Ten newly signed bipartisan public safety bills establish new penalties for repeat offenders, provide additional tools for felony prosecutions, and crack down on serial shoplifters, retail thieves and auto burglars, according to California Governor Gavin Newsom.

In January, the California governor called on lawmakers from both sides to enact robust laws to better assist law enforcement and prosecutors in safeguarding communities and holding criminals accountable.

The new laws are intended to crack down on the theft and sale of stolen items by creating stricter penalties for individuals involved in retail and property theft, mandating sentencing enhancements for large-scale operations and creates new crimes — imposing enhanced felony charges and extended prison sentences.

The governor said the legislation will bolster existing laws to ensure police can arrest retail theft suspects with probable cause — even if they didn’t witness a crime in progress.

The new laws allow for the aggregation of stolen goods, enabling prosecutors to combine the value of multiple stolen items — even across different victims and counties — to help meet the threshold for felony grand theft.

The legislation targets smash-and-grabs by creating new penalties for criminals who damage businesses and property in the course of theft and adds new and increased penalties for possession of items stolen from a vehicle with intent to resell, allowing prosecution of automotive property thefts, regardless of whether the vehicle was locked.

In addition, the new laws eliminate retail theft sunset provisions and maintains important organized retail crime statutes and task forces.

“Let’s be clear, this is the most significant legislation to address property crime in modern California history,” said Governor Newsom. “I thank the bipartisan group of lawmakers, our retail partners, and advocates for putting public safety over politics. While some try to take us back to ineffective and costly policies of the past, these new laws present a better way forward — making our communities safer and providing meaningful tools to help law enforcement arrest criminals and hold them accountable.”