HomeMy WebLinkAboutAB1845, SB1144, SB 1381, SB1416 - Resale of Stolen Goods Legislation - Letter of SUPPORTCity of San Luis Obispo, Office of the City Council, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93401-3249, 805.781.7114,
slocity.org
May 14, 2024
The Honorable Mike McGuire
President pro Tempore
1021 O Street, Suite #8518
Sacramento, CA 95814
The Honorable Josh Newman
Member, California State Senate
1021 O Street, Suite #6520
Sacramento, CA 95814
The Honorable Nancy Skinner
Member, California State Senate
1021 O Street, Suite #8630
Sacramento, CA 8630
The Honorable Juan Alanis
Member, California State Assembly
1021 O Street, Suite #4640
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: Resellers and Fencing of Stolen Property Legislation
Dear Members:
One of the City of San Luis Obispo’s top priorities is to address crime and retail theft, organized retail
theft and shoplifting. Our city is pleased that both houses of the Legislature have made this issue a
priority in 2024. As such, the City of San Luis Obispo would like to identify a few bills that we believe
help to address the issue of reselling and fencing of stolen property acquired through theft.
As you may know, retail theft continues to be a problem in nearly all California communities. For
example, commercial burglary is at the highest rate since 2008. In fact, according to the PPIC,
commercial burglary increased statewide since 2020, especially in larger counties with an increase of
13% among 14 of the 15 largest counties. To address rising theft, city officials need additional tools
to reduce crime and improve the safety of their neighborhoods.
The rising rate of theft offenses such as commercial burglary necessitate viable resale operations of
those stolen goods such as fencing location or the use of online third-party marketplaces. Reducing
the ease with which stolen items can be resold through these secondary operations is a critical step
in providing any comprehensive solution to the issue of retail theft. SB 301 (Skinner, 2023) attempted
to address this issue by requiring reporting by high-volume third-party sellers utilizing online
marketplaces. However, there were some gaps noted in this legislation and the federal legislation
that still need to be addressed.
Therefore, we support the following bills:
AB 1845 (Alanis) Crimes: Grant Program for Identifying, Apprehending, and Prosecuting
Resale of Stolen Property
(As Amended on 2/21/2024)
SB 1144 (Skinner) Marketplaces: Online Marketplaces
(As Amended on 4/4/2024)
SB 1381 (McGuire) Property Crimes: Regional Property Crimes Task Force
(As Amended on 3/20/2024)
SB 1416 (Newman) Sentencing Enhancements: Sale, Exchange, or Return of Stolen Property
(As Amended on 4/16/2024)
These bills propose several methods of addressing resale of stolen property and fencing locations
that facilitate this illegal sale of stolen property. These methods range from providing funding and
task forces for law enforcement to identify and crack down on these fencing operations, to creating
sentencing enhancements for individuals convicted of selling property acquired through theft.
For these reasons, the City of San Luis Obispo supports AB 1845 (Alanis), SB 1144 (Skinner), SB 1381
(McGuire), and SB 1416 (Newman).
Sincerely,
Erica A. Stewart
Mayor
City of San Luis Obispo
cc. Senator John Laird
Assembly Member Dawn Addis
Dave Mullinax, League of California Cities, dmullinax@cacities.org
Meg Desmond, League of California Cities, cityletters@cacities.org