Why do California Democrats balk at throwing the book at adults who solicit sex from children?
Last year, Democrats passed a bill pushed by Republicans that made it a felony to solicit all minors for sex. The Democratic supermajority carved out an exemption for 15- and 16-year-olds. That they think there’s a difference in the maturity of a 15- and 16-year-old is hard to fathom, but they must have felt the current penalty of two days to one year in jail for soliciting was sufficient. Their excuse was that some 16- and 17-year-olds are in “consenting relationships.” I’m sure their pimps appreciate that.
Soliciting for sex involves asking for or arranging sex in exchange for money or something valuable. Having sex with a minor and paying for it are still felonies.
This year, there was a bipartisan effort to close the age loophole in the solicitation bill. Assembly Bill 379, a bipartisan bill from Assemblywoman Maggy Krell and state Sen. Shannon Grove, would have made it a felony punishable by three years in jail to solicit sex from a minor of any age.
Once again, Democrats stepped in to make the state safe for pimps and other lowlifes who solicit sex with children.
However, Assembly Public Safety Chairman Nick Schultz has instead opted “to host info hearings on the issue in the fall” as Democratic legislators voted to forcefully gut the bill against Krell’s wishes to remove the provision making it a felony to purchase sex from all minors.
Republicans responded by proposing a “hostile” amendment to restore the provision, which Krell officially endorsed, saying she does not consider the restoration amendment “hostile” and would be voting to support it.
In one notable exchange on the Assembly floor session on AB 379, Assemblyman Mark Gonzalez took aim at Assemblyman Carl DeMaio for his support of making it a felony to buy sex from children.
“SB 357, which this bill is trying to fix, legalized loitering for the purpose of sex work and prostitution. Why? Because somehow it was spun as anti-LGBT to try and enforce laws against sex trafficking,” DeMaio said on the Assembly floor. “I will tell you as a gay Republican it is offensive, and a supermajority of the gay community disavow the LGBTQ caucus claiming that somehow this bill is anti-gay. It’s offensive to use the gay community as window dressing for sex trafficking.”
Democrats thought that legalizing loitering would keep child prostitutes out of jail and make sex work more legitimate. Go figure.
Some Democrats will find any justification, no matter how weak, to allow the libertines free rein. California wouldn’t be California unless people could be absolutely free to do absolutely anything they want, no matter how sick, perverted, or unnatural it is.
San Francisco Democrat Sen. Scott Wiener wrote: “Sending an 18-year-old high school senior to state prison for offering his 17-year-old classmate $20 to fool around isn’t smart criminal justice policy.”
Gee, I dunno. Sounds about right to me.
Governor Gavin Newsom has come out in support of the bill, an unusual move for a governor who has a “hands-off” policy when it comes to allowing the Democratic crazies in the legislature free rein.
It didn’t help.
The Republican effort failed on the Assembly floor Thursday, though it did garner some support from Democrats, like Bains. And it forced Democrats into a defensive mode.
They inserted language into the bill expressing their “intent” to address the question of older teens, and continue debating the matter in future hearings this year. Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas also stripped Krell’s name from the bill and wrote in two Democratic co-authors, Assembly Public Safety Chair Nick Schultz and Elk Grove Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen, a moderate Democrat.
Schultz, a Burbank Democrat, said he plans to hold informational hearings on the issue and hopes to pass some form of amended bill this fall. The bill, without the higher penalties for soliciting older teens, is headed to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Great idea. Let’s hold a hearing and find out whether it’s a bad thing that a 16-year-old is solicited for sex.
There really are times I wish most of California would detach itself from the mainland and slide into the Pacific Ocean.
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