OAN -- On Friday, during a panel discussion on “Real Time with Bill Maher,” Schiff (D-Calif.) was asked to comment on the current health of the Democratic Party and how it governs, particularly in states such as California.

“So we’re gonna have to change how we do business in California,” Schiff told Bill Maher. “We’re gonna have to address people’s legitimate concerns about crime.”

Schiff then recalled an incident two years ago in San Francisco when his suitcase was stolen from his car, admitting that it was the only occasion he ignored recommendations from others not to leave valuables in automobiles while in the city.

“And what was most memorable about the experience for me is I went to this Target in South San Francisco, 10 o’clock at night, and I’m getting the toiletries I’m gonna need for my next two days in the city,” Schiff said. “First of all, I had to get the clerk, which is hard to find, to unlock the shampoo or whatever. So that’s one thing.”

“And then I get to the cashier. The cashier asked me if I want one of those Target bags with a little bullseye on it. And I said, ‘Yes, that Target bag is gonna be my luggage for the next two days,” Schiff continued. “And she asked me what happened, and I told her, and she basically said in not so many words, ’Yeah, Democrats are assholes.’ And I thought, you know, if the cashier in South San Francisco at 10 o’clock at night believes that Democrats are assholes because the shampoo was locked up and my stuff got stolen out of the trunk, we’ve got a major problem that we have to address.”

“That’s an awesome story,” Maher reacted. “That says a lot. I hope all the Democrats listen to that story.”

Schiff expressed optimism about San Francisco’s incoming Democratic mayor, Daniel Lurie, who he thinks is “helping lead the way in how we kind of reinvent how Democrats are doing governance.” 

During the panel, Schiff also confronted concerns that the entertainment industry is fleeing California.

Photo: Reuters