BICYCLE THIEF: Streetsblog Los Angeles looks at how some of the new year's new laws will affect urban movement. First up: The value threshold for grand theft charges must now be at least $950 (previously $400), meaning that bicycle thieves could face fewer penalties for stealing:

Under the new law, the value of a stolen item must exceed $950 for the act to be considered "grand theft" under state law. The previous threshold was $400. Basically, this means that the penalty for stealing many bikes just got a lot lower. The odds of a thief seeing any jail time for "petty theft" is almost none, and the fines are a lot lower.

A second side effect could be that cyclists who have their bikes stolen could have a harder time getting the police to file a report or help with recovery if the crime falls in to the "petty theft" category.