California Dems find common ground on sex trafficking after public blow-ups
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas' office told POLITICO exclusively Tuesday morning that he had reached a deal to amend
AB 379
so it would allow prosecutors to charge felonies for soliciting older teens. The agreement resulted from negotiations with Public Safety Committee Chair Nick Schultz and Assemblymember Maggy Krell, a former prosecutor and first-term Democratic lawmaker who introduced the original legislation.
The updated bill would also prohibit prosecutors from applying felony charges if the accused is within three years of the victim's age — a provision meant to address concerns from progressive Democrats that the bill could unfairly ensnare people closer in age to potential victims. Purchasing sex with a minor would remain illegal, but it would be a lower-level crime.
'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,' Krell said in a statement. 'I appreciate everyone's work on this bill, especially the survivors who won't give up.'
The fight over whether to add older teen victims to
a new soliciting law
created an uproar in the Assembly, dividing Democrats and giving campaign fodder to Republicans. Progressive lawmakers opposed the expansion, wary of increasing criminal penalties; some argued it would allow parents upset about LGBTQ and interracial relationships to weaponize the law.
Krell fanned the flames last week as she joined with Republicans to
force an Assembly floor vote
to reinstate the portion of the bill applying to 16- and 17-year-old victims that had previously been removed. This led Rivas to take Krell's name off the legislation. Democrats then voted to add amendments promising to add unspecified protections for 16- and 17-year-olds to the bill.
The floor snafu allowed a sex-trafficking discussion that gave Republicans carte blanche to hit Democrats on the issue — which has long been a losing one for the party.
The Assembly Appropriations Committee will consider the changes Wednesday.
'I am grateful for the leadership of Speaker Rivas, Assemblymember Nguyen and others who have worked tirelessly the last few days to secure a Democratic solution that strengthens California's existing laws and penalties,' Schultz said in a statement.
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