State Finally Allows SF to Stop Sales of Stolen Goods

The Facts

San Francisco is finally able to crack down on street vendors selling stolen goods. Until now, it was illegal for San Francisco police to enforce laws against vendors who couldn't prove their merchandise was legitimately obtained, due to state laws that decriminalized both theft and street vending.

But on October 6, 2025, Governor Newsom signed SB 276, finally allowing "city supervisors to pass an ordinance to crack down on sidewalk vendors dealing toiletries, snacks, and anything else with an unclear provenance," according to George Kelly at The Standard. The legislation was authored by state Senator Scott Wiener and backed by Mayor Daniel Lurie, and enables the city to issue citations, pursue misdemeanor charges, and confiscate merchandise from vendors who cannot provide proof of purchase.

The Context

The open-air fencing crisis is a predictable result of a decade of misguided state policy. First, Proposition 47 in 2014 downgraded the theft of goods under $950 from a felony to a misdemeanor. Then, the state's 2018 Safe Sidewalk Vending Act decriminalized street vending and severely restricted cities' ability to use police for enforcement.

This combination effectively decriminalized both theft and the primary venue for selling stolen goods, leading to a surge in organized retail crime that pushed legitimate sidewalk entrepreneurs out of business.

The GrowSF Take

Sacramento didn't just allow this crisis to happen; it created the conditions for it through ideological policies with predictable, disastrous consequences. When you decriminalize theft and sidewalk fencing, you get more theft and more fencing.