It is not the "progressives" that bother me, it is that many have gone completely off the rails.
The problem is that both are inexorably connected together. Progressives are mental defectives that create these situations in the first place driving many off the rails along with them in the insanity. What you are telling me is that no way does it pay to own a B&M retail store in the state; they are simply too busy defending the criminal. I bet these CA lawmakers, if the same thug came into their capitol building bagging and looting the property therein would throw the book at the guy. It's OK for him to steal off of YOU, but not them.
But the DA said a crowbar was not a "deadly weapon".
Gee, that almost makes me wish I could introduce a crowbar to the DA! I'm highly skilled with hand weapons and I bet I could quickly convince him that a crowbar is indeed a very DANGEROUS weapon!

But gee, if crowbars are not dangerous weapons, guess what I'd arm all my guards with? And tell them to bend them over the heads of shoplifters. Not only is the state enabling an industry of street crime, but the cost of all that lost merchandise and damage gets passed on to the CONSUMER in the form of HIGHER COST.
No, in California it is not, neither is a screwdriver.
And that goes all the way back to 1995. A guy walking his dog saw 2 men tagging a freeway sign. So he simply write down the license number to their car and went on his way. The problem is that the 2 punks saw that, then chased him down and demanded he give them the paper. They threatened him with the screwdriver, he shot them both. One died, and he barely missed getting convicted for murder.
And the survivor? Has been in and out of jail for most of the last 28 years. He already had 4 convictions even before that night (at the age of 18), and in the years since has done time for aggravated assault, manslaughter, as well as theft and drug charges. Yet people still try to say he was "innocent of anything" when he and his dead buddy confronted somebody they did not know was armed.