News release
Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, joined Gov. Gavin Newsom for the signing of a package of bills tackling retail theft, according to a news release from Schiavo’s office.
Schiavo is a co-author of the California Retail Theft Reduction Act (Assembly Bill 2943), which was one of 10 bills signed by the governor this past week.
“This key legislation is a cornerstone of a pivotal bipartisan legislative package of bills aimed at curbing retail crime across California,” the release said.
AB 2943 specifically targets organized crime rings responsible for a growing wave of “smash and grab” retail thefts, the release said. The bill introduces strong penalties for professional thieves, implements measures to curb the online sale of stolen goods, and includes provisions for aggregating theft values — increasing multiple smaller thefts to the level of a felony to meet grand theft criteria for prosecution, the release said.
“As a principal co-author of AB 2943 and a member of the Select Committee on Retail Theft, we worked hard to incorporate the concerns and feedback from small businesses and our community to bring thoughtful solutions that give police more tools, reduce opportunity to sell stolen goods and address repeat offender loopholes in addition to continuing the proven successful work that prevents crime. Our community has spoken loudly about the impact of retail theft, and AB 2943 is a direct response to those concerns,” Schiavo said in the release. “This bill is a significant step forward in protecting our local businesses, ensuring public safety, and addressing the challenges posed by organized retail crime.”
Rachel Michelin, president of the California Retailers Association, attended the bill signing and had praise for the legislation, according to the release.
“This package is going to be instrumental in curbing organized retail theft in California. This package of bills came from retailers. I came to leadership, I said, ‘Here is what we need to help us curtail this happening in our stores.’ And they listened and we worked together … this has become a national model and I get calls from around the country about what we’re doing in California,” Michelin, said in the release. “Across the board this is the most comprehensive package of bills we have ever seen. And it addresses multiple issues that we have had concerns about.”
