SACRAMENTO – Today Assemblyman Josh Hoover (R-Folsom) announced the introduction of Assembly Bill 271 to help protect fire victims from additional hardship by increasing penalties on looters during declared states of emergency.
“Criminals continue to prey on victims of the wildfires in Los Angeles and across the state, callously stealing valuables from people who have been driven from their homes and are experiencing unimaginable heartache. Clearly, our penalties are not sufficient to deter those willing to exploit vulnerable individuals during this disaster,” Assemblyman Hoover said. “We must do more to protect victims during these tragic events and send a message that these crimes will not be tolerated.”
AB 271 allows a felony to be charged for offenders who commit burglary or grand theft in an area where a state of emergency, local emergency, or an evacuation has been called. It also imposes a two-year sentence enhancement for those who impersonate a government employee, such as a firefighter or peace officer, a tactic being used by some criminals to gain access to homes.
“Criminals continue to prey on victims of the wildfires in Los Angeles and across the state, callously stealing valuables from people who have been driven from their homes and are experiencing unimaginable heartache. Clearly, our penalties are not sufficient to deter those willing to exploit vulnerable individuals during this disaster,” Assemblyman Hoover said. “We must do more to protect victims during these tragic events and send a message that these crimes will not be tolerated.”
AB 271 allows a felony to be charged for offenders who commit burglary or grand theft in an area where a state of emergency, local emergency, or an evacuation has been called. It also imposes a two-year sentence enhancement for those who impersonate a government employee, such as a firefighter or peace officer, a tactic being used by some criminals to gain access to homes.
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.
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