Compiled from CalMatters reports and news releases
In the state Legislature, an open rebellion sometimes does wonders.
On May 1, Assemblywoman Maggy Krell, a first-year Sacramento Democrat, publicly defied Democratic leaders in attempting to pass harsher penalties for soliciting sex from 16- and 17-year-olds. Joined by some moderate Democrats and Republicans, the fight laid bare the splinters among Democrats and forced Assembly leaders into damage control mode.
The end result? An overwhelming Assembly vote on Thursday to raise penalties for teen sex solicitation, with no votes in opposition.
The measure — amended after a weeklong negotiation between Krell and Assembly Democratic leaders — would allow prosecutors to charge someone soliciting sex from a child more than three years younger than them with a felony. It would also increase the fines on businesses and hotels for facilitating or shielding sex trafficking activities and require the Office of Emergency Services to fund up to 11 district attorneys’ efforts to prosecute human trafficking.
It was a victory lap for Republicans, who have long fought to enhance punishments for child sex trafficking and solicitation. During a Thursday press conference after the Assembly’s 74-0 passage of Assembly Bill 379, they urged Senate Democrats, who will consider the measure next, to leave it intact.
Assemblyman Carl DeMaio of San Diego said: “Don’t you dare water down a word in AB 379 as passed today. We will not tolerate any weakening of the tools that law enforcement needs to protect these children.”
It is unclear how Senate Democrats will respond. Last year, Senate Democrats removed provisions from a Republican-backed proposal that would have applied harsher penalties to soliciting 16- and 17-year-olds — the same provisions that Krell fought for this year.
Krell, who was stripped off of the bill as a principal author after her defiance, told CalMatters she is thankful to others for cooperating.
Her takeaway after all this drama?
Krell: “I’m easy to work with, hard to f—k with.”
Schiavo speaks in favor of revised bill
Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, testified Thursday in favor of the re-amended version of the bill that would ultimately be passed by the Assembly.
Schiavo, whose district includes most of the Santa Clarita Valley, was among the majority Democrats who voted May 1 to reject Republican attempts to re-insert the felony provisions that the Assembly Public Safety Committee had stripped out of the bill. She then voted in favor of the bill when it came back to the Assembly floor on Thursday with a version of the felony provisions restored.
Schiavo’s office issued a news release quoting from the assemblywoman’s floor speech preceding Thursday’s vote:
“As a child, I was a victim of sexual assault. I faced my predator in court and put him behind bars when I was not yet a teen. This experience continues to shape my views and actions when it comes to protecting children and victims of crime, and is one of the reasons I will always stand on the side of creating more support for victims and stronger penalties for predators — especially those who target children and minors.
“To be clear, I was in support of this bill in its original form, as I made clear to the original author when we first spoke about her bill at the beginning of the year. It should never be legal to buy a minor for sex — and that is exactly what we are united around today. And that’s why I have consistently supported making this bill as strong as possible, to ensure we protect 16- and 17-year-olds — who are truly still just kids.”
In addition to creating a new felony targeting predators, Schiavo’s release said, the bill also gives law enforcement more tools to tackle the human trafficking crisis by allowing them to intervene and investigate human trafficking cases before it’s too late. The bill also establishes a first-of-its-kind fund to help victims.
GOP credits public pressure for restoring felony provisions
The Assembly Republican caucus issued a news release saying the bill “received bipartisan support after Republicans led a successful effort to restore critical felony penalties that had been removed in committee.”
“Thanks to the leadership of Assemblywoman Maggy Krell, D-Sacramento, and weeks of public pressure from survivors, law enforcement, and Republican legislators, the bill now reflects its original intent to hold predators accountable and protect vulnerable youth,” the Republicans’ release said.
“Thank you to Assemblywoman Maggy Krell for her steadfast dedication to protecting children from these monsters. I am so happy the bill has been restored to its original language,” Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher, of East Nicolaus, said in the release.
Anna Berry, from Crime Victims United, said in the GOP release that the AB 379 drama serves as a reminder for legislators.
“Californians are watching every day,” Berry said in the release. “Lawmakers must decide whether they stand with families and survivors, or with criminals that hurt them and threaten public safety.”
AB 379 now moves to the Senate Public Safety Committee, where similar protections were removed from last year’s Senate Bill 1414.
