Utah governor Spencer Cox starts debate about San Francisco crime - Axios Salt Lake CityLog InLog InAxios Salt Lake City is an Axios company.

Utah politicos are fighting over San Francisco crime

Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios If you've noticed a lot of social media fights over San Francisco in recent days — it's not a sports thing. What happened: Gov. Spencer Cox ignited a firestorm last week when he "progressive candidates and policies" for a Utah company closing its San Francisco storefront due to crime there.In a last week, the CEO of the Utah-based outdoor gear merchant Cotopaxi, announced the San Francisco store was closing due to vandalism and theft.He also repeatedly shared a prominent in which a San Francisco writer for The Atlantic declares her hometown to be a "failed city."The continued for days as some Utahns defended the Golden Gate City and Utah elected officials . Why it matters: San Francisco's rising property crime rate has been a popular as the city recently recalled progressive district attorney Chesa Boudin.Cox's criticism rankled some Utahns, who called it and — a contradiction of the Cox has nurtured nationally as a compassionate moderate.It also led to a debate over statistical claims as to what policies actually correlate with rising crime. The other side: Cox's critics to San Francisco's longtime unaffordability as the main driver of crime there, not progressive policies. Others noted homelessness and poverty also exist in conservative states like Utah. By the numbers: For anyone interested in the correlation between policy and crime in San Francisco, the news site SFGate.com did a thorough during the Boudin recall campaign. Many, but not all, claims of rampant crime have exaggerated both how exceptional San Francisco's crime rates are, and their connection to specific "progressive" policies, the analysis found. Get more local stories in your inbox with .Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.

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