State, local officials prepare to launch California's new tough-on-crime laws
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California is cracking down on retail theft, but implementing the legal changes enacted by voters and the legislature will fall to local governments.
Why it matters: The post-pandemic crime surge may be receding, but voters signaled a rightward shift on public safety, walking back a decade-old criminal justice reform and voting two progressive prosecutors out of office.
Driving the news: Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas held a roundtable with San Diego officials Friday to sort through issues implementing the legislature's retail theft package and Proposition 36, the ballot measure that increased penalties for some theft and drug crimes.
- Mayor Todd Gloria, San Diego assembly representatives, the current and incoming city attorney, the San Diego police chief and local retail associations attended the meeting.
State of play: The legislative package includes laws that allow prosecutors to add up the amounts of different thefts to reach the standard for felony grand theft and creates a new charge targeting organized crime rings.
- "You saw the toughest laws passed on retail theft in a generation," Rivas said during a press conference. "We are listening. We understand this is a concern."
Friction point: Mayor Todd Gloria acknowledged that turning the state's new policy direction into a deterrence on the street relies on police officers who are willing and able to arrest people, jails that have enough space, prosecutors who will file charges against them and judges and juries willing to convict — none of which have always been assured.
- "This is a continuum, a complex situation with multiple actors," Gloria said. "My responsibility is that we have a police department that is funded to do its job, and beat officers that know that expectation."
- "The tone starts at the top. I am a mayor who expects police officers to arrest criminals when we find them."
What he's saying: "We have to adjust our posture. I expect and anticipate the city attorney is doing that, the DA's office is doing that, the superior court is doing that," Gloria said.
- "I think it is incumbent on other relevant actors in the space to explain how they're going to adjust their tempo. This is not cost free."
Follow the money: Rivas said the new approach will introduce budget problems at the state and local levels, as officials ensure resources are available to implement the new laws.
What's next: "That's something I'm sure we will learn more about when the governor releases his budget in January," Rivas said.