From Sacramento, the message is that California is making progress on crime. But when I talk to the Hispanic business owners across our state, people who sacrificed, took risks, and built businesses to create opportunities for their families and communities, I hear a different story.
One issue that I regularly hear about is commercial, manufacturing, and industrial property crime and its impact on California’s economy is significant. Break-ins, equipment theft, cargo theft, vandalism, fuel theft, and trespassing affect many businesses across the state, from warehouses, farms, and construction firms to contractors, manufacturers, and trucking companies.
This type of crime is happening at a scale our official statistics don’t capture. Many business owners have stopped reporting break-ins, equipment theft, and vandalism because they don’t believe reporting will change the outcome. Others are discouraged by insurance deductibles, concerns about higher premiums, or the time required to navigate reporting processes.
As a result, the data understates the problem. And commercial, manufacturing, and industrial property crime rarely receives the same level of public attention as other public safety issues, such as retail crime.
The consequences extend far beyond damaged property. When a work truck is stolen, a contractor may miss jobs for weeks. When equipment disappears from a warehouse, production slows and customers wait longer. When businesses repeatedly absorb losses, owners are forced to redirect resources away from hiring, expansion, and investment.
For California’s more than 900,000 Hispanic-owned businesses, generating over $100 billion in annual revenue, recovering from those losses can be especially difficult. Many operate with less
access to capital and fewer financial resources to absorb repeated setbacks.
That’s not just a challenge for individual business owners. It’s a challenge for California’s economy.