Governor Newsom signs landmark legislative package cracking down on retail crime and property theft

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Aug 16, 2024

Governor Newsom signs landmark legislative package cracking down on retail crime and property theft

Stronger enforcement. Serious penalties. Real consequences.

What you need to know: Governor Newsom signed into law the most significant bipartisan legislation to crack down on property crime in modern California history. Building on the state's robust laws and record public safety funding, these bipartisan bills establish tough new penalties for repeat offenders, provide additional tools for felony prosecutions, and crack down on serial shoplifters, retail thieves, and auto burglars.

SACRAMENTO - Building on California's robust laws and strategies to reduce crime and protect communities, Governor Newsom today signed landmark legislation to further crack down on property and retail crime. The new laws provide tougher criminal penalties for repeat offenders and additional tools for felony prosecutions.

"Let's be clear, this is the most significant legislation to address property crime in modern California history. I thank the bipartisan group of lawmakers, our retail partners, and advocates for putting public safety over politics. While some try to take us back to ineffective and costly policies of the past, these new laws present a better way forward - making our communities safer and providing meaningful tools to help law enforcement arrest criminals and hold them accountable."

Governor Gavin Newsom

"A promise made is a promise kept - we're taking bipartisan action to make our communities safer and stronger," said Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire. "These ten critical bills will crack down on retail theft, blunt local crime, and help our downtowns thrive for decades to come. Thanks to the partnership of Governor Newsom, Speaker Rivas, and the tireless work of our Senate and Assembly colleagues, California communities are getting the laws they need and rightfully deserve."

"California's hard-working business owners asked for our help, and today we are delivering thoughtful, balanced new laws that will protect their livelihoods, workers and customers," said Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas. "To those who brazenly harass and shoplift from our stores: Accountability is here. I'm deeply proud of my colleagues for taking on this crucial public-safety issue, and I thank Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, the Governor, Pro Tem and Attorney General for their dedication and leadership. In California, we keep each other safe and get the job done."

"I am grateful to the Governor for signing this landmark legislative package and to Speaker Rivas for making retail theft a priority," said Select Committee on Retail Theft chair, Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur. "This legislation directly benefits Californians by addressing the urgent issue of retail crime, which impacts shoppers, business owners, and workers across our state. Many constituents have expressed concerns about local retailers closing, job losses, and safety. By working together with various stakeholders, we crafted a balanced solution that disrupts retail crime rings while maintaining crucial criminal justice reforms. This law is a significant step toward making our communities safer and stronger."

In January, Governor Newsom called on lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to enact robust laws to better assist law enforcement and prosecutors in safeguarding communities and holding criminals accountable. Today, Governor Newsom signed 10 new public safety laws to strengthen California's existing law enforcement tools and better protect Californians.

Why it matters:
The laws offer new tools to bolster ongoing efforts to hold criminals accountable for smash-and-grab robberies, property crime, retail theft, and auto burglaries. While California's crime rate remains near historic lows, these laws help California adapt to evolving criminal tactics to ensure perpetrators are effectively held accountable.

What these new laws do:
✅ Cracks down on the theft and sale of stolen items: Creates stricter penalties for individuals involved in retail and property theft, mandates sentencing enhancements for large-scale operations, and creates new crimes - imposing enhanced felony charges and extended prison sentences.

✅ Increases enforcement and prosecutions: Bolsters existing laws to ensure police can arrest retail theft suspects with probable cause - even if they didn't witness a crime in progress.

✅ Combines values to meet felony thresholds: Permits the aggregation of stolen goods, enabling prosecutors to combine the value of multiple stolen items - even across different victims and counties - to help meet the threshold for felony grand theft.

✅ Targets smash-and-grabs: Creates new penalties for criminals who damage businesses and property in the course of theft.

✅ Fights car break-ins and theft: Adds new and increased penalties for possession of items stolen from a vehicle with intent to resell, and allows prosecution of automotive property thefts, regardless of whether the vehicle was locked.

✅ Eliminates retail theft sunset provisions: Maintains important organized retail crime statutes and task forces to protect communities. The organized retail law, which has been effectively used by CHP and others in the Organized Retail Crime Task Force, would have expired on January 1, 2026.

California law provides existing robust tools for law enforcement and prosecutors to arrest and charge suspects involved in organized retail crime - including up to three years of jail time for organized retail theft. The state has the 10th toughest threshold nationally for prosecutors to charge suspects with a felony, $950. 40 other states - including Texas ($2,500), Alabama ($1,500), and Mississippi ($1,000) - require higher dollar amounts for suspects to be charged with a felony.

Today's signing includes the enactment of following measures that will help strengthen California's existing laws:
• AB 1779 by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin - Theft: jurisdiction
• AB 1802 by Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer -Crimes: organized theft
• AB 1972 by Assemblymember Juan Alanis - Regional property crimes task force
• AB 2943 by Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas - Crimes: shoplifting
• AB 3209 by Assemblymember Marc Berman - Crimes: theft: retail theft restraining orders
• SB 905 by Senator Scott Wiener - Crimes: theft from a vehicle
• SB 982 by Senator Aisha Wahab - Crimes: organized theft
• SB 1144 by Senator Nancy Skinner - Marketplaces: online marketplaces
• SB 1242 by Senator Dave Min - Crimes: fires
• SB 1416 by Senator Josh Newman - Sentencing enhancements: sale, exchange, or return of stolen property
• While not included in today's announcement, Governor Newsom is also expected to soon sign AB 1960 by Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas.

Local support to fight organized retail crime
Governor Newsom has invested $1.1 billion since 2019 to fight crime, help local governments hire more police, and improve public safety. Today's action builds on the Governor's Real Public Safety Plan - which focuses on strengthening local law enforcement response, ensuring perpetrators are held accountable, and getting guns and drugs off our streets, including by deployment of California Highway Patrol to hot spots including Oakland, Bakersfield, and San Francisco.

As part of the state's largest-ever investment to combat organized retail crime, Governor Newsom announced last year the state distributed $267 million to 55 communities to help local communities combat organized retail crime. These funds have enabled cities and counties to hire more police, make more arrests, and secure more felony charges against suspects.

Statewide efforts targeting retail theft and organized crime
Last year, the California Highway Patrol reported an annual 310% increase in proactive operations targeting organized retail crime, and special operations across the state to fight crime and improve public safety. And since January 2024, CHP's Organized Retail Crime Task Force is on track to surpass the work in 2023, making 884 arrests and recovering more than a quarter of a million stolen goods valued at over $7.2 million.

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