Crime in the nation's most populous state declined for the fourth year in a row - to levels that haven't been seen in 30 years, the attorney general said.
California Attorney General Dan Lungren released figures Monday that showed that violent crime dropped 7.9 percent last year.Six overall categories of crime - including homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and vehicle theft - decreased 6.9 percent.
"I would just suggest that every one of us has a neighbor, a work colleague, a friend, a loved one or a family member who is not a victim of crime due to the fact that we've had nearly 800,000 less crimes committed in California in the last four years," Lungren said.
Homicide dropped 13.3 percent; rape dropped 2.2 percent; robbery dropped 15 percent; aggravated assault dropped 4.2 percent, burglary dropped 5.8 percent and vehicle theft dropped 7.3 percent.
California's violent crime rate fell a total 26.2 percent in the past four years, with nearly a 30 percent decrease in all categories.
Lungren attributed the decline to passage of the state's "three strikes" law in 1994, mandating 25 years to life for those convicted of a third violent felony.