California Officials Cite ‘Concern and Outrage’ Over Retail Crime

Kate Nishimura
·4 min read
23

More than 100 elected officials from across California convened at the state Capitol on Tuesday to discuss surging retail theft.

At a press conference organized by the California Contract Cities Association (CCCA), which represents 80 cities, mayors and State Assembly members addressed retail crime’s impacts on their jurisdictions and spoke to the policy solutions needed to curb retail losses, prevent more store closures and ensure consumer and employee safety.

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Retail theft is on the rise in at least half the counties in the state, according to Dr. Julian Gold, Beverly Hills Mayor and CCCA president. “We’ve begun to see a broader impact regionally, not only in terms of revenue, but in terms of the feeling of public safety and the way that our residents and visitors feel about just going to the stores,” he said.

“After the Covid-19 pandemic, so many of our local businesses are just starting to get back on their feet, and with the rise of retail theft, businesses are now continually threatened by this other wave of economic hardship which is yet again limiting their ability to increase revenue and ultimately thrive,” John M. Erickson, West Hollywood Mayor Elect and CCCA legislative chair, added.

Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, who represents California’s 66th district including El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Torrance, Rancho Palos Verdes, San Pedro and Gardena, said retail theft has become a top priority for his office. The Del Amo Mall in Torrance was hit by two flash mobs in 2023, including one incident after Christmas when hundreds of minors flooded the shopping center and scuffled with law enforcement before fleeing. “We need to crack down on this so that people feel safe and shopping in their neighborhoods,” Muratsuchi said.

Muratsuchi has authored several bills aimed at restoring balance in a system that seems to be tilted toward offenders. AB 1708, which died in the Assembly Public Safety Committee last year, would have allowed suspects with two or more theft-related convictions to face felony charges. “I am committed to reintroducing a bill to specifically focus on the issue of repeat retail theft offenders” in 2024, he said.

Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur of the 51st district spanning Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Central L.A. and Hollywood, said his jurisdiction has been “particularly hard hit” by retail theft.

Zbur, who chairs the Select Committee on Retail Theft, said the group is planning to host a joint hearing with the Public Safety Committee in L.A. this year. “Since taking office more than a year ago, I’ve received countless calls expressing strong concern and outrage over the incidents that people are seeing across the state,” he added. “It is probably the one issue that equals and may even exceed concerns that our constituents are raising about the housing crisis that we’re facing.”

Today many business owners “fear for their livelihoods,” he said, and workers fear for their well-being while consumers worry it “may no longer be safe or convenient to visit their neighborhood stores.” Then there’s the retail exodus affecting some urban centers. “When the largest retailers abandon an area because of theft… it also impacts locally owned businesses,” he said. “When the anchor of a shopping center or a retail area [moves] away, they lose the foot traffic.”

The challenge moving forward will be holding suspects accountable “without unraveling more than a decade of work by criminal justice reform advocates.” Zbur believes policy reform is necessary to help law enforcement bring charges against repeat offenders, dismantle retail crime rings and shut down distribution channels for stolen goods.

Two bills introduced last week could help these efforts. Under AB 1772, introduced Jan. 3 by Assemblymember James C. Ramos of district 45, store thefts would no longer be processed as misdemeanor crimes with no jail time if a suspect has been convicted of two or more specified theft-related offenses, and with six months to three years in jail for convictions. AB 1787, introduced Jan. 4 by Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua of district 13 would define shoplifting as the act of entering a place of commerce during regular business hours to steal $950 or less in merchandise. Any other incident with intent to commit larceny would be defined as burglary, which often results in stiffer penalties.