Grand Theft (PC 487):

In California, the crime of theft is defined as the unlawful taking of someone else’s property. It is considered grand theft under Penal Code 487 if the property is valued over $950. If convicted of grand theft, you may face many repercussions to your professional and personal life. Examples of grand theft include (but are not limited to): shoplifting an item valued higher than $950, embezzling money in great amounts from an employer, or breaking into a home to steal personal items worth thousands of dollars.

Penalties (PC 488):

This is considered a “wobbler”, meaning the prosecutor has the discretion to charge a person with a misdemeanor or felony. A misdemeanor charge carries up to one year in county jail. For felony grand theft, you may be sentenced up to three years of incarceration.

Legal Defenses (PC 488):

In a typical grand theft case, our attorneys will strive to prove several factors: that you did not intend to steal, you took the alleged stolen property because it actually belongs to you, and the person who the item was taken from gave you consent to do so, and/or that you are falsely accused of a crime you did not intend to commit.

California

“Grand theft is committed when the value of stolen property exceeds $950. Theft is also considered grand theft when more than $250 in crops or marine life-forms are stolen, “when the property is taken from the person of another,” or when the property stolen is an automobile, farm animal, or firearm. There are a number of criminal statutes in the California Penal Code defining grand theft in different amounts. Most common amount is $950.00.” –wikipedia