California Dems reject plan to make buying sex from 16-year-olds a felony

According to KCRA, Assemblyman Nick Shultz, the chairman of the Democrats in the state's Assembly Public Safety Committee, said that bill AB 379, which is supposed to crack down on sex trafficking, will go forward on Tuesday without making the purchase of a 16 or 17-year-old for sex a felony. Prosecutors will instead decide if the violations are misdemeanors or felonies.

There has been a debate surrounding the topic for over a year at the state capital, where Democrats have been debating amongst themselves over the issue. In 2023, it was reported that Republican State Senator Shannon Grove introduced a bill to make the trafficking of minors for sex a serious felony, which was later blocked by Democrats on the Assembly Public Safety Committee.

In 2024, a deal was struck between Democrats and Grove to advance the bill, but it would only apply if those minors who were trafficked were under the age of 16 instead of 18. Additionally, the law required that older teens prove they were being trafficked. The 2025 proposal was written by Democratic Assemblymember Maggy Krell, who is supporting Grove in her efforts to make it a felony to purchase 16 and 17-year-olds for sex.

Shultz and Grove told KCRA that the deal, which was made in 2024 and Grove called an "ultimatum," is preventing the bill from moving forward.

"My perspective as chair, there was a carefully crafted deal last year," Shultz said. "We're not saying no, but what we're saying is if we're going to be thoughtful policy makers, we really need to dive deep into this issue." The decision was ultimately up to Shultz to block the effort.

Grove said the fact that the lawmakers will not make it a felony to purchase a 16 or 17-year-old for sex is "completely evil." The move to make it a felony, despite the block from the committee, is supported by some Democrats. Krell, who has spent about 20 years working on sex trafficking cases, said that "it's a disgrace" that the lawmakers will not make it a felony.

"I've been doing this for 20 years, and I'm not going to quit now. And I am going to bring this part of this bill back every year until I get the books to protect children. That's what I'm going to do," Krell added.

She told reporters that the bill was blocked from going on the floor after it was expected that there would be debate on the bill happening Tuesday. "I was told that it was pulled and the only way I could get it back on the agenda is if parts of the bill would be blocked."