Assembly Public Safety Committee Rejects Common Sense Legislation to Reduce Retail Theft

SACRAMENTO – Today Assemblyman Josh Hoover (R-Folsom) announced that the Assembly Committee on Public Safety rejected his bill, AB 75, to restore pre-Proposition 47 penalties for serial theft offenders with multiple prior convictions. The bill was killed on a 2-6 party line vote.

“Residents and small business owners across our state are calling for common sense changes to Proposition 47 to restore accountability and provide relief from rising retail theft,” Assemblyman Hoover said. “A crime without consequences is no longer a crime. That is where we stand under the status quo. My bill sought to fix this by implementing reasonable penalties for repeat offenders, but unfortunately too many of my colleagues do not believe consequences are an effective means of deterring criminal activity.”

AB 75 would have given voters the opportunity to reform Proposition 47 in a meaningful way. A recent UC Berkeley/LA Times poll found that 78% of voters believe crime has risen over the past year and 59% would support increasing penalties on property crimes.

“Folsom businesses experienced $1.4 million in losses in 2021, including $353,000 in shoplifting alone,” testified Folsom Mayor and local small business owner Rosario Rodriguez. “It’s laws like Proposition 47 that make it very tough to do business in California because of a lack of accountability.”

Former Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness also joined the hearing to testify in support of the bill, stating: “While this bill will help small businesses and the community at large, we also have an obligation to the offenders themselves to ensure to the greatest extent possible that they do not reoffend and that they get on the path to a better life. [AB 75] offers that, Proposition 47 does not.”

Click here to watch the full bill hearing.

Josh Hoover represents Assembly District 7, which includes the cities of Citrus Heights, Folsom, and Rancho Cordova and the unincorporated communities of Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Foothill Farms, Gold River, Mather, McClellan Park, North Highlands, Orangevale, and Rosemont.