Bill Text: CA AB1779 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Introduced

California Assembly Bill 1779

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: Theft: jurisdiction.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-2)

Status: (Passed) 2024-08-16 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 165, Statutes of 2024. [AB1779 Detail]

Download: California-2023-AB1779-Introduced.html

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 1779

Introduced by Assembly Member Irwin

January 03, 2024

An act to amend Section 786.5 of the Penal Code, relating to crimes.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1779, as introduced, Irwin. Theft: jurisdiction.

Existing law defines types of theft, including petty theft, grand theft, and shoplifting. Existing law also defines the crimes of robbery and burglary. Existing law sets forth specific rules relating to the jurisdiction for the prosecution of theft by fraud, organized retail theft, and receiving stolen property, including that the jurisdiction for prosecution includes the county where an offense involving the theft or receipt of the stolen merchandise occurred, the county in which the merchandise was recovered, or the county where any act was done by the defendant in instigating, procuring, promoting, or aiding or abetting in the commission of a theft offense or other qualifying offense. Existing law jurisdictionally limits prosecution of each of the above to criminal actions brought by the Attorney General.

This bill would no longer limit the jurisdictional rules for the above crimes to criminal actions brought by the Attorney General.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: NO Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 786.5 of the Penal Code is amended to read:

786.5.

The jurisdiction of a criminal action ~~brought by the Attorney General~~ for theft, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 484, or a violation of Section 490.4 or 496, shall also include the county where an offense involving the theft or receipt of the stolen merchandise occurred, the county in which the merchandise was recovered, or the county where any act was done by the defendant in instigating, procuring, promoting, or aiding in the commission of a theft offense or a violation of Section 490.4 or 496 or in abetting the parties concerned therein. If multiple offenses of theft or violations of Section 490.4 or 496, either all involving the same defendant or defendants and the same merchandise, or all involving the same defendant or defendants and the same scheme or substantially similar activity, occur in multiple jurisdictions, then any of those jurisdictions are a proper jurisdiction for all of the offenses. Jurisdiction also extends to all associated offenses connected together in their commission to the underlying theft offenses or violations of Section 490.4 or 496.