How big a problem is retail theft in California? Little Hoover Commission to find out

Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

LITTLE HOOVER COMMISSION TO STUDY RETAIL THEFT

At the request of the Legislature, the nonpartisan state oversight entity known as the Little Hoover Commission has agreed to study the issue of retail theft in the state of California.

The commission holds the second of three planned hearings on the topic Thursday morning. The first hearing was Nov. 16 and the third will be Jan. 25, 2024.

Among those scheduled to testify Thursday are Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper (a former lawmaker), who will provide a sheriff’s perspective on enforcing the law, and Sen. Roger Niello, R-Fair Oaks, who will discuss trying to curb retail theft through legislation.

Expect both Cooper, a Democrat, and Niello, a Republican, to contend that Proposition 47 (2014) was responsible for an increase in shoplifting in the state.

That initiative made shoplifting a misdemeanor, defining it as the theft of commercial goods valued at $950 or less.

Also advancing that theory is Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, R-Santee, who along with the rest of the Senate Republican Caucus, sent a letter to the commission urging it not to overlook that many retailers either under-report shoplifting or don’t report it at all.

“Given this underreporting, we are concerned that reliance on criminal statistics alone may result in an inaccurate reflection of the impact. We urge the commission to consider this and ensure that these unreported/underreported cases of theft are actually considered when estimating the impact,” the letter reads in part.

People who have studied Prop. 47 say that there is no correlation between its passage and retail theft in the state.

The Little Hoover Commission isn’t the only state body looking at retail theft. A select committee of Assembly lawmakers is scheduled to address it at a hearing next week.

HUMANE SOCIETY SCORES CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS

How well did California lawmakers do by their four-legged constituents?

The Humane Society Legislative Fund scored every state lawmaker by their votes on five different bills: AB 357, which updates California law regarding the use of non-animal testing methods; AB 1215, which would have awarded grants to homeless and domestic violence shelters for food and basic veterinary services (it was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom); AB 1399, which makes it easier to get telehealth appointments with a veterinarian; SB 669, which empowers vets to delegate certain disease and parasite control tasks to technicians; and AB 781, which requires counties to establish pet-friendly emergency shelters for people forced to leave their homes.

Most received a 100%, meaning they either authored or voted for all of the legislation in question.

On the Senate side, the only lawmakers not to receive a perfect score were Democratic Sens. Marie Alvarado-Gil (80%), Anna Caballero (40%), Melissa Hurtado (80%), Monique Limón (80%), Henry Stern (80%) and Catherine Blakespear (80%) and Republican Sens. Scott Wilk (80%), Kelly Seyarto (80%) and Brian Jones (80%).

On the Assembly side, lawmakers not getting 100% included Republican Assemblymembers Megan Dahle (80%), James Gallagher (60%), Joe Patterson (80%), Vince Fong (80%), Devon Mathis (80%), Tom Lackey (80%), Bill Essayli (80%) and Tri Ta (80%) and Democratic Assemblymembers Timothy Grayson (80%), Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (80%), Mia Bonta (80%), Eduardo Garcia (80%), Luz Rivas (80%), Lisa Calderon (80%), Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer (60%), Tina McKinnor (80%), Anthony Rendon (80%), Brian Maienschein (80%), Christopher Ward (80%) and David Alvarez (80%).

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Thanks to the leadership of our tribal partners and years of preparation, beavers are returning to their original homeland around the state. California is restoring wildlife and critical habitat by working hand-in-hand with the tribes who have stewarded these lands.”

- California Gov. Gavin Newsom, announcing the first release of beavers into the wild in nearly 75 years.

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