For years, some Central Valley residents have been terrorized by a transnational crime network with threats of violence and extortion. But for those outside the Indian and Punjabi Sikh communities, this campaign of fear has remained largely invisible, writes Gagandeep Singh for CalMatters.
In May 2024 the FBI Sacramento field office began urging members of Central Valley’s Indian community to report gang-related shakedowns. California is home to over 250,000 Sikhs, the most of any state, and many of them keep strong ties to India.
The shakedowns often involve gang members connected with criminal networks in the Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, New Delhi and Rajasthan. They contact a victim — usually someone who is well-off or has a lot of assets, such as a real estate developer or a local businessman — and demand money. If the victim refuses, the gangs threaten or carry out attacks against their relatives, families or businesses in the U.S. or in India.
The gangs typically start by demanding between $4,000 and $7,000 — an amount low enough to discourage victims from calling the police, according to San Joaquin’s county sheriff. But if victims end up paying, gangs will contact them again a few months later demanding more money.
A lot of this criminal activity stems from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, considered India’s most wanted criminal organization by the FBI. At least two homicides from 2025 in Stockton and Fresno are linked to the Bishnoi gang. Sacramento County police have also linked 20 shootings in the past four years to Bishnoi and a rival gang.
The sheriff’s offices in Fresno and San Joaquin counties say it is likely that these gang crimes are underreported. That comes as no surprise to Naindeep Singh, the executive director of the Jakara Movement, a Sikh advocacy group.
- Singh: Community members “choose to remain silent because of a fear of reprisal to them, their body, their business and to their loved ones in the United States or India.”
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Other Stories You Should Know
Woman alleges 2018 sexual assault by Swalwell
Another woman has come forward to accuse U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell of sexual assault, reports CalMatters’ Jeanne Kuang.
On Tuesday at her lawyers’ office in Beverly Hills, Lonna Drewes told reporters that the Bay Area Democrat drugged and raped her in 2018. Drewes said she met Swalwell a total of three times that year, and that the third time, when the alleged assault took place, was the last time she saw him.
At the press conference, one of Drewes’ attorneys also said that she would be filing a complaint with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office, which will include text messages, journal entries and information about people whom she confided with about the alleged assault.
An attorney for Swalwell released a statement saying he “categorically and unequivocally denies each and every allegation of sexual misconduct and assault that has been leveled against him.”
Drewes’ account follows reports last week from CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle that accused Swalwell of engaging in sexual misconduct with at least four women, including the alleged rape of a former staffer. Swalwell was one of the leading Democratic candidates for California governor, until he dropped out of the race on Sunday.
Swalwell also said he plans to resign from Congress. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday declared a special election set for Aug. 18 to fill Swalwell’s vacant seat in the House.
Cities gird themselves for new housing law
California passed a law last year that would make it easier to build apartment complexes near transit stations. Though Senate Bill 79 kicks in July 1, some cities are taking steps to prolong the rollout while mulling over their options as they work to meet the state’s housing requirements.
As CalMatters’ Ben Christopher explains, local officials in L.A. are making use of a provision in the law that lets certain transit-adjacent areas hold off on changing their zoning rules to comply until 2030. The temporary delay is also applicable to many lower income neighborhoods in L.A.; areas that are at risk of wildfire or flooding; and historic preservation sites.
But not every city is following L.A.’s lead. Sacramento, for example, will consider tweaking some of its rules related to how it accepts development applications under the new law. But on the whole, the city is accepting SB 79 as-is, and keeping the state-set zoning rules intact.
And lastly: CalPERS gives up
On Tuesday CalPERS ended its attempt to get back hundreds of thousands of dollars from four pensioners who it claimed violated rules related to working after retirement. CalPERS began looking into the retirees in 2018, and determined they had illegally received pension income. One pensioner received an overpayment letter of nearly $850,000. Read more from CalMatters’ Adam Ashton.
California Voices
CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: A spate of recent reports on California’s failures in public education, job growth and affordable housing, highlights just a few of the state’s many issues that the next governor must address.
Under threats from the Trump administration to cut federal funding to hospitals serving transgender minors, California needs funding structures and a network of gender-affirming providers to keep care accessible for LGBTQ patients, writes Pamuela Halliwell, director of behavioral health services at the San Diego LGBT Community Center.
Other things worth your time:
Former Rep. Steel picked as Trump’s ambassador to South Korea // The Orange County Register
What are the ‘housing killer’ bills in CA? Here’s what home builders say // The Sacramento Bee
Meet the State Superintendent candidates: Al Muratsuchi, Assemblymember, college teacher // EdSource
CA fabricators face possible artificial stone ban as silicosis cases mount // KQED
Fewer teens are applying for CA’s nonbinary driver’s licenses // The San Francisco Standard
LAUSD strike averted; schools open Tuesday as unions reach tentative deals with raises // Los Angeles Times
Three San Diego warships are helping enforce US blockade in Strait of Hormuz // The San Diego Union-Tribune
