CA Dem Regrets Supporting Liberal Crime Bill Amid Retail Theft ‘Epidemic’
Citing an “Epidemic” of Retail Theft: Supervisor Regrets Backing Liberal Crime Bill
In a recent post on X, San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa expressed deep disappointment with current strategies in California for dealing with an explosion of retail theft, which he called an “absolute outrage.” Canepa admitted that he made a “big mistake” in supporting the liberal crime bill Prop. 47 a decade ago, which drastically reduced penalties for stealing goods valued at less than $950.
“Whatever we’re doing now to combat the epidemic of organized retail theft is not working,” Mr. Canepa said in the post. “$30 billion lost to national retail theft is an absolute outrage! The fear of organized retail theft is driving people away from our beloved shopping centers.”
According to the latest data from the National Retail Federation (NRF), retail theft and other inventory loss—known as shrink—rose to $94.5 billion in 2021 from $90.8 billion in 2020. The biggest part of the losses (37 percent) came from external theft, according to the NRF report, which amounts to roughly $35 billion.
“Violence is an increasingly important concern among retailers,” including shootings and assault, the report reads. “As has been detailed throughout this report, external theft and [organized retail crime] in particular, is a significant and growing area of concern for retailers.”
Mr. Canepa plans to introduce legislation to form a task force in San Mateo County, comprised of law enforcement and business community members, which would come up with new strategies and sentencing guidelines “to combat these organized theft rings to enhance public safety and protect the economy.”
In an interview with CBS, Canepa expressed regret for backing Prop. 47, which downgraded certain thefts and drug offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. He originally supported the measure as an opportunity to give people serving long sentences for retail theft a second chance.
“I thought it was a good idea then because we need to give people an opportunity, we need to give people a chance,” Mr. Canepa told CBS.
However, with the explosion of retail theft in California and elsewhere, Canepa now acknowledges that he was wrong to back the measure.
“I made a mistake, it was a big mistake, and you have to acknowledge your mistake. By doing this, what we’ve done is we’re letting people take thousands and thousands of dollars. And why should people be subjugated?” Mr. Canepa said.
“We can’t go on like this,” he added.
Canepa warned that criminal mobs have taken advantage of Prop. 47, knowing that if they get arrested, they can simply walk out of jail the next day and only face misdemeanor charges. He urged lawmakers to reevaluate the classification of what constitutes a felony to prevent the near extinction of retailers like Nordstrom, which closed its flagship store in downtown San Francisco due to “unsafe conditions for customers, retailers, and employees.”
Efforts to bolster law enforcement, including by re-establishing minimum police staffing levels, are being proposed to counteract some of the harm done by the post-George Floyd push to “defund” the police. However, current police staffing shortages and the negative perception of policing in San Francisco pose significant challenges.
It is clear that immediate action is needed to address the epidemic of retail theft and protect the economy while ensuring public safety.
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