California officials says retail theft grant delivering results
OAKLAND, Calif. - California leaders said Tuesday that the state’s retail theft prevention grant is making a dent in the fight against organized retail crime, an issue that has plagued businesses and retailers for years.
In 2023, organized theft surged by double digits. That spike prompted the governor’s office in September of that year to approve hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to dozens of cities and counties to crack down on retail crime.
It was something that we wanted to target, but the grant made it fiscally able for us to go out and do that work," Stream said.
The Board of State and Community Corrections distributed hundreds of millions of dollars to police departments, sheriff’s offices, and district attorney’s offices across California. More than a year later, state officials say the impact is clear. Since October 2023, the governor’s office reports more than 22,000 arrests, 17,000 cases referred for prosecution, and about $150 million in stolen merchandise recovered.
Edward Liang, a supervising deputy district attorney in Santa Clara County, said his office received $2 million through the grant. That money pays for four prosecutors dedicated solely to handling retail theft cases.
Liang said the office is currently pursuing two major cases: one involving a group of four men accused of committing 200 thefts across 11 counties and stealing more than $65,000 from Home Depot stores; the other involves a trio accused of robbing Ulta Beauty stores in the Bay Area at least 35 times.
"People who hit multiple counties, not just multiple stores within our county — groups that are essentially organized, that draw a lot of the loss our retail partners see," said Liang.
In Santa Clara County alone, efforts funded by the grant have led to more than 200 arrests and the recovery of more than $800,000 in stolen goods. Combined with recent legal changes that allow for harsher penalties for those involved in organized theft, local agencies say the grant is paying off.
"The fact that we have people with the time and the expertise now to focus on all those cases has made it really effective," said Liang.
The grant funding continues through 2027. After that, local agencies hope the state will find a way to extend the support.
California officials says retail theft grant delivering results | KTVU FOX 2
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