Newsom says California recovered more than $13.5M in stolen goods in 2024

California recovered 676,227 stolen goods worth more than $13.5 million in 2024, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Newsom said the recovery resulted from a record-breaking 879 investigations by the state’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force. There were 1,707 arrests.

In January and February 2025, the task force, led by the California Highway Patrol, recovered 24,510 stolen items with an estimated worth totaling almost $2.2 million, according to a news release from the governor’s office.

A CHP search warrant at one residence in January led to the Golden Gate Division's recovery of 1,619 items valued at more than $183,000.

Since the task force was started in 2019, the CHP has been involved with more than 3,600 investigations, which led to the recovery of more than 1.3 million stolen goods valued at almost $54 million, the governor’s office said.

“As public safety continues to be a priority for California, this ongoing retail theft crackdown shows the continuous work of our strengthened efforts on organized crime,” Newsom said, thanking the highway patrol for its work.

CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee said organized retail crime threatens the state’s communities and businesses.

“We are committed to identifying and dismantling these criminal networks, enhancing partnerships with retailers throughout the state and deploying every available resource to prevent these crimes from happening,” Duryee said.

Last summer, Newsom signed 10 property crime bills. They included legislation to create stricter penalties for retail and property theft.

There is overwhelming support in California for cracking down on thefts. In November, voters passed Proposition 36 by 68%. The measure increased penalties for certain drug and theft crimes and turned some misdemeanors into felonies.

But Newsom and the Legislature have been at odds over funding the proposition’s enforcement. As The Center Square previously reported, Republicans contend Newsom, who promised to fulfill voters’ wishes with Prop. 36 after opposing it, has failed to sufficiently fund the proposition’s enforcement.

The Legislative Analyst’s Office examined the governor’s proposal for the 2025-2026 budget. The office found it’s likely the governor’s budget provides more funding for prisons than it expects in prison population growth, while possibly not providing enough money for courts and treatment related to Prop. 36.

Shoplifting, car thefts and violent crimes have risen significantly from 2019 pre-pandemic levels, according to a Public Policy Institute of California’s analysis of 2023 crime statistics.