DA Nathan Hochman Unveils Major Enforcement Effort Targeting Organized Retail Theft
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman announced that his office has filed more than 1,000 felony charges since December under a new state law targeting repeat retail theft offenders, marking one of the most aggressive enforcement efforts in California since voters approved Proposition 36 last year.
The measure, which passed overwhelmingly in November 2024, revised existing laws to allow prosecutors to charge repeat petty theft offenses as felonies. Previously, thefts under $950 were classified as misdemeanors, even for serial offenders, unless the crime involved violence or aggravating circumstances…