California Lawmakers Say Reducing Penalties Only Worsens Organized Retail Crime

Democrat and Republican congressmen from California said the 10-year-old Proposition 47 is making it easier for rings of shoplifters to operate with impunity.
California Lawmakers Say Reducing Penalties Only Worsens Organized Retail Crime
Products are displayed in locked security cabinets at a Walgreens store that is set to be closed in the coming weeks in San Francisco on Oct. 13, 2021. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Austin Alonzo
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Two California lawmakers from both sides of the aisle agree that the state’s Proposition 47 is hurting more than it is helping. The measure was designed to reduce the state’s prison population and divert resources used on incarceration toward schools and social programs.

On July 9, Reps. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.) and Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) appeared in an online event hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on the problem of rising organized retail theft in the country. They both said California’s Proposition 47 is creating more problems in the Golden State than it is solving.

Austin Alonzo
Austin Alonzo
Reporter
Austin Alonzo covers U.S. political and national news for The Epoch Times. He has covered local, business and agricultural news in Kansas City, Missouri, since 2012. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri. You can reach Austin via email at [email protected]
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