Governor Newsom signs bill to reinstate tougher penalties for robbery in California

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday signed a bill that restores tough criminal penalties for those involved in the grand theft schemes and burglary sprees that continue to vex voters across the state.

Under the new law, prosecutors will be required to impose tougher penalties on anyone who damages or destroys property worth more than $50,000 while committing a felony.

A similar law expired in 2018, but the new law is set to expire in 2030.

“California already has some of the toughest retail and property crime laws in the nation, and recent legislation makes them even tougher,” Governor Newsom said in a statement. “We can get tough on crime, but we can get smart about it. There's no need to go back to the broken policies of the last century.”

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Newsom's decision to reinstate tougher penalties comes as Democratic lawmakers try to convince voters they are taking a tough stance on crime while also trying to persuade them to reject bills that would impose even tougher penalties on repeat shoplifters and drug offenders.

Shoplifting is a serious problem in California, but major robberies are a crisis not just in California, but across the country.

The robbers, who usually come in groups to break into stores and grab merchandise placed in front of them, are often caught on video and posted to social media, drawing attention to the state's retail theft problem.

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Shocking robbery video shows the moment suspects armed with tools and hammers stormed into a Sunnyvale jewelry store. (KTVU)

Newsom's new law is part of a bipartisan package of about a dozen bills aimed at cracking down on theft, including making it easier for prosecutors to bust repeat shoplifters and car thieves and increasing penalties for those who run professional resale schemes.

“Violent 'robbery crimes' and flash mob attacks by organized crime gangs must stop now,” House Speaker Robert Rivas, who authored the bill, said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press. “Our business owners and workers should not have to live in fear that these crimes will descend on their homes.”

The California Retailers Association also supports the measure, saying the new penalties will act as a “deterrent to robbery and retail crime.”

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California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks at a press conference in Dublin, California, on December 17, 2021, about the high-profile robbery at the upscale store. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group via The Associated Press)

Opponents of the bill, including public defenders and criminal justice advocates, say the new law will lead to more people being jailed for non-retail theft crimes.

Opponents of the bill say it would increase prison terms for a wide range of serious crimes. For example, people who damage vehicles while driving under the influence could face heavier sentences under the new law.

Opponents also said the new law was modeled on a tougher-on-crime ballot measure that Newsom and Democratic lawmakers criticized for months and ultimately tried unsuccessfully to remove the measure from the ballot.

“If they're going to oppose something permanent, why not something temporary?” Taina Vargas, executive director of Initiate Justice Action, told the news agency about the new law. “It's pretty clear from this that some people in the Legislature and the governor just want to give the impression that they're doing something.”

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The Newsom administration has spent $267 million to help dozens of local law enforcement agencies step up patrols, buy surveillance equipment and prosecute more criminals.

Governor Newsom's office announced Thursday that law enforcement agencies across the state have made 6,900 arrests for retail theft in the first six months of the operation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.