Letters: Treat shopping cart theft like the crime it is

"All the plans under consideration by San Jose to prevent the thousands of shopping carts from being abandoned around the city place all of the burden on retailers. The costs imposed on them for regulations, fines, security or retrieval ultimately will be passed on to their customers. Price increases will undoubtedly hurt retail businesses, which are already under pressure to compete in a difficult market."

"Rather than force retail stores to absorb the cost of shopping cart security or retrieval, why not place the blame on the people who are breaking existing laws covering the unauthorized taking of store property? There needs to be stronger law enforcement with fines or jail sentences for anyone guilty of this kind of theft. As long as there are no consequences for taking shopping carts, no amount of security or retrieval services will stop the problem."

"San Jose faced major challenges in 2025, but city employees stayed committed to making it a model city. Effective leadership from Mayor Mahan, the City Council and City Manager Jennifer Maguire drove progress across all departments. Special thanks to Chief Robert Sapien of the Fire Department and Chief Paul Joseph of the Police Department, whose teams - less than 2,000 strong - help keep San Jose one of the safest big cities in the nation."

Thousands of shopping carts are abandoned around San Jose, and proposed prevention plans place the financial burden on retailers, who will pass costs to customers. Price increases will hurt retail businesses already under market pressure. Stronger law enforcement with fines or jail sentences is proposed to deter unauthorized taking of store property and to provide consequences that will reduce cart theft. San Jose faced major challenges in 2025 while city employees and leadership from Mayor Mahan, the City Council, and City Manager Jennifer Maguire drove progress across departments. Fire and police teams totaling fewer than 2,000 personnel help keep San Jose among the safest large U.S. cities. A District 3 resident commits to continued partnership with city government for a stronger city in 2026 and beyond. A Marin County study reported e-bike fatality rates 37 times those of traditional bikes, and an incorrect statement regarding Class 1 e-bikes was noted.

Read at The Mercury News