(KRON) — With Alameda County leading the way, vehicle thefts in California declined for the second consecutive year, according to Governor Gavin Newsom.
The announcement on Tuesday revealing that vehicle thefts declined by nearly 25% in 2025. The progress the state has made in reducing vehicle thefts by nearly a quarter builds on California’s double-digit reductions in property crime, violent crime, and robbery.
“Vehicle theft is not a victimless crime. It fuels organized criminal activity and creates hardship for families across California,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. “The CHP remains committed to holding offenders accountable, recovering stolen vehicles and working with our law enforcement partners to make our communities safer.”
A stolen vehicle that was recovered by CHP in November of 2025. (Photo: CHP)
A stolen vehicle that was recovered by CHP in November of 2025. (Photo: CHP)
Last year, CHP recovered nearly 18,000 vehicles and 84% of all stolen vehicles were recovered by law enforcement in California, totaling 111,661 recovered vehicles. More than half of the recovered vehicles were returned to their owners in drivable condition.
The state recorded its first year-over-year decrease in vehicle thefts since 2019. Beginning in 2024, Newsom deployed CHP officers to work alongside local law enforcement agencies through regional crime suppression operations, originally in Bakersfield, San Bernardino, and Oakland, then expanding regionally.
In Alameda County, where CHP crime suppression teams were deployed, there were 12,277 vehicle thefts, which was down 36.1% from 2024.
In April 2025, the governor’s office announced the CHP enforcement effort led to more than 3,000 vehicle recoveries in one year.
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