California state lawmakers sparked pushback from their Democratic governor on Tuesday after blocking a proposed policy allowing harsher punishments for child sex traffickers.
The State Assembly’s Democrat-controlled Public Safety Committee rejected a policy making it a felony to purchase 16 and 17-year-olds for sex. Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office spoke out in support of the bill shortly after — marking the third time Newsom has stood against some in his party pushing a degree of leniency on human trafficking.
“The law should treat all sex predators who solicit minors the same — as a felony, regardless of the intended victim’s age. Full stop,” Newsom’s office told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Democratic Assemblymember Maggy Krell introduced the bill, which would require automatic felonies for trafficking 16 and 17-year-olds instead of allowing prosecutors to choose between a felony and a misdemeanor. Legislators opposed the trafficking portion of the bill while advancing a provision that would criminalize loitering with the intent to buy sex.
Democrats raised concerns in a Tuesday hearing that the trafficking charge could be used unfairly against LGBTQ people and those in interracial relationships, Politico reported. Public Safety Committee Chair Nick Schultz called human trafficking a “tricky issue for the Democratic caucus” after the hearing.
“We have to talk about sexual exploitation in our communities, getting tough on it and ensuring that we are detecting and deterring that sort of conduct,” Schultz said. “But we also have to have smarter, more balanced policy solutions.”
The legislature will reportedly hold a hearing to consider Krell’s language on child trafficking in the fall.
Schultz and Krell did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the DCNF. (RELATED: Blue State Bill Targeting ‘Misgendering’ Could Be Barreling Toward Free Speech Fight, Legal Experts Say)
Gavin Newsom speaks onstage during the Vogue World: Hollywood Press Announcement at Chateau Marmont on March 26, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
California has some of the highest rates of human trafficking cases in the world as of 2023 data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline. Newsom previously advocated for bills in 2023 and 2024 expanding punishments for child sex traffickers after state lawmakers were hesitant to pass them.
“Governor Newsom’s position on this issue has been consistent and clear: Because of a law the Governor signed in 2023, sex trafficking of minors was made a strikable felony offense,” a Newsom spokesperson told the DCNF. A “strikable” crime is one that falls under California’s three-strikes law that boosts sentences for those who commit three such crimes.
The spokesperson also highlighted that Newsom signed a law in September making it easier for prosecutors to charge child traffickers with felonies.
Newsom has recently been the subject of speculation about whether he will run for president in 2028 and walked back his support for men playing in women’s sports in March, saying Democrats are out of touch with Americans on the topic.
“It is an issue of fairness, it’s deeply unfair,” Newsom said in a podcast interview.
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