Retail theft crackdown leads to arrests in San Luis Obispo County
January 19, 2025
By KAREN VELIE
Law enforcement and prosecutors in San Luis Obispo County are cracking down on shoplifters and thieves after the passage of tough on crime legislation in 2024. Passed by nearly 70%, Proposition 36 provides some of the tools needed to get convictions and deter crime.
Since Prop. 36 went into law on Dec. 18, local law enforcement has arrested more than a half-dozen thieves, according to San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow. Of those, four have already pled guilty to felony theft with a prior.
On Jan. 14, a man who pleaded guilty to stealing from Third Base Market & Spirits in Grover Beach was in court. After the judge asked the man if he was aware he was pleading guilty to a felony, the defendant said, “I did not know it was a felony. If I did, I would not have done it.”
District Attorney Dan Dow
“We have to have increasing sanctions so that someone who is committing wrong against our community learns we are going to be tough on this,” Dow said. “They need to take the resources we have for this and learn from this. Don’t do it again, or the sanctions will be more.”
Before Prop. 36 went into effect last month, suspects arrested for stealing items worth under $950 faced only misdemeanor charges, and no prison time.
Proposition 47 — passed by voters in 2014 — reclassified certain property and drug crimes from felonies to misdemeanors leading to a huge increase in retail theft crimes. Many retailers responded by locking up items, filing bankruptcy or closing.
Because there were no consequences to retail theft, some businesses were decimated by the crimes, said San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson. In addition, many retailers stopped reporting thefts because law enforcement’s hands were tied.
Sheriff Ian Parkinson
“The voters were misled,” Parkinson said. “It was titled by then-Attorney General Kamala Harris the ‘Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act,’ which most people would want. Unfortunately, the narrative did not match the title. It really crippled us and hurt the business owners.”
While prop. 36 did not repeal proposition 47, it fixed some of the issues it created and provided tools for law enforcement to crack down on retail crime. But, both Dow and Parkinson believe additional legislation is needed.
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