Californians were fed up with retail theft and passed Prop 36 in all 58 counties with nearly 70% voter approval. Instead of fully funding and implementing what voters demanded, state legislators drafted AB 2108 and created yet another diversion program: this time for retail theft offenders. Like mental health diversion, it offers another way to avoid jail time. Offenders even walk away without a conviction on their record. Even more surprising is that some of California’s largest retailers, along with the California Retailers Association, support the bill despite reporting billions of dollars in losses due to retail theft. Voters wanted meaningful consequences for retail theft offenders, but the state legislature moved in the opposite direction.
