SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Republicans will try to force a legislative vote Thursday on a policy to increase penalties for soliciting and buying sex from 16- and 17-year-olds, an issue that’s caused friction among Democrats and prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom to weigh in.
It’s the latest example of the split among Democrats over how best to crack down on crime and punish criminals. Some moderate Democrats want to see harsher punishments to protect more children, while others say the measure could disproportionately criminalize nonwhite and LGBTQ+ communities. Newsom often declines to weigh in on pending legislation but has stepped in over the years to advance child trafficking measures.
“The law should treat all sex predators who solicit minors the same — as a felony, regardless of the intended victim’s age. Full stop,” his office said in a statement.
Assemblymember Maggy Krell, a Democrat with a prosecutorial background, wanted to expand a law Newsom signed last year to make it an automatic felony for those who solicit and buy older teenagers for sex, among other things. The current law, which makes it a felony if the victims were under 16, doesn’t go far enough and leaves a loophole for older teens, supporters of the measure said.
Democrats in the Assembly public safety committee this week said they worried the new law could be misused by parents to target older teens in interracial and LGBTQ+ relationships disapproved by the parents. They advanced Krell’s bill this week without the provision for older teens.
Democrats in the Senate last year rejected a similar effort to increase penalties for soliciting older teens.
Republicans are seizing the moment to rail on Democrats’ agenda, accusing them of protecting predators and being out of touch with voters. They plan to force a vote on the Assembly floor Thursday to pass the provision making it a felony to solicit older teens.
“These are girls, and these are people that our society should be doing everything they can to protect,” Republican Assemblymember Tom Lackey said at a hearing this week. “So why are we protecting the predator?”
First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and Christine Pelosi, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s daughter, have taken to social media in support of the proposal.
“As a mom of a 16-year-old child, I 100% believe it should be a felony to purchase one,” Christine Pelosi said in a post on the social platform X directed at Democratic lawmakers. “In what world do you think voters will trust a party that considers buying a 16-year-old to be ‘only’ a misdemeanor?”
Assembly public safety chair Nick Schultz said that it’s already a felony in California to contact a minor for sex. The proposal would have added another tool for law enforcement to enhance sentences.
Schultz said he’s now planning to bring the measure back next year after lawmakers have a chance to gather more feedback in the fall.
“Our goal is to come back early next year with a bill that does close the gap,” Schultz said. “I am committed to doing this the right way.”
