Claim by Gavin Newsom (D)
California Governor Gavin Newsom claimed that California has lower homicide rates than Alabama, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.
Explanation
Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the year 2022 confirms that California’s homicide rate was lower than the rates in all three states mentioned.
Newsom made the claim as part of a broader critique of red-state governance. CDC statistics show that California’s homicide rate was 5.9 per 100,000 people, while Alabama’s was 8.3, Arkansas’ was 8.6, and Oklahoma’s was 7.5.
However, when looking beyond homicides to overall violent crime — which includes rape, robbery, and aggravated assault — California’s rate is higher than both Alabama’s and Oklahoma’s, though still lower than Arkansas’.
So, while Newsom’s statement is accurate for homicide rates, it does not reflect the broader context of violent crime rates.
Conclusion
Fact or Fiction? Mostly True. Newsom accurately cited homicide rates but did not clarify that California’s overall violent crime rate is higher than some of the states he criticized.
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PolitiFact: Gavin Newsom Homicide Rate Claim
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Last Updated on June 22, 2025 by Media Bias Fact Check