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<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/us-regions/west/california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">California Democrats</a> appear to be backtracking on some soft-on-crime policies, according to a number of new bills introduced in the state legislature seeking harsher penalties for retail theft.Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo, a Democrat from LA County and vice chair of the Legislative Progressive Caucus, introduced AB 1990, which would allow law enforcement to conduct arrests without a warrant for shoplifting. Officers would only need to have probable cause.The bill, known as the Secured Transactions and Organized Theft Prevention (STOP) Act, would also make any theft of merchandise or property under $950 a misdemeanor, sparking the anger of progressive lawmakers who believe tough-on-crime policies will lead to overcrowded prisons as they did in the 1990s. <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/california-dems-want-block-bill-would-recriminalize-loitering-prostitution-spirals-big-cities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CALIFORNIA DEMS WANT TO BLOCK BILL THAT WOULD RECRIMINALIZE LOITERING AS PROSTITUTION SPIRALS IN BIG CITIES</a><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/crime" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"Retail theft </a>continues to impact small and large businesses alike, our California economy and the safety and well-being of our communities," Carrillo said in a statement. "By enhancing coordination between law enforcement agencies, introducing tougher penalties for these crimes and increasing enforcement against suspected shoplifters, we are sending a clear message: We will not tolerate these acts that threaten our public safety and economic vitality."Carrillo's fellow progressive caucus member, Tina McKinnor, disagreed on social media, saying AB 1990 would be "bad for black and brown folks.""It authorizes an officer to make a warrantless arrest for shoplifting offenses not committed in the officer’s presence if the officer has probable cause to believe that person shoplifted," McKinnor wrote on X, formerly Twitter, last week. <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/state-makes-retail-theft-felony-organized-crime-proliferates" target="_blank" rel="noopener">STATE MAKES RETAIL THEFT A FELONY AS ORGANIZED CRIME PROLIFERATES</a>Some Republicans supported <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/politics/state-and-local/legislation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Carrillo's bill</a> and signed on as co-authors."Although there is a lot of work to be done, this is an important step to addressing this critical issue," Republican lawmaker Juan Alanis said. Assmeblymember Mike Gibson, also a Republican, backed Carrillo, saying shoplifting "is devastating small businesses in our state."<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/politics/elections/republicans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Republicans are</a> also leading a grassroots effort to repeal Proposition 47, a 2014 ballot measure that relaxed penalties for thefts below $950 in value and drug possession to reduce overcrowding in jails. Several Democrats, including San Francisco Mayor London Breed, have signed the petition to roll it back. <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/burglary-tourism-plagues-southern-california-unvetted-foreigners-raid-luxe-houses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">'BURGLARY TOURISM' PLAGUES SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AS UNVETTED FOREIGNERS RAID LUXE HOUSES</a><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/download" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP</a>Other bills making their way through the <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/us-regions/west/california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">California legislature</a> include SB 923, authored by Democratic Sen. Bob Archuleta, which would sentence shoplifters who have several prior convictions to up to three years in prison. It's part of the "Safer California Plan," a new public safety initiative spearheaded by Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, also a Democrat. The bill comes as blue cities are also embracing tough-on-crime policies. Lawmakers in San Francisco, Washington and New York all have introduced legislation to tackle certain crimes like carjacking and theft plaguing the cities. Last week, the Kansas legislature passed a bill that would classify <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/crime" target="_blank" rel="noopener">organized retail crime</a> a felony offense, joining nine other states that have passed similar laws in the last year. According to a Public Policy Institute report in February, researchers tracked a rise in shoplifting, especially in the Bay Area, and a larger rise in commercial burglary among urban counties in California between 2020 and 2022. Shoplifting rose statewide 29% from 2021 to 2022.

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published: 2024-04-03 20:55:37.000000000 Z
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 guid: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/california-dems-anger-progressive-push-harsher-penalties-shoplifters-amid-rising-crime
title: California Dems anger progressive left, push harsher penalties for shoplifters
 amid rising crime
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content: '<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/us-regions/west/california"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">California Democrats</a> appear to be backtracking
 on some soft-on-crime policies, according to a number of new bills introduced in
 the state legislature seeking harsher penalties for retail theft.Assemblymember
 Wendy Carrillo, a Democrat from LA County and vice chair of the Legislative Progressive
 Caucus, introduced AB 1990, which would allow law enforcement to conduct arrests
 without a warrant for shoplifting. Officers would only need to have probable cause.The
 bill, known as the Secured Transactions and Organized Theft Prevention (STOP) Act,
 would also make any theft of merchandise or property under $950 a misdemeanor,
 sparking the anger of progressive lawmakers who believe tough-on-crime policies
 will lead to overcrowded prisons as they did in the 1990s. <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/california-dems-want-block-bill-would-recriminalize-loitering-prostitution-spirals-big-cities"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">CALIFORNIA DEMS WANT TO BLOCK BILL THAT WOULD
 RECRIMINALIZE LOITERING AS PROSTITUTION SPIRALS IN BIG CITIES</a><a
 href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/crime" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"Retail
 theft </a>continues to impact small and large businesses alike, our California economy
 and the safety and well-being of our communities," Carrillo said in a statement.
 "By enhancing coordination between law enforcement agencies, introducing tougher
 penalties for these crimes and increasing enforcement against suspected shoplifters,
 we are sending a clear message: We will not tolerate these acts that threaten our
 public safety and economic vitality."Carrillo''s fellow progressive caucus
 member, Tina McKinnor, disagreed on social media, saying AB 1990 would be "bad for
 black and brown folks.""It authorizes an officer to make a warrantless arrest
 for shoplifting offenses not committed in the officer’s presence if the officer
 has probable cause to believe that person shoplifted," McKinnor wrote on X, formerly
 Twitter, last week. <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/state-makes-retail-theft-felony-organized-crime-proliferates"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">STATE MAKES RETAIL THEFT A FELONY AS ORGANIZED
 CRIME PROLIFERATES</a>Some Republicans supported <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/politics/state-and-local/legislation"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">Carrillo''s bill</a> and signed on as co-authors."Although
 there is a lot of work to be done, this is an important step to addressing this
 critical issue," Republican lawmaker Juan Alanis said. Assmeblymember Mike
 Gibson, also a Republican, backed Carrillo, saying shoplifting "is devastating small
 businesses in our state."<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/politics/elections/republicans"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">Republicans are</a> also leading a grassroots effort
 to repeal Proposition 47, a 2014 ballot measure that relaxed penalties for thefts
 below $950 in value and drug possession to reduce overcrowding in jails. Several
 Democrats, including San Francisco Mayor London Breed, have signed the petition
 to roll it back. <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/burglary-tourism-plagues-southern-california-unvetted-foreigners-raid-luxe-houses"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">''BURGLARY TOURISM'' PLAGUES SOUTHERN
 CALIFORNIA AS UNVETTED FOREIGNERS RAID LUXE HOUSES</a><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/download"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP</a>Other
 bills making their way through the <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/us-regions/west/california"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">California legislature</a> include SB 923, authored
 by Democratic Sen. Bob Archuleta, which would sentence shoplifters who have several
 prior convictions to up to three years in prison. It''s part of the "Safer California
 Plan," a new public safety initiative spearheaded by Senate President Pro Tem Mike
 McGuire, also a Democrat. The bill comes as blue cities are also embracing
 tough-on-crime policies. Lawmakers in San Francisco, Washington and New York all
 have introduced legislation to tackle certain crimes like carjacking and theft plaguing
 the cities. Last week, the Kansas legislature passed a bill that would classify
 <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/crime" target="_blank" rel="noopener">organized
 retail crime</a> a felony offense, joining nine other states that have passed
 similar laws in the last year. According to a Public Policy Institute report
 in February, researchers tracked a rise in shoplifting, especially in the Bay Area,
 and a larger rise in commercial burglary among urban counties in California between
 2020 and 2022. Shoplifting rose statewide 29% from 2021 to 2022. '
summary: California Democrats backpedal on progressive crime policies after the state
 experienced a significant uptick in shoplifting across the state.
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url: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/california-dems-anger-progressive-push-harsher-penalties-shoplifters-amid-rising-crime
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