GOP Pressure Forces California Dems to Reinstate Felony for Buying Teen Sex [WATCH]

California Assembly Democrats announced Tuesday that they will restore a key provision to Assembly Bill 379, making it a felony to purchase or solicit sex from 16 and 17-year-olds, following a wave of bipartisan criticism and a high-profile ad campaign led by the California Republican Party.

Assemblymember Maggy Krell (D-Sacramento), a former prosecutor with extensive experience handling sex crimes and human trafficking cases, originally authored AB 379 with the goal of strengthening penalties against individuals who attempt to purchase sex from minors. The bill initially had bipartisan support.

However, the bill’s trajectory changed in recent weeks when Assembly Public Safety Committee Chairman Nick Schultz (D-Burbank) and other Democratic leaders removed Krell’s name from the legislation and stripped the felony language from the bill.

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Instead, the revised bill included more general language about protecting victims of sex trafficking, prompting backlash from advocates and lawmakers across party lines.

Republicans in the state legislature criticized the move, arguing it weakened protections for minors and sent the wrong message to traffickers and offenders.

The California GOP launched a targeted ad campaign, with videos featuring teenage girls accusing Democratic lawmakers of blocking legislation that would have protected them.

The ads named eight Democratic Assembly members, including Rhodesia Ransom (Stockton), Esmeralda Soria (Merced), Pilar Schiavo (Santa Clarita), Jacqui Irwin (Thousand Oaks), Mark González (Los Angeles), Corey Jackson (Moreno Valley), Sharon Quirk-Silva (La Palma), and Darshana Patel (San Diego). Many of those lawmakers represent swing or competitive districts.

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The ads, first reported by KCRA 3, were seen as a direct response to the Democratic amendments to AB 379 and were widely shared across social media.

Capitol Correspondent Ashley Zavala reported Tuesday that the pressure from the public and the GOP campaign ultimately led to a shift in strategy by Assembly leadership.

BREAKING: California Republican Party launches video ad campaign featuring teens claiming specific Democratic lawmakers would not protect them.

It’s the latest in the fight over whether it should be a felony in CA to buy teens for sex.

First roll out targets 8 Assemblymembers pic.twitter.com/arQHQEJgZF

— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) May 6, 2025

No more hiding.

Green = voted to protect predators.

Red = voted to protect kids.

This is who stood with traffickers in #caleg #ab379 (Krell) pic.twitter.com/opaSNu8kQY

— California Assembly Republicans (@AsmRepublicans) May 1, 2025

In a joint statement released Tuesday afternoon, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) and Public Safety Chair Nick Schultz confirmed that the original felony language would be reinserted into the bill.

The revised version of AB 379 will again make it a felony offense to solicit or purchase sex from a 16 or 17-year-old.

There is one exception: adults who are within three years of the minor’s age will not be subject to the felony penalty.

In such cases, the offense would remain classified as a misdemeanor.

This condition appears to address concerns about proportionality in sentencing while still reinforcing penalties for older adult offenders.

Additionally, Rivas and Schultz announced that Krell’s name would be restored to the bill she originally sponsored.

Update on #AB379: Goal has always been to hammer the creeps who are buying teens for sex and create more support for victims. New version accomplishes these goals, and makes it a felony for a grown man to buy a child for sex. I appreciate everyone’s work on this bill,…

— Maggy Krell (@maggykrell) May 6, 2025

The move marked a full reversal of the changes made the previous week.

AB 379 is part of a broader effort to increase consequences for individuals who fuel the demand side of child sex trafficking.

Lawmakers and advocates on both sides of the aisle have been pushing for stronger deterrents and harsher penalties for those who target minors in the commercial sex trade.

Assembly Republicans have indicated they plan to keep up the pressure on this and related issues.

The ad campaign was viewed as instrumental in shifting the legislative momentum and forcing a public reexamination of the bill’s changes.

The final version of AB 379, with the reinstated felony provision and age-gap exception, will now continue through the legislative process.

CA Dems: 21 is too young to handle a firearm, your 2A right be damned.

Also CA Dems: we want to be able to solicit sex from 16 yr olds.

They have severely lost their way. https://t.co/LE4pB279Jl

— Los Angeles Republicans (@GOPLosAngeles) May 6, 2025

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