California Retailers Association President and CEO Rachel Michelin issued the following statement regarding Organized Retail Crime Task Force funding in the state budget.
“The California Retailers Association applauds the State Legislature for the recent passage of the state budget that includes $5.5 million dollars to fund California’s Organized Retail Crime Taskforce. We thank the Newsom Administration for their partnership in ensuring this important funding was included in the budget that prioritizes the protection of retail employees and customers from this growing criminal activity.
ORC is a growing problem, not only for businesses, but our communities as California leads the nation in reports of serial theft. ORC fosters a host of illegal activity, including the recruitment of vulnerable Californians such as youth, homeless and others into sophisticated theft crime networks that frequently use their proceeds to finance other illegal activity including drug smuggling and human trafficking.
