A series of seemingly orchestrated, stunningly brazen smash-and-grabs have hammered stores in the Bay Area and Los Angeles over the past few weeks, frightening retailers and putting elected officials on the defensive. A string of Thanksgiving weekend robberies in L.A. had authorities there on tactical alert, and Bay Area law enforcement fortified their presence outside shopping areas after people broke into several stores the prior weekend.
As images and accounts of those crimes reverberated beyond California, local and statewide leaders have vowed to crack down. Last week we saw Gov. Gavin Newsom pledge he would seek an “exponentially” greater budget outlay to help cities and counties combat property crimes, offering an echo of the rhetoric of an earlier tough-on-crime era…