California lawmakers revived a bill to enact harsher punishments for child sex traffickers after Democrats blocked it earlier in the week, prompting intervention by Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leadership.
Members of the Assembly Public Safety Committee voted to advance Senate Bill 14 from Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, in an emergency meeting Democratic leaders called during a dramatic floor session Thursday. The measure now goes to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, its last stop before the full body will consider it.
The bill would classify child sex trafficking as a serious felony, making it a strike under California’s “three strikes” law. The controversial sentencing system adds significant prison time for those repeatedly convicted of crimes listed as serious felonies.
Four Democrats and two Republicans on the committee voted in favor of SB 14. Two Democratic Assembly members, Isaac Bryan of Los Angeles and Mia Bonta of Oakland, did not vote on the measure.
The result is a major reversal from Tuesday’s Public Safety Committee hearing, when SB 14 failed after all six Democrats chose not to vote on it. The outcome appeared to kill Grove’s bill for the year, as lawmakers approached a Friday deadline to pass their bills out of policy committees.
But Republican protest and intervention from Newsom and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, prompted a last-minute committee meeting that allowed the bill to move forward.
Public Safety Committee reverses course
Committee Chair Reggie Jones-Sawyer, D-Los Angeles, kept the meeting vote-only, foregoing the usual bill presentation and member discussion.
Jones-Sawyer was among the Democrats who supported the bill, practically yelling his vote when the time came to cast it. Thursday marks the second time this year Jones-Sawyer has reversed course and held a special meeting after refusing to hear bills or blocking them.
During the spring, dissent from Republicans and moderate Democrats also prompted Jones-Sawyer to hear a series of fentanyl-related bills he opposed.
The committee chair told reporters after the meeting he was able to get some of his questions answered during a Wednesday meeting with Grove. He made a commitment to “do everything in my power to get (SB 14) on the governor’s desk,” as long as the senator addresses some lingering issues.
Jones-Sawyer said he wants to avoid penalizing minors involved in sex trafficking. The committee chair also fears the “unintended consequences” of disproportionately arresting people of color, and he continued to express concern about adding another crime to the three-strikes list.
“It’s now moved it to another place,” Jones-Sawyer said. “And we’re going to continue to work on getting it to a place where everybody’s happy.”
Debate causes Capitol tumult
The debate over SB 14 roiled the state Capitol in the final days before the Legislature departs for a month-long summer recess.
Bryan, the Assembly majority leader, called for the special Public Safety Committee meeting during the body’s final Thursday floor session before the break. At the same time, Minority Floor Leader Heath Flora, R-Modesto, made a failed attempt to circumvent the committee entirely and force the full Assembly to vote on SB 14.
“Colleagues, today we have a choice to make,” Flora said. “You can choose a team: pick pedophiles or children.”
Byran quickly and forcefully objected to Flora’s statement, saying he was disparaging members of the Assembly by implying they support human trafficking.
Criminal justice reform advocates continue to oppose SB 14. Organizations like Smart Justice California say strict penalties already exist for human trafficking, and expanding the three-strikes law hurts people of color while failing to prevent crime.
Bryan echoed these points on Twitter after the committee hearing.
“We can and must do more to affirm, protect and support survivors with all of our civic resources,” he said. “Including those beyond the criminal legal system.”
Jones-Sawyer said he was disturbed women on the committee received death threats over their stances on the bill after Tuesday’s hearing.
“The kind of Trumpian hate that was vilified on members of the Democratic Party, which has done a tremendous amount of work in this space, is just wrong,” he said. “And we shouldn’t be playing politics. We should be coming together to move this forward.”
Republicans celebrate bill advancement
Grove and her Republican allies celebrated the vote, saying it was a win for law and order in California.
When asked if she would consider amendments to the bill, Grove said it passed off the Senate floor and the Assembly Public Safety Committee in its current form.
“There’s no reason to accept amendments,” she said. “This bill is very narrowly tailored to only affect those individuals that traffic minors and have a repeat offense.”
Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher of Yuba City claimed the bill’s advancement as a victory for Republicans’ public safety agenda.
“When you stand up for what is right for the people of the state, people will come along,” Gallagher said. “We showed that with fentanyl this year. And the progress we’ve seen on fentanyl, I think, is due to this Republican caucus in both houses pushing the envelope. And we brought along other Democrats.”
SB 14 now heads to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, which will hear the measure after the Legislature returns from its summer recess on Aug. 14.
This story was originally published July 13, 2023 2:32 PM.
