In a remarkable display of unity, the California Assembly passed SB1144, a bill targeting organized retail theft, with a sweeping bipartisan affirmance, 70-0. This development was shared directly by the bill's author, Senator Nancy Skinner, on her X account and acknowledged by Prosecutors Alliance Action via their post on X. Skinner expressed her gratitude, especially to Assemblymember Lori Wilson, for managing the bill.

Excellent! The CA Assembly today approved my #caleg #SB1144 - which would strengthen CA law regulating online marketplaces to curb organized retail theft. SB 1144 received strong bipartisan support. Vote: 70-0.
Big thanks to @AsmLoriDWilson for managing the bill in the Assembly. pic.twitter.com/tzCnHDP3wU

— Nancy Skinner (@NancySkinnerCA) August 8, 2024

As detailed in East Bay Times, the essence of SB 1144 lies in bolstering the current laws to effectively disrupt the flow of stolen goods through online marketplaces, which have inadvertently become a haven for illicit transactions. The motive is straightforward - to prevent consumers from unknowingly facilitating criminal activities by purchasing goods that are the fruits of smash-and-grab thefts, a plague seemingly fostered by online marketplaces' anonymity and lax verification processes. This measure rides on the heels of its predecessor, SB 301, which set initial regulations against the same criminal backdrop.

Specifically, the new legislation tightens the reins by requiring high-volume sellers, those selling large quantities of new or unused goods amounting to 200 or more transactions yearly, with at least $5,000 in gross revenues, to abide by strict disclosure rules, designed to expose and squeeze out operations rooted in theft. As put forth by East Bay Times, the bill seeks to shutter the loophole that allowed for transactions initiated online to be completed offline, a cunning detour from existing regulations. However, some tech platforms have pushed back, claiming that identifying high-volume sellers is beyond their current capabilities. However, These arguments appear thin-veiled when stacked against the existing privacy policies of these platforms, which are already designed to harvest considerable personal data from all users.