Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill on Wednesday, increasing fines for some offenders who sexually solicited 16 and 17-year-olds.
The new law allows prosecutors to charge suspects at least three years older than minors seeking sexual solicitation on a felony, rather than a misdemeanor of the first offence, as they are often referred to as “woblers” because of the prosecutor’s discretion. This provision targets the old “Johns” and avoids filing felony charges against all young offenders.
All minors under the age of 16 and 18 victims of human trafficking are already considered cases of wobbling under existing law.
The bill, AB 379, came across a controversy in the spring when Democrats forced an amendment to the Commission’s Maggie Cler (D-Sacramento) bill, claiming that prosecutors could choose whether to claim the offender for the first crime or commit a crime.
Newsom joined the Republican chorus and public pushbacks to change. This is a rare move before the bill hits his desk. “The law should treat all sexual predators that invite minors in the same way, regardless of the intended age of the victim,” Newsmu said in a statement. “Full stop.”
Democrats have other concerns about the provisions of the new law that makes commercial sex a misdemeanor with intent to purchase, claiming it could potentially be used to target minorities and the poor.
“When the law is vague, they’re ripe for profiling,” said Deputy Lashae Sharp Collin, D-San Diego, when the bill passed legislature in May after lawmakers signed a contract to add a three-year provision.
The new law also creates a Survivor Support Fund that is supported by an increase in fines for offenders and hoteliers who have not reported sex trafficking on the premises.
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