A recent California Supreme Court decision, the justices unanimously ruled that any person convicted of a felony for stealing a car may have that conviction reduced to a misdemeanor if the vehicle was worth no more than $950.

The decision, which overturned lower court rulings, came as an interpretation of California’s voter-approved — but spectacularly disastrous — Proposition 47, which reduced any number of drug and theft related felonies to misdemeanors.

Now, if you steal somebody’s car, instead of going to jail, you may just be issued a citation. Driving a vehicle you legally own over the speed limit could literally result in a larger fine than stealing somebody else’s ride.

Maybe it’s a clever, back-door way of fighting childhood obesity. “Johnny, why do you keep sitting in front of that TV playing Grand Theft Auto indoors when you could be out in the warm sunshine stealing actual cars?!”
Or it could just another example of the state of California doing everything they can to empty the prisons and flood the streets with convicted criminals in the name of “sentencing reform.”
My money is on the latter.


http://www.ocregister.com/2017/12/06/why-stealing-a-car-might-now-be-a-misdemeanor-in-california/

Grand theft(felony) in CA is $950 or more.

Give us Barabbas.

and driving a stolen car worth 950 or less is a misdemeanor

Makes sense.
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It's Cali.

It wouldn't do to run from the cops in a $950 car...

Wouldn't work out well at all.

an individual can work for their stuff, inherit it, or steal it in any number of ways.

kali, and many of the big cities are wanting to de-criminalize everything they can, they're competing with each other to attract "citizens."

Why run, its only a ticket anyway. No car payments, no insurance. EZ peasy

They don't get to keep the POS though. Even though it's only a misdemeanor, it's still stolen property.

Wrong,

They are trying to cut justice costs, If they can decriminalize something it will no longer cost to prosecute.

All the citizens tax money is going to stupid schit so they no longer have the money to do with it what the citizens expect.

Any vehicle under 950 is a POS?

I wouldn't put much stock in it.

My tires cost twice that.

i don't really disagree, from a number of different angles.

the justice dept, so-called, do a booming business of fining the heck out of people for minor & major infractions. and helping to keep & maintain full-employment in the county jails, county workcamps, and state prisons. many inmates need to be there for a long time, no doubt.

but, beyond that, gov't is desperate for revenue to re-distribute as you suggest. they want to spend money on things that bring them votes, and attracts new "citizens." big cities are beginning to compete aggressively for additional citizens. it's happening all over the world, not just in the us. we're not alone in that phenomenon. the rest of us can work to support the mega-city citizens. we can grow food, work, and distribute part of our earnings for their well-being.

how to fix it? that's my question.

That doesn’t make sense, a theft is a theft!!

Who needs to keep it? Plenty more where that came from.

People quit electing stupid politicians.

Politicians quit being stupid and agenda driven.

There's two big ones.

Very good answer!

not sentencing reform.... their jails are full of criminals. and soon everything will be not a crime any more.

Otta remain a felony, once a car is stolen it is being driven, putting the populace at risk.
More to stealing a car than just talking the car.

As well as burglary and theft of a firearms, if the loss is under $950. Personal use of heroin and meth are also now misdemeanors. They are "non violent" crimes, ya know.

who decides the value of the property?

California had lost a Supreme Court case regarding prison over crowding and was told to release 60,000 felon almost immediately (side question; Why does California produce so many criminals?).

So 60,000 felons were transferred to County Jails, where by statute only misdemeanants were housed. That broiled into another court case so "The Safer Neighborhood and Schools Act", or Prop 47, was connived. This would change "certain non violent felonies" into misdemeanors. Convicts then could then have their rights restored and get out of jail as many had already spent more than twelve months behind bars. Yippee!

It was sold to the non reading/thinking voter as a way to save money that "might be spent to make schools safer". Of course none was spent on schools but on satisfying the Federal Government's case against California.

As a result of this and many other well intended but poorly thought out decisions, property crime has exploded here.

Of course after January if you build or buy an "assault style" firearm, you have committed a felony. But if you steal it and it is under $950.00, you have committed only a misdemeanor. And according to another Supreme Court decision, you cannot be charged with failing to register it, as that would be a 5th amendment right (for felons only).

Now I understand where the seed came from for Alaska’s SB91.

Caining would solve this "overcrowding."
Whipping a few asses would drop crime rates substantially too.

How on earth do you police such a place, Ranger?
??

Is the $950 value calculated after they destroy the car running from the Police or the Value before the chase started.

That will be the argument for the Attorneys to get their law breaking clients off on a Misdemeanor instead of the Felony.

agreed !

Carefully. The people in charge would rather put a guy like behind bars rather than a criminal (of color).

Exactly, and I can't think that popping out the ignition with a screwdriver does anything to enhance the value. Also, what about car-jacking (with a Hi-Point?)?

And that is a sad state of affairs. It may not mean much, but I make it a point to always wave or say hello to any LEO that I see. I get some funny looks from other motorists, but I figure it's the least I can do to show my support.

BUT BUT BUT the Ignition was that was when I got in the Car
DINNDO NUFFIN OFCER

It could be argued that the theft of a $900 car has a greater impact on the victim than the theft of a $9000 car. The owner of the $9000 car gets a rental car through their insurance, receives a settlement check (less deductable) purchases another car and life goes on. The owner of the $900 car is not insured against theft. If they cannot arrange transportation to work they lose their job.

Older cars are easier to steal. Now you have government making policy that encourages the theft of older cars.
Cash for Clunkers 2.0

People convicted of felonies can’t vote. It’s a safe bet that most people stealing $900 cars, or $9000 one for that matter, aren’t from the demographics that tend to vote conservative. This is just California’s democratic ran legislature taking care of their main constituency.

Exactly this. The legislature does not represent the law abiding, productive population of this state, and is doing all it can to drive those people out. This whole situation is a great argument to reduce the franchise in some manner, so the parasites aren't able to make themselves into a voting constituency that the politicians are tempted to please.

Who determines whether the car is worth $949 or the $951 that I say its worth? Never mind. I think I know the answer.

Where is the meme of the liberal bitch getting maced in the face by riot police?