ST. LOUIS – Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office drew attention to St. Louis over the weekend in a series of social media posts comparing murder rates in California cities to cities in states led by Republican governors.
One post specifically compared St. Louis to Oakland, California, stating “St. Louis’ murder rate is a staggering 190% higher than Oakland’s. Do you think Fox [News] will cover that?” The post included a graphic with FBI-cited homicide rates per 100,000 residents, alongside an image of the Oakland Fox Theater and Republican Missouri U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley.
According to Nexstar San Francisco affiliate KRON, Newsom’s press office has taken to social media platform X in recent days to post a string of messages that appear to be “trolling” Republican U.S. President Donald Trump and mimicking his writing style in social media posts. Newsom and Trump have been at odds over the president’s push for mid-cycle Congressional redistricting nationwide, including in California.
Newsom’s press office also used his series of social media posts to compare the state of Arkansas; Dallas, Texas; and Memphis, Tennessee with the California cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco, citing FBI data to highlight homicide rates. Many of the posts also used language to suggest national media outlet FOX News would not cover such statistics.
For what it’s worth, Newsom’s office’s post taking aim at St. Louis said the city had a murder rate of 54.09 per 100K, though over what exact tome period was not specified. It reported an 18.62 per 100K murder rate for Oakland.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, which covers the entire city, reported 150 homicides in 2024. The City of St. Louis, as of July 2024, had a U.S. Census-designated population of 279,695 residents. Those numbers suggest St. Louis’ murder rate was slightly less (53.62 per 100K) than Newsom’s figure.
One other consideration not included in the statistic-comparing post: Policing in St. Louis is currently overseen by a state board rather than local control. In the City of Oakland, police remain under the direction of the city government.
Newsom’s X post on the St. Louis murder rate sparked debate a flurry of replies mentioning Mayor Cara Spencer or drawing political connections. FOX 2 News reached out to the mayor’s office for comment, but a spokesperson declined to provide an attributable comment on the matter.
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