As the new year inches closer, so do several new laws taking effect in California.
San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow says some of those new laws may impact crime-fighting efforts on the Central Coast.
Provisions in Proposition 36, which was passed by voters in November, allow for stiffer penalties, including felony charges, for certain drug and theft crimes.
It also allows for longer sentences impacting repeat offenders.
"We will now be able to elevate certain cases from misdemeanor to felony for people that are repeat offenders, repeat thieves, repeat theft crimes, [and] repeat drug crimes," Dow said. "It creates a new class of drug possession cases where the court will mandate that the defendant, if he agrees, take treatment for his drug addiction or her drug addiction.”
Dow says he has been working with law enforcement and local businesses to post signs warning would-be thieves that San Luis Obispo County will enforce these new provisions.
He adds that the rehabilitation provided in the mandated drug treatment is also important.
“Today, there's really very little way that the court can mandate treatment at all. We have to ask them to. And because the consequences for a misdemeanor are so small, they've not really been willing to go through with most of the rehabilitation offers," Dow said. "So I believe that Prop. 36 and these changes will help our local economy by us being able to be more tough on repeat theft offenders and repeat drug crimes.”
Another new law going into effect with the new year will elevate all solicitation of a minor for sex crimes to a felony regardless of age.
Senate Bill 1414 is closing a gap that kept some offenses at the misdemeanor level.
Dow created a task force ten years ago to crack down on sex trafficking locally.
“We've done a number of sting operations to take down traffickers and also would-be purchasers of children for sex. In fact, over the tail end of last week, our joint task force with the Sheriff's Office and the District Attorney's Office arrested three individuals that were attempting to meet up with minors that were under the age of 15 for the purpose of sexual contact, and we're going to be aggressively prosecuting those three individuals," Dow said.
There is a slew of other new laws that will be going into effect starting in 2025.
Retail stores will be able to obtain restraining orders against people who are sentenced for assaulting an employee or stealing from the store.
California district attorneys will also be able to consolidate charges for suspects in retail theft crimes that span across multiple counties.
People committing a felony will soon face enhancements for taking, damaging, or destroying property if it exceeds $50,000 in value.
Lastly, convicted individuals will face an aggravated factor and increased sentence for setting a fire within a merchant’s premises while committing organized retail theft.
Dow says he has already started the process of providing summaries to local law enforcement and all the staff in the District Attorney's Office regarding the new legislation.
