State Assemblyman Juan Alanis, R-Modesto, called attention to the growing problem of cargo theft when he introduced Assembly Bill 1972 as part of a bipartisan legislative package dealing with retail theft. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Alanis bill into law in August 2024. Cargo theft is essentially theft of transported goods, but it’s increasingly done by organized groups using sophisticated techniques. And it’s rampant in Southern California.
