go visit the sun. In the RV. I wonder if she sticks around for Hampton and breakfast.

I mean, my hotel's not paid and I don't know what's going to happen with me.

Hopefully we can help get you some answers.

Heeah, we're how much money would the city, the county, and the state have if we stopped subsidizing bombs. Every dollar that you spend on that woman, unless it's going to a mental institution, is a wasted dollar.

Yeah, we're we're we're looking for a senior County depth for homelessness and housing tells us the issue has been raised with Supervisor Holly Mitchell and they'll continue working on it.

Does the county come by and offer resources or help, Yeah, I.

Won't take it.

Boy, that high cost of housing's really a pain in the ass, isn't it. We make it as easy as possible for you to do meth on the streets. We literally give you the paraphernalia for it, funded by the county. We don't want to punish you when you steal from people, so you have the ten dollars to buy your math.

But at the end of the day, we allow.

The drug dealers to be embedded in these encampments because we know that's going on, and we, while you're high on meth, beg you to come inside, and you're allowed to say no, no, thank you. And it costs us a fortune. We are going broke in the city and the county and the state because we are straight up subsidizing drug addicts every single day.

Well County workers keep offering help. No one we met Wednesday wants to leave.

Of course, because why would they don't.

Like shelter like shelter, I don't like it, oh, just because it's there too many people in the shelter.

You know, Los Angeles needs to change their motto Los Angeles where beggars can be choosers.

Back out here, you'll notice how dark it is.

All the street lights are out, likely from copper wire theft.

Seriously, it is this. We spend so much money to live here and the dregs of society gets to destroy all of it and they get all the benefits. You know, it won't be long before Oakland starts looking down their notices at Los Angeles. I'm telling you that's happening right now. Oh my god. They melt to the basketball court. San Francisco took the right turn. Oakland is seeming to starting to take the right turn. They did not elect Barbara Lee, but you have people like Ken Houston on that city

If you're feeling down, if you're feeling blue, let's get help for you.

No word when not cleanup could take place.

Reporting in West Rancho, Domingas Matthew Sedorf Fox eleven News.

There you go a massive homeless encampment in unincorporated Holly Mitchell's district where they cleaned it up a year ago, and it's back and bigger than ever. You have to be mindful of that. Now. Let's contrast this to what's going on in San Francisco. San Francisco just passed a motion to be able to offer to the homeless drug free housing. For more, here's KPIX in the Bay.

We begin in San Francisco, where a plan to impose new rules at supportive housing sites has divided community members and city leaders. It's the latest flashpoint in a year's long debate over how to address rampant drug use in the city.

Overdose don't allow it. If you tolerate it, you get more of it.

Overdose has reached a record high in twenty twenty three and remained much higher than pre pandemic levels. Kenny Choi breaks down this new proposal.

For decades, San Francisco has followed a housing first model, getting people off the streets without requiring them to be sober, and that has.

Led to and this is the real statistics coming from Tom Wolf, thirty percent of all overdose debts in San Francisco happened in housing, which means their programs, you're failing.

But some city leaders believe there's growing demand for more drug free environments. San Francisco's permanent supportive housing system, designed to help people transition out of homelessness and address addiction with services, has long operated under one key rule. You can't be evicted just for using.

Drugs, which means you can bring your drugs, you can do your drugs. Heck, you can have the gang member drug dealer from Honduras drop off the drugs in your hotel room. Those homeless shelters must have looked like Graceland.

But supervisor Matt Dorsey argues the city's current system isn't working for everyone, especially for residents trying to recover from addiction. He wants to see more drug free housing options.

The reality is there are a lot of people who are trying to get off the street and get sober, and when we put them into drug tolerant environments where it's a chaotic place and there's drug use in the hallway.

Yeah, if somebody says I want to turn my life around, I need help, and you put them inside an sro in the tenderline that's full of meth, that's real hard to have the willpower to resist it when it's in your face. How do you expect the program to work under those conditions?

A lot of drug related bad behavior playing out. It can be a very chaotic environment.

Supporters and opponents showed up in full force in front of city Hall. Junebug Koha is a housing advocate who has experienced Junebug.

I'm wonder if that's on the birth certificate.

June Bug Kloha is a housing advocate who has experienced homelessness.

She believes the proposed change will land more people on the streets.

If I'm dealing with homelessness, that's trauma right there.

And so it just really is it's going to create more.

Chaos and just cause more harm to our community.

It's causing more harm to tell people they can't keep injecting poison into their veins. Well, the electeds believe that's the compassionate thing to do.

Dorsy says or relapse would not result in someone's immediate eviction. A person's conduct would have to be substantially disruptive. His proposal with halt city funding for new supportive housing projects unless they agree to allow evictions for drug use only.

For that is a step in the right direction. It makes it hard because the state's policy, thanks to Holly Mitchell, is you can do all the drugs you want in the housing that we're paying for you to be in. You just have to stick with it, and you have to enforce the rules, all right. So there you have it. Two different approaches. In Los Angeles, complete chaos, RVs, fires, naked people fighting. In San Francisco, they're letting you know, if you're going to stay at one of the city shelters,

If you're feeling down, if you're feeling blue, let's get help for you.

And right now it's time to open up the California Crime Blodder.

It's happened yet again.

Nice see. Time for the California Crime Blodder. And today's first edition takes us to Napa. So we've told you this before, but we're gonna tell you again. Putting physical checks in the mail, like very very very pricey property tax checks is not safe. And lots of people have been sending in their property tax checks in Napa through the mail, only to have the mail stolen, the checks washed, and the money going to some criminal, and then the California Tax Board coming to you and saying, hey, you

We're learning more about the growing crisis at the Napa County tax Collector's office, where more than sixty property tax checks have been reported lost or stolen.

We had sixty lost checks in the last two days.

The checks are being stolen and altered through a type of fraud called check washing. It's a story we first brought you yesterday, and today more victims are coming forward.

ABC seven News reporter Cornell Bernard is live and Napa with new information tonight.

Cordell, Hey, Dan and Ama. Yeah, it is the largest case of fraud this tax collector's office has ever seen. More victims coming forward by the day, including a Napa Belly vineyard.

If you don't have an impound account because you already paid off your mortgage, use the website and pay digitally. At least there's a track record of it at this point. Well and then you get Hilton Honors points too well. There is that can you pay property tax with a credit card? I think you can pay anything with a credit card. There might be a feed though.

It was one of the largest checks that we write throughout the year.

Jen Wilkinson at Vineyard twenty nine and Saint Helena didn't think twice when she mailed in the winery's property tax payment for two hundred and six thousand dollars.

WHOA, that's a lot of money, and Tom Steyer thinks it should be higher. Idiot.

A short time later, she made a terrible discovery.

It did not make it to the tax collector.

The check was cashed not by the Napa County tax collector, but by a business in Saint Cloud, Florida. The vineyard's tax check had been stolen and washed by fraudsters.

What was your first reaction when you saw that.

My stomach dropped and my heart started palpitating like crazy.

The vineyard, I might want to go to the hospital or just have some wine.

The vineyard is not alone.

We had sixty lost checks in the last two days, our normal amount during a two day period, especially during this week right after the do date would probably be about six.

The stolen checks now toty.

This is an exploding crime and the only way you can protect yourself is don't put checks in the mail. When I used to pay for my health insurance with our union through checks in the mail, I'm not kidding, they would lose about every other one of them. And ever since I started paying it with my credit card on the website, I've never had a problem that one. I know you get points for for some reason, they won't let you do it with car insurance, and I don't get that.

The stolen checks now total between one and two million dollars, including this check from another Napa Valley vineyard for two hundred and twenty five thousand dollars, which was also washed and cashed in Florida. After our story aired on Thursday, more possible victims reached out.

And we had received three phone calls from individuals who'd seen the story had gone into their bank and checked on their checks and determined that they had not come into our office.

They had been lost quote unquote lost in the mails.

Menhen believes this goes beyond fishing envelopes out of a mailbox. He says the checks are being intercepted somewhere between Oakland's US Mail processing center.

And Oakland had to just be a part of this story, didn't it. How does Oakland insert itself into every Northern California crime blodder story that doesn't have anything to do with them. Well, and if you remember, the Oakland post Office is the one that's all tagged up with the gang signs where they were tagging the postal vans, and when the postal vans were driving into the wrong neighborhoods

Is wow wow west out here, he says, the checks are being intercepted somewhere between Oakland's US Mail Processing center and his office. Postal inspectors on the case.

So this is absolutely get the Postmaster General down here, stat It has to be people working at that Oakland post office or that sorting center that are stealing them. Possibly, but we have seen mail men getting robbed, that's true.

So this is absolutely concern of post inspectors here in the Bay Area and across the country. Unfortunately, there's no limit to the means that criminals will use to try to get other people's property out of mail.

I called our bank right away.

Jenn Wilkinson caught the fraud right away and is optimistic about getting the vineyard stolen money recovered. But other taxpayers may not know they've been ripped off. Late payment reminders now in the mail.

About thirty four hundred delinquent reminders will be getting out to our taxpayers next week.

I think there'll be some surprises.

Yeah, because the tax culture believes that some folks who get a delinquent notice have actually paid and maybe victims. He says that anybody who.

And of course the state's totally going to give those people wiggle room, right, Oh yeah, the states always willing to work with you. Would you owe them money.

Paid by mail? Please check your bank statements and in the future, online payments are encouraged. The Florida Attorney General's Office is now involved in this case. Were live end now by Cornel Bernard, ABC seven Eyewitness News.

There you go, be careful sending any checks in the mail. In fact, at this point, checks are a completely outdated way to pay for things, all right, Randy, It's time to reopen the blodder.

It's happened yet again.

This is wow, Wow, what's up here?

Dun dun dun, dun dun dundun dun.

Reached the Califonia Crime Bladder with John Ray and this edition takes us to Hayward where there was a big old cannabis bust on the week of four twenty. Here is ABC seven in the Bay, a.

Major marijuana bust in the East Bates and my twenty thousand Plants season. Two dozen people detained as a state task force swarms three buildings in Hayward.

Pretty thank you for.

Joining us on, Dan Ashley and I'm on the dates. Officers from the State Department of Fish and Wildlife led today's operation, their second major bust in the city in fewer than six months, and the officers targeted three industrial buildings south of Hayward Executive Airport.

ABC seven Eyewitness News reporter J R. Stone has the breaking news update.

Multiple individuals detained in Hayward Thursday afternoon after those with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife rated three illegal cannabis operations at small warehouse looking facilities.

See la It can be done, and yes they can arrest you from that department.

Authorities have not said if the operations were linked to one another, but in total, they recovered twenty one hundred and thirty three plants and detained twenty four people. State REPS telling us foreign labeled illegal pesticides were also found at all three locations.

That's why you got to pay. It's expensive, but you got to pay for that legal weed because otherwise you're going to be smoking some poison. Isn't all of it poison? Yes, technically none of it's good for you, but you're better off with organic, regulated poison than the stuff that's got pesticides on it.

But if you think this is something new in Alameda County, think again. In twenty twenty five, eighty one three hundred and seventy seven pounds of illegal cannabis was destroyed.

This is coming up on nearly ten years of Prop. Sixty four, and since we legalized recreational cannabis, the illegal growing and selling market has gotten bigger. Part of making it legal was supposed to end all of that. It did not. We taxed it so heavily, and because we don't enforce it regularly, the illegal market is stronger now then when it was all illegal.

Twenty twenty five, eighty one three hundred and seventy seven pounds of illegal cannabis was destroyed, second only to Los Angeles and total plants. The street value of those plants was the highest in the state, at one hundred and thirty four million dollars. Eric Farb, who goes by Stingy.

Again, I wonder if that name is on his birth certificate.

Eric Farb, who goes by Stingy, has been in the cannabis industry for twelve years.

You're telling me what a name like Stingy. He's not a CPA. He says.

Illegal grow locations are a huge problem, and oftentimes they're dangerous.

Some of these bigger operations they're using a lot of like PGRs, and they're using recycled water. Some of them are stuffing too many lights in a room, and there's mold and mildew on.

If you want to do things the right way, they're going to regular late and tax you to the point where you're not going to make any money and you will go out of business. But if you want to do things the wrong way, there's not a whole lot of consequences. In fact, the City of La and the La City Attorney openly admit they cannot shut down illegally operating pot storefronts. I can't explain it why, but they can't shut them down. This is like the illegal dumping

Mold and mildew on the on the weed, and it's for the consumer. It's actually bad for their health.

Those living near this location tell us there was a strong smell of cannabis. As to the person or people behind these suspected illegal operations, officials are not saying. Farb says the legal cannabis industry is facing major challenges with taxes and heavy regulation. He feels for the small growers trying to make it, but to a point.

They should have to follow the same regulations that we do. You know it, there shouldn't be any shortcuts and uh, people's people's health.

Is at at risk here.

Authorities have echoed those thoughts, saying elicit activities undermine California's regulated cannabis market.

And shouldn't California be cracking down like hell and anybody not following the rules. You'd think so.

And post serious risks to public health and the environment. JR. Stone ABC seven Eyewitness News.

There you go, the big bust of the illegal grow operation going on in Hayward. Eight hundred two two two five two two two is a telephone number? What eight hundred two two two five two two two. If you'd like to email the show, you could do so at Johnny don't like show at gmail dot com. That's Johnny, don't like show at gmail dot com. And Randy, you're monitoring the mail bag dimebag. Daryl right z in at Johnny, don't like show at gmail dot com. If you deal

The hell, no bad boy, Let me get up on out of here.

It's the California Crime Bloater. And this one takes us to the target. A target was set on fire, but not in Vallejo.

Our target was set on fire.

This time it was in Burbank. That's a nice area. For more. Here's Fox eleven in Los Angeles.

Popular target store in Burbank still closed after a fire last Sunday. We've learned there's been an arrest.

I love hearing Schumann behind the anchor desk. Oh, he's the great greatest.

We've learned there's been an arrest Arson. Investigators look into the possibility the fire may have been set to divert attention from shoplifters. Fox eleven's Christina Gozalis live at the Empire Center in Burbank with the latest Christina.

That is the most interesting shopping center, because this is how any town, USA, Burbank can be Sometimes that shopping center has a target and caddy corner from it, in the same shopping center as a Walmart.

Yeah, you can see behind us a store and this is a very popular store remains close. Millions of dollars in damage, we are told and yes, a twenty seven year old woman has been arrested at this.

Point Burbank there was an arrest, not the city of La. Burbank doesn't tolerate this nonsense. I regret moving away from Burbank to the City of La on a daily basis.

Has been arrested at this point, she is only charged in terms of arson. Take a look. Do you know when you're going to reopen the target at Burbank's Empire Center where crews are still trying to repair damage from a Sunday night fire that seemed to erupt near the pillow section. The store was evacuated.

They were lighting the pillows on fire. They had to get everyone's attention away from the shoplifting.

The store was evacuated with no injuries to shoppers, employees, or firefighters. Arson was suspected and is now confirmed by Burbank police with the arrest of twenty seven year old Stephanie Irene Mendoza. Officers were seen at the extent that stay just up the street from the target by witnesses who do not want to be identified.

WHOA again, they're like mob informants. Do they have the filter on where you can't tell if this witness is a man or a well man. I certainly can't tweet.

From the hotel. We've also learned two other people were detained at the hotel and arrested for unrelated charges.

So the idea is you come stay at the hotel that's in the Empire Center, and then you rob all the stores inside the Empire Center to pay for your bill. Sounds like there's a lot going on there.

It seems they were captured on security video leaving the target and arriving at the hotel at about the same time the fire started.

You typically, if you are not that I want to give any criminals advice out there, but you typically want to get away a lot further from the scene of the crime than the extended stay that's in the same strip mall. You know, Randy, Sometimes criminals aren't that bright. Ones that get caught aren't.

And arriving at the hotel at about the same time the fire started.

Streaming there and the protum a bunch of still from the target into coach it it's just a didn't expected.

And the target again remains closed. And this is Easter weekend, which is a real.

The story was from a couple of weeks ago, but we forgot to do it. I just realized who that informant? Sounds like, who's that an East German female Olympic swimmer again, which.

Is a really bad way weekend for them not to be able to open. They're still trying. In terms of the investigation, Burbank Police are asking anyone with information to call them. At this point, this woman has been charged only with the arson.

The big question, well, that is the bigger charge than the shoplifting, I'll say.

The big question remains that she start that fire, possibly because they were trying to derail people from realizing there was a theft.

Still an called misdirection. Christina