Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

If the store is not pressing charges, then why would you not pay for the stolen items? If you pay it in full, and the city proceeds with charges, you may be able to get the court to dismiss all the charges, since the store had indicated that they won't press for charges. If you don't pay it, if follows that the store will press charges and your son may not be able to get out of it. Also, the $380 may be tacked on to the penalties against your son as a restitution charge, so you'll end up paying it anyway.

The $380 is an amount allowed by law to help compensate the store for the costs of their loss prevention activities, so their honest customers don't have to absorb these costs.

You don't "have" to do anything. You 'should' get serious about dealing with this. Even if you pay the money, the store can press criminal charges, usually will, and should. Yes, they can lie to you at this stage. Unless you negotiate a full written 'civil compromise' agreement and contract before the file charges, there is nothing to stop them. I suggest you hire an attorney to try to do so. They are not allowed to suggest of offer such 'compromise', it has to come from you and your attorney.