Newsom Signs Bill to Increase Penalties for ‘Smash-and-Grab’ Retail Thefts

Sentencing enhancements from one to four years will be imposed on thieves who steal or damage at least $50,000 worth of property.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a package of 10 retail theft bills at a Home Depot in San Jose, Calif., on Aug. 16, 2024. Travis Gillmore/The Epoch Times

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill on Sept. 12 that will increase sentencing guidelines for those convicted of stealing or damaging property with high values.

Assembly Bill 1960—introduced by Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas to strengthen penalties for organized retail theft and large-scale felonious acts—instructs courts, until Jan. 1, 2030, to impose longer sentences on a tiered system, with those responsible for stealing or damaging $50,000, $200,000, $1 million, or $3 million worth of property facing additional prison terms of one, two, three, or four years, respectively.