California Democrats Block Bill that would make Child Sex Trafficking a Felony

Sacramento, CA – In a controversial move, California Democrats on the Assembly Public Safety Committee blocked Senate Bill 14 (SB 14), which aimed to classify human trafficking of minors as a "serious felony" under state law, potentially subjecting repeat offenders to longer prison sentences under California’s Three Strikes law. The decision, made on July 11, 2023, sparked widespread outrage and highlighted tensions within the Democratic Party over criminal justice reform and public safety priorities.

SB 14, authored by Republican State Senator Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield), sought to address what advocates describe as lenient penalties for child sex trafficking in California, a state identified as a major hub for human trafficking. The bill proposed adding the trafficking of minors for commercial sex acts to the list of serious felonies, which could lead to sentences of 25 years to life for those convicted of three serious felonies. The measure had passed unanimously in the state Senate with bipartisan support earlier in 2023, but stalled in the Assembly when all six Democrats on the Public Safety Committee abstained from voting, effectively halting its progress. The two Republican members, Assemblymen Juan Alanis and Tom Lackey, voted in favor.

The committee’s decision drew immediate backlash from lawmakers, advocates, and the public. Human trafficking survivors and supporters in the audience reportedly shouted, “You’re horrible!” and “You should be ashamed of yourselves!” as victims embraced and sobbed at the dais. Senator Grove expressed shock, noting that she had already narrowed the bill’s scope to focus solely on repeat offenders to address concerns from more progressive legislators. “You can rob a bank or commit arson, and that’s a serious felony, but trafficking a minor child in California is not?” Grove said in an interview.

Opponents of the bill, including Assembly Majority Leader Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles), argued that longer prison sentences do not effectively deter crime and could exacerbate mass incarceration, particularly among marginalized communities. “All [longer sentences] do is increase our investment in systems of harm and subjugation at the expense of the investments that communities need to not have this be a problem to begin with,” Bryan said during the hearing. Critics also raised concerns that the bill could inadvertently penalize trafficking victims, who are sometimes coerced into roles that could be prosecuted as trafficking-related offenses.

The decision reignited debates over California’s criminal justice reforms, particularly Proposition 57, passed in 2016, which reclassified certain crimes, including human trafficking, as “non-serious,” allowing for early parole eligibility. Six bills introduced between 2018 and 2019 to address flaws in Proposition 57 were also killed by Democrats, often in the same Public Safety Committee.

Public outcry and pressure from high-profile figures, including Governor Gavin Newsom, prompted the committee to reconsider the bill just two days later, on July 13, 2023. In an emergency meeting, four Democrats joined the two Republicans to advance SB 14 to the Assembly Appropriations Committee with a 6-0 vote, though two Democrats, including Bryan, abstained. Newsom, who expressed surprise at the initial vote, intervened by contacting Grove and publicly supporting the bill, a rare move against members of his own party.

The bill faced further scrutiny in the Appropriations Committee, where progressive Democrats secured amendments to exempt trafficking victims from the serious felony provision, addressing concerns about victim prosecution. On September 1, 2023, the amended bill passed the committee, and it was later approved unanimously by both the Assembly and Senate. Governor Newsom signed SB 14 into law on September 25, 2023, with the new penalties taking effect on January 1, 2024.

The saga of SB 14 exposed deep divisions among California Democrats, pitting progressive advocates of criminal justice reform against those prioritizing harsher penalties for crimes against children. While the bill’s passage was hailed as a victory by advocates like Debra Rush, a survivor and founder of Breaking the Chains, critics like Natasha Minsker of Smart Justice California argued that it fails to address the root causes of trafficking or provide adequate support for victims.

California remains a focal point for human trafficking, consistently ranking first in the nation for reported cases, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. The California Attorney General’s office describes the crime as “modern-day slavery” and a $150 billion global industry. As the state grapples with balancing punishment and prevention, the debate over SB 14 underscores the complex interplay of policy, politics, and public pressure in addressing one of society’s most heinous crimes.

Sources:

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