Thieves snatch Schiff ’s luggage from car
Hello to the city, goodbye to your luggage. That was U.S. Senate candidate Adam Schiff’s rude introduction to San Francisco’s vexing reputation for car burglaries Thursday when thieves swiped the bags from his car while it sat in a downtown parking garage.
The heist meant the Democratic congressman got stuck at a fancy dinner party in his shirt sleeves and a hiking vest while everyone else sat in suits. It wasn’t quite the look the man from Burbank was aiming for as he rose to thank powerhouse attorney Joe Cotchett for his support in his bid to replace the late Dianne Feinstein.
“I guess it’s ‘Welcome to San Francisco,’ ” Cotchett’s press agent Lee Houskeeper, who was at the dinner, remarked dryly.
Schiff ’s car had been parked in the garage while he visited the area for a couple of days of appearances, which included a jaunt south to Burlingame for the dinner at Ristorante Rocca.
Cotchett said Schiff was unruffled by the kerfuffle and carried on as though everything was fine.
“Adam really showed himself tonight,” Cotchett said. “He’ll be a great senator — he’s going to change the Senate tremendously.”
The congressman told the Chronicle he didn’t want to dwell on his nasty turn of luck.
“Yes, they took my bags,” he said calmly. “But I’m here to thank Joe.”
Schiff is well familiar with the city: He went to high school in Danville and rolled through the Bay Area many times as an
increasingly key member of the California congressional delegation for 23 years. But falling victim to thieves isn’t in the
usual frame of reference for accomplished politicians.
Car burglaries in the city have gained a national reputation as a scourge in recent years, and though they apparently are declining, the image is tough to shake. Crime statistics this week showed larceny — the type of theft that includes auto burglaries — plunged by 35% in the first quarter of 2024.
The congressman told Houskeeper he’d been warned to not leave anything in the car, but apparently he was in a hurry and didn’t want to be late, the press agent said.
“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 cracked. “Willie knows them all.” The former mayor is known for his fine taste in suits.