While new legislation to disrupt sales of stolen merchandise online, SB 301, was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last month, concerns persist about the best solution to address repeat theft.
SB 301, sponsored by state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, mirrors a bill in Congress that will bring more transparency to online retail sales, Rachel Michelin, president and CEO of the California Retailers Association (CRA), told the Northern California Record.
“The marketplaces don't stop at the California border, so we're hopeful that this will also encourage California’s Congressional delegation to support this bipartisan bill and try to get this through at the federal level,” Michelin said.
That SB 301 passed in Sacramento with bipartisan support and zero No votes could indicate a similar reception in Congress, Michelin said.
“It’s a strong argument for why we need our California Congressional delegation to work collaboratively and across party lines to really encourage their colleagues in Washington to pass federal solutions to this,” Michelin said. “Because while we can do it here, it’s not really going to be effective until every state is following the same set of rules.”
Although SB 301 passed, Michelin noted that a different bill, AB 2390, from Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, to further CRA’s core philosophy of protecting employees, customers, and neighborhoods didn’t get passed. Even with funding allocated in the state budget.
Despite overwhelming support from the business community and the state’s largest law enforcement organization, Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC), the legislation was not advanced by the Assembly Public Safety Committee.
“They didn't share that same vision to find solutions, particularly to the repeat offenders that we see going into stores and constantly stealing over and over again,” Michelin said. “We tried to bring back the aggregation piece up to $950, combined with diversion programs and job training, and we couldn't get it out of the Public Safety Committee.
“And I think that until members of the Public Safety Committee and the Assembly are willing to have conversations to really look at all different options, to deter people from stealing in stores, we're really not going to see huge changes when it comes to retail theft in California.”
The growing frustration extends to members of the public who continue to see crime increase.
“The reality is there needs to be a consequence for the behavior,” Michelin said. “And when the Legislature, particularly the Assembly, is not willing to have these conversations, we're not going to find the solutions that are going to provide meaningful changes to what we see in our communities when it comes to retail theft.”