Overview

• California lawmakers propose the California Retail Theft Reduction Act to combat organized retail theft, including a provision to create a new crime for the intent to sell stolen property.
• The proposed legislation allows for up to three years in prison for those convicted under the new crime and aims to target organized crime rings of professional retail thieves.
• The bill permits police to arrest shoplifters based on witness testimony or security footage and allows for the aggregation of stolen merchandise values for grand theft charges.
• Online sellers would be required to maintain records proving legal acquisition of goods, and certain large retailers must report theft data to the state.
• The legislation does not alter Proposition 47, which raised the felony theft threshold to $950, but seeks to address the rise in retail theft and smash-and-grab incidents.