In California, a significant legislative effort is underway to address the surge in retail theft without amending Proposition 47. Sheriff Chad Bianco supports a ballot initiative to reform the proposition, aiming to facilitate the prosecution of repeated retail thefts and major drug crimes as felonies. Concurrently, Attorney General Rob Bonta and state lawmakers have introduced a series of bills focused on cracking down on organized retail theft, explicitly choosing not to reform Proposition 47. Governor Newsom has previously stated his belief that amending Proposition 47 is unnecessary for tackling the issue. The proposed bills, which have passed the Assembly Public Safety committee, seek to toughen penalties and streamline the process for law enforcement to arrest and charge theft suspects. These legislative moves come in response to an 81% increase in reported shoplifting incidents in Los Angeles from 2022 to 2023, highlighting the urgency of the situation.
Can California curb retail theft without changing Prop. 47? Assembly Democrats unveil their plan https://t.co/JtnNtqJZux
The bills, which passed the Assembly Public Safety committee, include provisions to toughen penalties and make it easier for law enforcement to arrest and charge theft suspects. https://t.co/O12rTlRTlP
California Dems propose ways to increase shoplifting arrests, prosecutions Notably, both bills are from Democrats representing Los Angeles, which witnessed an 81% increase in reported shoplifting in 2023 compared to 2022. Read more ⬇️ https://t.co/kruRioRo6P
California Assembly Bills Seek to Curb Retail Theft, Maintain Proposition 47 https://t.co/HPa1X11T2d
Attorney General @RobBonta and CA lawmakers are announcing a series of bills to crackdown on organized retail theft. None of the bills would reform Prop 47. Governor Newsom said back in January that he doesn’t believe Prop 47 needs to be amended in order to address the issue. https://t.co/1u24ZHaF32
.@RSO Sheriff Chad Bianco is backing a ballot initiative that would reform CA' s Prop. 47. "Everyone knows this is a mess!" The proposal would make it easier to prosecute repeated retail thefts as felonies & major drug crimes as felonies. Read it: https://t.co/54eQf9Q9a7 https://t.co/N3A1rHBBg5