California May Restrict Self-Checkouts to Reduce Shoplifting | Juan Alanis

Key Takeaways

• 0:00 California May Restrict Self-Checkouts to Curb Shoplifting
• 2:11 Why It’s Hard for Lawmakers to Combat Shoplifting
• 4:14 Bipartisan Efforts from CA Lawmakers to Stop Shoplifting
• 6:52 What We Can Do as Californians to Help Stop Shoplifting

California State Assemblyman Juan Alanis sat down with us to discuss the challenging issue of retail theft in the state. As Mr. Alanis explains, shoplifting has become a major problem impacting both businesses and communities across California.

One factor Mr. Alanis cited is the rise of self-checkout in grocery stores. While meant to streamline the shopping process, some opportunistic individuals have used self-checkout to shoplift items without supervision. As a result, many stores now station employees at self-checkout to deter theft, though this adds costs.

A more significant driver of the problem, according to Mr. Alanis, has been Proposition 47 which raised the felony theft threshold in 2014. This shifted responsibility for dealing with misdemeanor theft from law enforcement to businesses. It also removed deterrents for repeat offenders. While well-intentioned, the impacts of Prop 47 have been detrimental for many retailers. Mr. Alanis acknowledges the difficulty of obtaining accurate shoplifting data from businesses concerned about security and shareholders. However, both small and large retailers want to curb theft which burdens their operations and ability to serve customers safely.

To combat these challenges, Mr. Alanis is working on bipartisan legislation with Democratic and Republican colleagues. The proposed reforms aim to provide alternative tools to law enforcement and support aggregation of theft reports across multiple stores. Mr. Alanis is also encouraging public support and witness involvement to aid prosecution of shoplifters.

Retail theft is a complex issue with no single solution. But through open discussion of different perspectives and collaborative bipartisan efforts, our leaders aim to balance business needs, public safety, and fairness under the law. With cooperation across sectors, hopefully progress can be made to strengthen our communities and local economies.

*Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of California Insider.