New California Laws Seek To Stem Robberies, Car Thefts, And Shoplifting

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bipartisan package of 10 bills that aim to crack down on smash-and-grab robberies and property crimes, making it easier to go after repeat shoplifters and auto thieves while increasing penalties for those running professional reselling schemes, Tran Nguyen reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Such crimes, often captured on video and posted on social media, have brought particular attention to the problem of retail theft in the state.

The move comes as Democratic leadership works to prove that they’re tough enough on crime while trying to convince voters to reject a ballot measure that would bring even harsher sentences for repeat offenders of shoplifting and drug charges.

While shoplifting has been a growing problem, large-scale smash-and-grab thefts, in which groups of individuals brazenly rush into stores and take goods in plain sight, have become a crisis in California and elsewhere in recent years.

Such crimes, often captured on video and posted on social media, have brought particular attention to the problem of retail theft in the state.

The legislation includes the most significant changes to address retail theft in years, the Democratic governor said.

It allows law enforcement to combine the value of goods stolen from different victims to impose harsher penalties and to arrest people for shoplifting using video footage or witness statements.

“This goes to the heart of the issue, and it does it in a thoughtful and judicious way,” Newsom said of the package.

“This is the real deal.” The package received bipartisan support from the Legislature, though some progressive Democrats did not vote for it, citing concerns that some of the measures are too punitive.