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By Bransen P. Harper
August 4, 2024 (Sacramento)--Several weeks ago, the California State Assembly voted for a new bill that aims at making the streets a little bit safer for everyone. Assembly Bill 1990 would give police officers greater power in making arrests to prevent shoplifting of property that exceeds $950.
This bill would authorize a peace officer to make a warrantless arrest for a misdemeanor shoplifting offense not committed in the officers presence, if the officer has probable cause to believe the crime occurred, per Digital Democracy CA Matters.
Authored by Wendy Carrillo, a Democrat from District 52 in Los Angeles, AB 1990 is remarkable in the fact that there was only one legislator who voted “no” --Assemblymember Ash Kalra -- while nearly half of the 80 members in the state Assembly including a majority of Democrats - did not vote.
Carrillo authored the bill with five Democratic and two Republican coauthors. She states that it is “in response to the alarming escalation of organized retail theft” which has since become a hot-button political issue. Progressive Democrats, fearing that the higher incarceration rates for minor offenses would disproportionately impact people-of-color, chose to at first rally against the bill. Assemblymember Tina McKinnor stated, “Let’s be clear: AB 1990 will not stop retail theft.” He contended that the bill “would increase the unnecessary harassment, detention, arrest and mass incarceration of Black and brown Californians.” McKinnor did not respond to comment on why she ultimately did not vote on the bill, the Sacramento Observor reported.
Concerns have been raised within the last few years due to a recent spike in crime and shoplifting that has occurred throughout the state of California, primarily after the tumultuous years of the BLM riots and early onset of COVID. Many locals have since been displeased with recent actions of the state government and have called on more diligent efforts to curb the recent crime wave, which has had a 6.1% increase in reported violent crimes and 6.2% increase in property crime from 2021 to 2024, Safe and Sound Security.
One San Diego resident, Dolores Ortiz Velasquez (photo, right), told ECM that she has felt more unsafe than ever before. “There has been a feeling of uncertainty which I have never felt before. Nowadays, I feel like I have to watch my back wherever I go,” she stated. Velasquez has lived in San Diego County for decades, suggesting that this is the first time that she feels unsafe since she has since moved here.
Shoplifting has been on the rise since a change in state law made it no longer a felony to steal merchandise worth less than $1,000. In cities such as El Cajon, rising homelessness and drug addiction have also contributed to an increase in theft, often with suspects picked up for misdemeanor shoplifting released shortly after their arrests.
Recent societal trends in the last several years have had unintended consequences, such as an increase in crime in some major cities, and other issues such as an unmitigated homeless epidemic have all contributed to the desperation that many residents share.
The Mayor of El Cajon, Bill Wells, told ECM via email after being sent a copy of the legislation, “I’m not too familiar with the bill. But, we need to do something about all the crime and shoplifting that has been occurring.”
Currently, Assembly Bill 1990 has passed the full Assembly and is heading to a Senate committee for review.
Resources:
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billSearchClient.xhtml
https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/bills/ca_202320240ab1990#
https://sacobserver.com/2024/05/california-shoplifting-bill-vote/
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