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Included in a package of retail-theft bills recently signed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom was a Senate bill aimed at deterring criminals who resell stolen goods.
Senate Bill 1416 was authored by Democrat Sen. Josh Newman and creates new sentencing enhancements until January 2030 for those convicted of selling, exchanging, or returning stolen property if the value of such items exceeds $50,000.
Sentence enhancements can increase based on the value of the stolen item. For example, if the stolen property is estimated at $50,000, the offender may face an additional one-year punishment prescribed by the court. For property values that exceed $3 million, up to four years may be added.
“SB 1416 will give law enforcement another important tool to effectively prosecute, as well as deter, those who would seek to coordinate and benefit from large-scale organized retail theft,” Newman said in a statement via legislative analyses.
In large urban areas, commercial burglary has become an increasing problem, particularly in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. Shoplifting in Los Angeles spiked up to 15 percent above pre-pandemic levels by late 2022, according to their data, with upward trends in Sacramento, San Mateo, and Riverside counties.
“Crime is on the rise,” said Matt Ross, a spokesperson for Californians Against Retail and Residential Theft.
The organization is made up of over 300 businesses in California focused on fighting crime that targets retailers and property owners.
Ross told The Epoch Times that the rise in crime was largely due to Proposition 47. The law, passed in 2014, said non-violent property crimes where the value of damaged or stolen goods did not exceed $950 would be misdemeanors rather than felonies, according to the Los Angeles Public Defender’s Office.
“What we’re wanting to see is that changed back so prosecutors have the option to charge some of these repeat offenders with felonies,” Ross said.
The anti-retail theft organization has taken a strong stance against Proposition 47 and openly supports this year’s initiative, Proposition 36, which would allow felony charges for certain drug and theft crimes, according to the California Legislative Analyst’s Office.
Ross said the upswing in crime in California boils down to failing to address the root causes that incentivize someone to commit theft. He pointed to retail theft offenders who struggle with addiction or mental health problems and said many of those individuals need a simple “diversion,” referring to mental health or drug treatments.
“Ultimately if you don’t change the potential punishments and that diversion component, you really can’t get to that root source,” said Ross.
Summer Lane is the bestselling author of 30 adventure books, including the hit "Collapse Series." She is a reporter and writer with years of experience in journalism and political analysis. Summer is a wife and mother and lives in the Central Valley of California.
