Newsom signs last crime bill of the year

Governor Gavin Newsom signed another crime law on Thursday, completing this year's package of measures to combat property crime and theft, according to his office.

The bill provides for increased penalties for people convicted of theft or damage to property, including damage caused by theft in shops.

Speaker of the House Robert Rivas sponsored the bill, the latest in a series of laws the governor signed this year to combat shoplifting and property theft.

This package includes draft laws that prohibit entering and stealing an unlocked vehicle and make it easier, similar theft offenses are summarized in the charges.

As with many other crime bills this year, criminal justice reform advocates such as the ACLU California Action spoke out against the bill. The California Narcotic Officers Association and Californians United for a Responsible Budget also joined them. The California Chamber of Commerce and many city governments across the state supported the bill.

In California, a bill that would toughen penalties for theft is also up for vote in November. Proposal 36 would include aspects of the decades-old Proposal 47which reduced sentences to reduce the state's prison population.