Bill would stiffen retail theft penalties
State Senator Bob Archuleta, left, and DA Todd Spitzer, right, introduce Senate Bill 923 during a Friday press conference. (Photo by Vincent Medina)
NORWALK – State Senator Bob Archuleta, D - 30th Senate District, and Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer introduced California Senate Bill 923 to tackle the rising retail theft in the state at a press conference in Norwalk on Friday.
The bill aims to reimpose provisions of Penal Code 666.1, relating to serial theft, where a person convicted of petty theft or shoplifting after a third offense may face prison time in county jail for one to three years, depending on the severity of the crime.
Under the bill, a first and second offense are misdemeanors and a third offense would be charged as a felony, Archuleta explained.
“SB 923 will improve California’s ability to stop organized and professional groups of thieves that target California’s neighborhoods,” Archuleta said. “This bill will help end the current practice of repeat offenders being released without jail time.”
The state experienced a 5.9% increase in property crime in 2022 compared to 2021, with an 8.7% rise since 2020, according to statistics reported by the Public Policy Institute of California. Of reported property crimes in California in 2022, 64% were larceny thefts.
Supporters, including Spitzer, argue the current law is ineffective in addressing theft-related crimes. Spitzer also addressed concerns that longer prison time would overcrowd prisons in the state.
“Repeat offenders are not accidental criminals. They know they are breaking the law by stealing, and they do it anyway because current law makes the risk far less than the reward,” Spitzer said. “If this bill becomes law, it will be one year in county jail for a misdemeanor. If it’s charged as a felony and there’s a conviction and sentencing it will be up to three years in county jail.”
Caren Spilsbury, Executive Director of the Norwalk Chamber of Commerce, supported the bill and emphasized the challenges small businesses face due to frequent thefts.
“The other night, I saw a Bellflower business which has been broken into four times and he’s only been open for business for three months,” Spilsbury said. “When we got the word that this bill was going forward and Senator Archuleta was introducing it, our Gateway Chambers Alliance immediately took action and voted to support this bill.”