Gov. Gavin Newsom called for new legislation on Jan. 9 to expand criminal penalties and to bolster police and prosecutors’ ability to combat professional criminals who profit from smash and grab robberies, retail thefts and car burglaries.

The governor’s legislative framework calls for the creation of new laws and expanding criminal penalties to crack down on professional thieves who profit from stealing goods for resale. The legislation would bolster law enforcement’s ability to arrest suspects, creating a new crime addressing organized auto burglary committed to resell stolen property. It would also eliminate the sunset provision for the organized retail crime statute, and explore increased penalties for high-volume resellers of stolen goods.

“Building on California’s existing laws and record public safety investments, I’m calling for new legislation to expand criminal penalties for those profiting on retail theft and auto burglaries,” Newsom said. “These laws will make California safer and bolster police and prosecutor tools to arrest and hold professional criminals accountable.”

The proposal includes creating new penalties for criminals engaged in retail theft for the specific purpose of reselling goods, increasing felony penalties and prison sentences. The governor also wants to increase enforcement tools, strengthening existing law to ensure police can arrest retail theft suspects even if they did not witness a crime in progress.

“I applaud Gov. Newsom for prioritizing the fight against retail theft with his release of a strong legislative package,” said Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-West Hollywood), chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Retail Theft. “I am confident that together, we will meet this moment with new approaches that are effective and protect our neighborhoods and hold professional criminals and repeat offenders accountable.”

For information, visit ca.gov.ca.