CA's new retail theft laws come at time when SF small business owners say they need more support than ever

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Governor Gavin Newsom announced Friday a new plan to help curb retail theft across California. He signed a package of 10 bills into law to combat smash-and-grabs, car thefts, retail crime and the sale of stolen goods statewide.

San Francisco has been no stranger to retail crimes.

“Definitely retail theft is out of control,” Alejandro Jimenez of Randa’s Market said.

From major luxury retailers hit repeatedly by smash-and-grabs to small business owners wondering when they’ll get hit again, some say, they need the support now more than ever.

“Every day it’s a problem,” Mariana Bakana, owner of Bakana said.

It’s been just three months since two thieves broke into Mariana Bakana’s clothing store in San Francisco’s Cow Hollow neighborhood.

They got away with more than $43,000 worth of inventory and Bakana’s sense of safety.

VIDEO: Thieves steal about $36K in merchandise from small SF clothing shop

A small business owner is now worried she’ll be forced to leave San Francisco if she is targeted again after her shop in Cow Hollow was broken into.

“Every day, I come into my space, my store and then I’m asking myself, so those people, they want to come back again, what’s going to happen? So this is something, we really, really need to fix,” Bakana said. “I mean, I don’t feel safe inside of my store.”

In the Mission District, someone tried to break into Randa’s Market Wednesday night, cutting the lock on their front gate.

The thieves didn’t get away with anything this time, but it’s not the first time someone has tried.

“Seems like it might be the same people,” Jimenez said. “More than anything, it’s stressful, unnecessary, and annoying because everyone’s already struggling in this economy, it’s just a waste of time.”

San Francisco saw a dramatic increase in shoplifting incidents during the pandemic.

Videos showing organized retail thefts in Union Square seemed more common. Ultimately, the thefts reportedly led to economic losses, contributed to store closures and forced some upscale stores to change to appointment-only.

Efforts to combat retail theft ramped up in 2022 when the state set aside more than $200 million for crime-fighting grants.

San Francisco got $17 million in 2023.

But Senator Scott Wiener of San Francisco says more help is on the way.

“It is incredibly harmful to our retailers, to our grocery stores, to the community and we need better accountability,” Wiener said.

He wrote one of ten theft bills Governor Newsom signed into law Friday.

“Because if there’s no accountability, then people are just going to keep doing it and when you walk into a Walgreens or a CVS and everything is locked up, that’s just negative for the customer, for the employees, for everyone and we need to move past that,” he said.

Part of the legislation signed by Newsom also targets car break-ins known as “bipping.”

Sen. Wiener says this removes a loophole where the district attorney had to prove the doors were locked on a car during a car break-in.