Efforts to make it an automatic felony to buy a 16- or 17-year-old for sex in California were rejected by the Assembly Public Safety Committee on Tuesday, drawing surprise and anger from lawmakers seeking to combat sex trafficking.
“I wholeheartedly disagree with that amendment,” said Assemblymember Maggy Krell, who introduced Assembly Bill 379 to fight sex trafficking in the state.
The Democrat from Sacramento was put in a difficult position after the committee told her that if she wanted any part of her legislation to pass, she had to drop the provision that would make buying a child under 18 an automatic felony.
She reluctantly agreed, saying afterward, “In order to get a hearing on the bill, we were forced to remove the piece of the bill that ensures the crime of purchasing a minor for sex applies in all cases where the victim is under the age of 18.”
Last year state Sen. Shannon Grove also attempted to make it a felony to purchase a child 18 years old and younger for sex. And just as in Krell’s case, Democrats agreed to move her measure forward, but with the automatic felony only applied to children 15 and younger.
Grove, a Republican from Bakersfield, is a co-sponsor of this year’s AB 379. She said Tuesday she is glad the bill is moving forward, but “the Assembly Public Safety Committee should have kept the original language. We must keep fighting to protect all children and hold exploiters accountable.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom also spoke out Tuesday, saying he supports Krell’s effort. In an interview with KCRA, he said, “The law should treat all sex predators who solicit minors the same — as a felony, regardless of the intended victim’s age. Full stop.”
Krell added that the current version of AB 379 still has teeth because it “criminalizes the creeps who are loitering to buy teenagers for sex and sets up a fund to help victims. Those will be powerful tools in the fight against sex trafficking — it’s a good start.”
The legislation is supported by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and District Attorney Summer Stephan.
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