King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci proposes task force with sales tax funding to tackle organized retail theft

This past Thursday, King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci, one of two finalists for King County Executive, announced a new plan to combat organized retail crime with Kent Mayor Dana Ralph and former King County Sheriff Sue Rahr.

Balducci is proposing to fund a task force that would work on this particular problem, on the heels of Kroger’s announcement that it plans to close several Fred Meyer stores across Puget Sound. Kroger has cited theft as one of the reasons for the store closures, though critics have suggested that’s just a cover for other reasons that Kroger management doesn’t want to talk about, including the fallout from its costly failed merger with Albertsons, which Washington state successfully opposed.

Balducci began a late morning news conference in front of the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center by emphasizing that organized retail crime negatively impacts families, workers, and local communities — not just corporate bottom lines. When giants like Kroger decide to jettison neighborhood grocery stores, it becomes harder for people to obtain essential household goods, unionized employees lose their jobs or have to accept being reassigned to a different location, and new food deserts are created.

Balducci’s proposal would establish a specialized task force composed of one prosecuting attorney, two detectives, and representatives from retail stores, facilitating an effective, pragmatic response to organized theft rings and repeat offenders who slip through gaps in the county’s often overburdened criminal justice system.

https://www.nwprogressive.org/weblog/2025/08/king-county-councilmember-claudia-balducci-proposes-task-force-with-dedicated-sales-tax-funding-to-tackle-organized-retail-theft.html