California Democrats squabbling on shoplifting bill
Legislators may be off for spring recess, but debates about their bills are still happening outside committee rooms. One spicy intra-party exchange between Democratic Assemblymembers focuses on a measure about retail theft — underscoring the difficult balance for lawmakers responding to public concerns about crime, while not over-policing historically targeted communities.
Los Angeles Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo, vice chairperson of the Legislative Progressive Caucus, introduced Assembly Bill 1990, which would allow police officers to make warrantless arrests for misdemeanor shoplifting offenses (as in, items that total $950 or less) if officers have probable cause. Officers do not need to be present when the crime occurred.
Warrantless arrests when police don't witness the crime aren't new — officers can already arrest people on misdemeanor charges for domestic violence, violating a restraining order or for carrying a concealed gun at an airport.
The bill has bipartisan support, and in a statement, Carrillo said that by “increasing enforcement against suspected shoplifters, we are sending a clear message: we will not tolerate these acts that threaten our public safety and economic vitality.”
A 2019 report from the Public Policy Institute of California found that African Americans in nearly all California counties have higher arrest rates than whites, and that misdemeanors have increased as a share of all arrests. (Latinos, however, were arrested at lower rates than whites in 26 out of the 58 counties.)
Carrillo argued that her bill “is committed to fairness, equity, and the protection of all individuals' rights, regardless of race or background.”
And since we can't forget it's an election year, here's where these three legislators stand: Carrillo is currently placing fourth in a race for Los Angeles City Council. If no one gets the majority of the vote, the top two face each other in the general election. McKinnor advanced from the March 5 primary and faces a Republican in her Democratic-leaning district. And besides a write-in candidate, Gipson is unopposed in his reelection bid.
The debate is emblematic of the tightrope progressive lawmakers attempt to walk on public safety. And it's an issue that Assemblymember Kevin McCarty, chairperson of the Public Safety Committee, will have to navigate as Carrillo's bill heads to the committee.