LOS ANGELES, CA – Amid growing concerns over criminal activity in wildfire evacuation zones, California officials are calling for tougher penalties for looting during declared emergencies. The proposal, backed by Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman and Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer, seeks to strengthen existing laws to deter looters and hold them accountable for preying on vulnerable communities in the wake of disasters.
The proposed legislation would introduce several changes, including:
- Increasing penalties for looting under Penal Code 463 from the current 16-month to three-year county jail term to a state prison felony with sentencing options of two, three, or four years.
- Creating a new felony offense for trespassing with the intent to commit larceny, carrying a state prison sentence of two, three, or four years.
- Establishing a looting enhancement, which would add an additional one, two, or three years to any felony offense committed during a declared local emergency.
- Mandating judicial review before the release of anyone arrested for looting, eliminating the possibility of “cite and release” practices.
- Designating looting as a “serious offense” under California’s Three Strikes Law, which increases penalties for repeat offenders.
- Excluding looting from eligibility for diversion programs that allow certain offenders to avoid jail time.
“There is a special place in jail for those who exploit the vulnerable in the wake of deadly fires,” Hochman said in a statement. “As hundreds of thousands of families face the unimaginable anguish of fleeing their homes, uncertain whether they’ll ever return, the last thing they should fear is the added trauma of criminals preying on their misfortune.”
Spitzer echoed the call for action, emphasizing the devastation families have already endured. “Last week, thousands of people across Los Angeles left their homes on a windy day, not knowing that a few hours later everything they own would be reduced to a pile of ash and the clothes on their back,” he said. “Current law falls woefully short for punishing these scavengers who are nothing more than graverobbers, stealing the last remaining possessions from those who have already lost everything.”
The proposal comes as arrests for looting, burglary, and vandalism in wildfire evacuation zones continue to rise. Officials estimate that 97 suspects have been taken into custody since last week for crimes committed in fire-ravaged areas.
Hochman’s office also announced Wednesday that felony charges have been filed in two separate arson cases—one in the City of Industry and the other in Irwindale. Details of the cases remain under investigation.
To prevent further exploitation, a curfew remains in place in the mandatory evacuation zones of both the Palisades and Eaton fires. The curfew is enforced nightly from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., restricting access to firefighters, utility workers, and law enforcement personnel.
The push for harsher penalties comes at a critical time as officials work to manage the dual challenges of recovering from the fires and addressing criminal behavior in evacuation areas. Hochman and Spitzer have urged Governor Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature to prioritize the legislation as an urgent measure to ensure justice for victims of disasters.
