Amended  IN  Senate  June 26, 2024
Amended  IN  Senate  June 20, 2024
Amended  IN  Assembly  April 11, 2024

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 1972

Introduced by Assembly Member Alanis
(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Vince Fong) coauthors: Assembly Members Vince Fong and Petrie-Norris)
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Juan Carrillo, Megan Dahle, Davies, Dixon, Hoover, Lackey, Rodriguez, Schiavo, Villapudua, Wallis, and Zbur)
(Coauthors: Senators Alvarado-Gil, Bradford, Newman, and Wilk)

January 30, 2024

An act to amend Section 13899 of the Penal Code, relating to theft, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 1972, as amended, Alanis. Regional property crimes task force.
Existing law authorizes the Governor to appoint and commission individuals designated by a railroad company to serve as police officers. Existing law, until January 1, 2026, requires the Department of the California Highway Patrol to coordinate with the Department of Justice to convene a regional property crimes task force to identify geographic areas experiencing increased levels of property crimes and assist local law enforcement with resources, such as personnel and equipment.
This bill would require the task force to assist railroad police and would specify cargo theft as a property crime for consideration by the regional property crimes task force.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Vote: 2/3   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

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


SECTION 1.

 Section 13899 of the Penal Code is amended to read:

13899.
 The Department of the California Highway Patrol shall, in coordination with the Department of Justice, convene a regional property crimes task force to assist local law enforcement and railroad police, as described in Section 8226 of the Public Utilities Code, in counties identified by the Department of the California Highway Patrol as having elevated levels of property crime, including, but not limited to, organized retail theft, cargo theft, vehicle burglary, and theft of vehicle parts and accessories. The task force shall provide local law enforcement and railroad police in the identified region with logistical support and other law enforcement resources, including, but not limited to, personnel and equipment, as determined to be appropriate by the Commissioner of the California Highway Patrol in consultation with the task force members.

SEC. 2.

 This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the California Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
To address the increase in community-based crime and retail theft and to provide broader public safety, it is necessary that this act take effect immediately.