I've heard from people like "Nerdrotic" that in California- parts of it, anyway- that shoplifting has been decriminalized, human feces are in the streets with syringes, and roughly 50% of the small businesses- and a few large ones- are gone.
Is it really that bad now? If you live in California is this true?
While I do not live in California, I will take a stab at this. The answer is (unsurprisingly) 'it's complicated'.
California is more than just LA, SF, and the coastline. As a state, it's stuck in deep blue mode. Going by counties, though, the further you get from LA or SF, it starts to shift purple and even red. This is the reason why elections in Cali are set up with that weird 'only top two advance' -- ideally, to push a situation where the top two contenders are both Democrats.
But wait, the plot thickens!
There was a major push with outside money (coughSoroscoughBloomberg) to elect district attorneys with a strongly left political bent. This is why you have people like George Gascon and Chesa Boudin in those slots. They are absolutely dedicated progressives, as shown in their policy decisions.
The problem, though, is that those decisions are absolutely terrible. California passed a law (Proposition 47) that treats theft under $950 as a misdemeanor. While it's not decriminalized, misdemeanors are barely worth the time to issue the ticket, so chances are the cops won't even show. This has resulted in stores becoming 'hardened' against theft (merchandise in locked cases), restricting hours, or simply closing up.
Laws against other acts (such as public indecency, trespassing, defecation/urination on the street, etc) have also been either reduced or decriminalized entirely. The unwillingness to enforce property law against homeless squatters doesn't help either.