Rep. Adam Schiff falls victim to robbery in San Francisco

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Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) experienced a setback on Thursday when his luggage, including his clothes, was stolen from a vehicle in a San Francisco parking garage. The theft occurred just before Schiff was scheduled to speak at a dinner attended by lawyer Joe Cotchett, a prominent supporter of his Senate campaign against Republican candidate Steve Garvey. The race aims to fill the seat previously held by the late Dianne Feinstein.

Despite the unfortunate incident, Schiff remained composed and attended the event at Ristorante Rocca in Burlingame, expressing his gratitude to Cotchett. "Yes, they took my bags," Schiff confirmed to the San Francisco Chronicle, "But I'm here to thank Joe."

Cotchett, a top Democratic donor, commended Schiff's resilience and potential as a senator, stating, "Adam really showed himself tonight. He'll be a great senator — he's going to change the Senate tremendously."

The Democratic congressman and U.S. Senate candidate got a rude introduction to San Francisco’s vexing reputation for car burglaries Thursday when thieves swiped his bags from his car while it sat in a downtown parking garage. https://t.co/UCzY5ajWsG

— San Francisco Chronicle (@sfchronicle) April 26, 2024

The theft highlights the ongoing crime issues in San Francisco, which have escalated in recent years following the city's efforts to defund the police in the aftermath of George Floyd's death. In July 2020, Mayor London Breed announced plans to reallocate $100 million from the San Francisco Police Department to social justice programs. However, Breed later reversed her stance, calling for a tougher approach to crime in December 2021.

"It's time that the reign of criminals who are destroying our city, it is time for it to come to an end," Breed declared. "And it comes to an end when we take the steps to be more aggressive with law enforcement, more aggressive with the changes in our policies, and less tolerant of all the bulls**t that has destroyed our city, we are going to turn this around."

In light of the incident, Cotchett's press agent, Lee Houskeeper, jokingly suggested that Schiff could seek assistance from former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown in selecting a new suit from one of the city's many clothing establishments. "Maybe he can go out with Willie Brown to choose a new suit from one of the many fine clothing establishments in San Francisco," Houskeeper quipped. "Willie knows them all."