Newsom Signs Bill to Increase Penalties for ‘Smash-and-Grab’ Retail Thefts 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Sept. 12 that will increase sentencing guidelines for those convicted of stealing or damaging property with high values. Assembly Bill 1960—introduced by Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas to strengthen penalties for organized retail theft and large-scale felonious acts—instructs courts, until Jan. 1, 2030, to impose longer sentences on a tiered system, with those responsible for stealing or damaging $50,000, $200,000, $1 million, or $3 million worth of property facing additional prison terms of one, two, three, or four years respectively. Aggregation of damage and theft values from multiple occurrences is allowed, and the 2030 sunset date could be extended by the Legislature in the future....