California commission finds retail theft remains at historic low, but calls for more research

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LITTLE HOOVER REPORT FINDS RETAIL THEFT AT HISTORIC LOW

A year after California lawmakers requested it, the Little Hoover Commission has released its report on retail theft in the Golden State.

The report found that — despite the claims of certain lawmakers — retail theft remains “at roughly the same level it was during the 2010s and lower than it was in earlier decades.”

The report also noted that not all retail theft gets reported, and that “by its nature, under-reporting is extremely difficult to measure.”

The report recommends that the California Department of Justice collect detailed data including the circumstances surrounding a crime, police response, demographic data on people arrested, what charges prosecutors chose to file, the ultimate disposition of the case and whether the offender was able to successfully reenter society.

It also calls on the state to partner with nonpartisan research institutions such as the University of California or California State University systems to “fund studies on preventative measures, commercial victimization, the economic impact of retail theft, drivers of public perception, and the fencing of stolen goods.”

You can read the full report here.

CHILD BRIDE CHAIN-IN

Several former child brides will gather outside Democratic Assemblyman Ash Kalra’s San Jose office later this week to call on him in his capacity as chair of the Assembly Judiciary Committee to hear AB 2924, a bill to ban child marriages in the state.

“Child marriage, or marriage before age 18, creates a nightmarish legal trap. Even the most mature minor faces overwhelming legal and practical barriers if they try to resist or escape a forced marriage. Further, marriage before 18 is recognized as a human rights abuse that destroys almost every aspect of an American girl’s life,” according to Unchained At Last, the group behind Thursday’s planned protest.

The group notes that California has “dangerous loopholes” allowing parents to enter their child into a marriage regardless of the child’s age, so long as a judge approves of it, “without any real legal recourse for a child who does not want to marry.”

According to Unchained At Last, more than 8,000 children (mostly girls) are entered into marriages in California every year.

“All of these marriages legalized what would have been considered a sex crime outside of marriage,” the group said in a statement.

Kalra’s office did not respond to The Bee’s request for comment by deadline.

ANTI-OIL INDUSTRY CAMPAIGN TURNS GENERAL PURPOSE

The campaign that took credit for the oil industry’s withdrawal of a planned ballot measure to roll back California’s oil well setback law — barring oil wells from being within 3,200 feet of communities — has filed paperwork to become a general purpose committee, allowing them to continue going after the industry, be it in the Legislature, the courts or the ballot box.

“We know that these corporate polluters will continue to try and undermine community-rooted solutions that protect people’s health and safety, but we’re not going to let them unravel the progress we have made for their profits. People across California are still living with the health impacts of Big Oil’s greed and dangerous practices – and there’s so much more work to be done to achieve justice and an equitable phase out of fossil fuels that we are seeking,” said Darryl Molina Sarmiento, who sits on the steering committee of the Campaign for a Safe and Healthy California, in a statement.

According to a release from the group, the campaign has nearly $20 million in the bank.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I’m a Democrat. In fact, I’m an Obama/Biden Democrat. It’s when I came of age, it’s the first presidential campaign I gave my all to. I’m a Biden/Harris Democrat. I would encourage my fellow Dems to stay focused, stay united & let’s win in November. There’s a lot at stake.”

- Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo, D-Los Angeles, via X.

Best of The Bee:

• Gavin Newsom downplays theft part of Prop. 47 initiative, calling it ‘drug policy reform,’ via Lindsey Holden.

• If Joe Biden stepped aside, how would Kamala Harris’ record affect her candidacy? Via Gillian Brassil and David Lightman.

• Turnout in these California districts has been low for voters of color. Will 2024 change? Via Gillian Brassil, María G. Ortiz-Briones and Vanessa Saltos.

• Gavin Newsom likes to use the budget to skirt public debate and get what he wants. Did he do it again? Via Nicole Nixon.