California Democratic lawmakers strike deal on solicitation of minors legislation
The state Assembly Chambers sits empty at the Capitol in Sacramento.
SACRAMENTO — Assembly Democrats walked back opposition to a controversial bill that would increase the penalty for soliciting a minor aged 16 or 17, a change that comes after they faced a barrage of criticism from Republicans and a rebuke from Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The new amendments to the legislation, AB 379, would allow prosecutors to file felony charges against adults who solicit sex from a 16- or 17-year-old. If the accused is three years older than the minor, they can be charged with a felony. If the offender is within three years of the minor, the charge is a misdemeanor.
The bill will now include a state grant program to help streamline prosecution in human trafficking and sex trafficking cases, and a support fund for survivors, partially funded by increased fines for businesses that ignore or aid in human trafficking.
Current law allows the offense of soliciting a minor under the age of 16 for sex to be punishable as a misdemeanor or a felony on the first offense and as a felony on subsequent offenses.
Assemblymember Maggy Krell (D-Sacramento), authored AB 379 to extend the same punishment to suspects who solicited 16- and 17- year-olds. Last week, the Democratic-led Assembly approved an amendment that removed that provision, which Krell opposed.
On Tuesday, Krell released a statement supporting the Democratic leadership's new changes.
'I'm looking at this from a prosecutor's standpoint — this bill strengthens California law and gives us the felony hammer to prosecute the creeps that are preying on teenagers,' she said in a statement.
Krell temporarily allied herself with Republicans last week when she was given two options — amend the bill without the increased felony charges, or let it die in committee. Democrats defended the amendment despite Newsom speaking out on the topic, who said that anyone who solicits a minor should be charged with a felony.
The bill, in its amended form, is still under consideration in the Assembly.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Protests Spread Beyond Los Angeles over Immigration Raids
Police officers tackle and drag a protestor during a rainy anti-ICE demonstration in New York. Credit - Madison Swart/ Hans Lucas — AFP via Getty Images Anti-ICE demonstrations are expected to spread to more cities this week after days of unrest in Los Angeles, with at least 30 new protests planned across the country in response to the Trump Administration's recent immigration raids. Additional protests have already broken out in San Francisco, Sacramento, Houston, San Antonio, Chicago and New York, where activists rallied over the weekend and into Monday in solidarity with demonstrators in Los Angeles. By Monday afternoon, organizers had scheduled demonstrations in nearly every major city, signaling a growing backlash to the Trump Administration's immigration enforcement tactics and its deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles. Read more: Trump Suggests Arresting Gavin Newsom, Escalating Tensions Over ICE Raids The protests were sparked by a series of workplace immigration raids last week, and escalated after the arrest of David Huerta, the president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) of California, during a demonstration in Los Angeles on Friday. Huerta, a prominent labor and civil rights leader, was taken into federal custody and hospitalized after what ICE described as interference with a federal operation. His arrest has galvanized organized labor, with SEIU chapters announcing nationwide demonstrations in his defense and in protest of what they called a 'clear attack on our communities.' In Los Angeles, the protests have grown larger and more confrontational since Friday. Hundreds of demonstrators marched downtown and clashed with law enforcement. Some protesters set barricades in the streets, vandalized buildings, and hurled objects at law enforcement. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds, and the California Highway Patrol used flash-bang grenades to clear demonstrators after a group blocked traffic. Read more: Can the President Activate a State's National Guard? At least 150 people have been arrested in Los Angeles since the protests began, and city officials warned that further disruptions could continue throughout the week. Trump authorized the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to the city over the weekend, bypassing California Governor Gavin Newsom, who called the move 'a violation of state sovereignty' and signaled plans to challenge the decision in court. Trump has described protesters as 'insurrectionists' and 'professional agitators' who 'should be in jail.' A map of anti-ICE demonstrations posted by SEIU showed that events were planned in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Seattle, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Charlotte, Portland, St. Paul, Santa Fe, and more. Additional demonstrations may also take place, though the largest demonstrations remain centered in Los Angeles, where National Guard soldiers in tactical gear continue to patrol areas downtown. 'ICE's brutal, military-style tactics have no place in our communities,' SEIU wrote in a post on X. 'We demand safety. We demand respect. We demand David's release.' Write to Nik Popli at
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Gavin Newsom finally finds a cause: taking on Trump
The Democratic governor of liberal California has welcomed Donald Trump to his state, cosied up to Conservative podcasters, and slashed healthcare provisions for illegal immigrants this year. But the reinvention of Gavin Newsom as the sort of Democrat who might be able to win back Republican voters came to a shuddering halt during a weekend of riots. With Mr Trump ordering troops onto his streets, Mr Newsom hit back, accusing the president of intentionally inflaming a difficult situation. It leaves Mr Newsom with no choice but to halt his drift Right-ward, said Hank Sheinkopf, a Democratic strategist. 'If not, he loses his entire constituency,' he said. 'In other words, there's a toleration level for moving to the centre, but not when it comes to massive chaos in Los Angeles.' Mr Newsom has put himself at the front of Democrat efforts to examine how they lost the 2024 election so badly. He launched a podcast in March in which he picks the brains of leading figures in Trump world. And Mr Newsom angered liberals with the very first episode, in which he interviewed Charlie Kirk, the controversial Conservative, when he said it was unfair that transgender athletes could compete in women's sport. He also said Democrats simply could not compete with the likes of Mr Trump and Elon Musk when it came to online reach. 'We're toast,' he said. Last month, facing a budget crunch, the telegenic governor back-pedalled on a promise of healthcare for all. He announced a freeze in enrolment for undocumented adults in the state's public health insurance programme. He has also urged cities to ban encampments for homeless people, cracking down on the tent cities that have blighted so much of California. And in January, he thanked Mr Trump for federal help in rebuilding after devastating wildfires that swept through Los Angeles. 'I've been always a hard-headed pragmatist,' he told reporters recently when quizzed about his shifting positions. 'I'm not an ideologue.' That all seems a long time ago after immigration raids around Los Angeles on Friday sparked three days of riots, and an order by Mr Trump to send in 2,000 National Guard troops. Tom Homan, the president's border tsar, threatened to arrest the California governor if he got in the way. 'Come and get me, tough guy,' was Mr Newsom's pithy response on X. After Mr Trump agreed the governor should be arrested, the governor shot back saying it was 'a line we cannot cross as a nation'. Credit: MSNBC He threatened to sue the federal government for its illegal act and called the president a 'stone cold liar' for failing to bring up his plan to send the National Guard when they spoke by telephone. 'There is currently no need for the National Guard to be deployed in Los Angeles and to do so in this unlawful manner and for such lengthy period is a serious breach of state sovereignty that seems intentionally designed to inflame the situation while simultaneously depriving the state from deploying these personnel and resources where they are truly required,' he wrote in a letter. That puts him at the centre of the news headlines, said James Carville, the veteran Democratic strategist and former adviser to Bill Clinton, even if it was too early to say that the party had finally found a national figurehead to oppose Mr Trump. But he said Mr Newsom's full-blooded reaction to Mr Trump and his tsar did not mark a reversal of his shift to the Right, but were compatible with his rejection of progressive totems such as identity politics. 'I don't think we should say we can render a verdict after 48 hours, but his actions have been totally what he would expect,' he said after Mr Trump had 'invaded' his state with troops. At the same time, he added, the crackdown on illegal immigrants remained a popular part of the platform that helped Republicans reclaim the White House last year. That leaves the governor and Democrats with a fine line to straddle: taking on Mr Trump over his decision to send in troops but without being painted as soft on illegal immigration or unrest in the streets. 'I think Trump sees all kinds of trouble on the horizon,' Mr Carville said. 'What he's very good at is just doing something to dominate the news.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
California to sue Trump, Hegseth over National Guard deployment amid anti-ICE riots
California will sue the Trump administration over its decision to activate National Guard soldiers in Los Angeles County over the weekend, the state's Democratic leaders announced on Monday. California Attorney General Rob Bonta claimed in a statement that President Donald Trump abused his authority by invoking a provision of Title 10 that allows the president to mobilize the National Guard if an invasion or rebellion is underway. "President Trump's order calling federalized National Guard troops into Los Angeles – over the objections of the governor and local law enforcement – is unnecessary and counterproductive," Bonta said. Trump Border Czar Responds To Newsom's 'Arrest Me' Challenge Bonta added that there was "no invasion" and "no rebellion" in California, a claim that comes as protests against immigration raids devolved into riots in parts of sprawling Los Angeles County over the weekend. "The president is trying to manufacture chaos and crisis on the ground for his own political ends," Bonta said. Read On The Fox News App Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said in statements Monday that Trump caused the bulk of the rioting because he unnecessarily deployed the military to protect ICE personnel and federal buildings. Local and state police had the situation under control when Trump spurred chaos by issuing his National Guard proclamation, Newsom said. The California attorney general's office said a copy of the complaint against the administration would be available soon. This is a breaking story. Check back for updates. Original article source: California to sue Trump, Hegseth over National Guard deployment amid anti-ICE riots
