- LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
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Governor calls for legislation cracking down on property crime
The governor’s legislative framework calls for the creation of new laws and expanding criminal penalties to crack down on professional thieves — those who profit from stealing goods for resale — bolstering law enforcement’s ability to arrest suspects, creating a new crime addressing organized auto burglary committed to resell stolen property, eliminating the sunset provision for the organized retail crime statute, and exploring increased penalties for high-volume resellers of stolen goods.
“Building on California’s existing laws and record public safety investments, I’m calling for new legislation to expand criminal penalties for those profiting on retail theft and auto burglaries. These laws will make California safer and bolster police and prosecutor tools to arrest and hold professional criminals accountable,” Newsom said.
Proposals within the framework include:
1) CRACKING DOWN ON PROFESSIONAL THIEVES: Creates new penalties targeting those engaged in retail theft to resell, and those that resell the stolen property — increasing felony penalties and prison time.
2) INCREASING ENFORCEMENT TOOLS: Bolsters existing law to ensure police can arrest suspects of retail theft, even if they didn't witness a crime in progress.
3) AGGREGATING THEFT AMOUNTS: Clarifies that the penal code allows law enforcement to combine the value of multiple thefts — even across different victims — to reach the threshold for grand theft.
4) FIGHTING AUTO BURGLARY: Creates new penalties for professional auto burglary, increasing penalties for the possession of items stolen from a vehicle with intent to resell, regardless of whether the vehicle was locked.
5) ELIMINATING ORC SUNSET PROVISION: Eliminates the sunset date for the organized retail crime statute. The law, which has been effectively used by CHP and others in the Organized Retail Crime Task Force, is set to expire on January 1, 2026.
6) INCREASING PENALTIES FOR RESELLERS: Explores strengthening the law to increase penalties for large-scale resellers of stolen goods.
The Tuesday announcement 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.
In 2023, the governor announced the largest-ever investment to combat organized retail crime in California history, an annual 310% increase in proactive operations targeting organized retail crime, and special operations across the state to fight crime and improve public safety.
Since 2019, the state has invested $1.1 billion to fight crime and improve public safety.
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 lowest threshold nationally for prosecutors to charge suspects with a felony, $950. Forty 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.
“California is safer when law enforcement and prosecutors have more tools to arrest suspects and hold them accountable. This framework will close loopholes criminals have exploited and increase felony penalties for smash and grabs, retail theft, and auto burglaries. I look forward to working with the governor and the Legislature to get this done,” said President of the California State Sheriffs’ Association Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux.
“Organized retail theft is a serious crime that not only costs businesses, retailers, and consumers, but puts workers and the public at risk,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta. “The California Department of Justice is committed to tackling these crimes head-on. We appreciate the Governor's leadership, and will continue working with his office and our legislative partners to eradicate organized retail crime.”
“While we must always create pathways for restorative justice and redemption, we must also hold people accountable as they violate the rights of others. With the epidemic of retail theft and robberies in our communities, we must provide prosecutors the necessary tools to address a plague of lawlessness that is threatening our very way of life,” said Senate Public Safety Chair Senator Aisha Wahab.