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SACRAMENTO — Despite California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s objections,
Democratic state lawmakers on Thursday approved changes to a bill that
removed tougher penalties for soliciting 16- or 17-year-olds for sex on Thursday.

The controversial action came after a heated debate on the floor of the Assembly, peppered with literal finger-pointing and shouting, with
Republicans accusing Democrats of being soft on sex offenders and
Republicans coming under fire for playing politics. After days of
criticism, Democrats pledged to continue working on the issue this year.

“It’s crazy. Why? Somebody on this floor, give me an example. Give me
one good reason why we should treat [16- and 17-year-olds] differently.
You can’t,” Republican minority leader James Gallagher (R-Yuba City)
said Thursday.

Current law allows the offense of soliciting a minor under the age of 16
for sex to be punishable as a misdemeanor or a felony on the first
offense and as a felony on subsequent offenses.

The bill, AB 379, included a provision that would extend the same
punishment to suspects who solicited 16- and 17- year-olds. On Thursday,
the Democratic-led Assembly approved an amendment adopted by a committee earlier in the week that removed that provision. Democrats also added
language to the bill that said it was the Legislature’s “intent” to strengthen protections for older teens, which does not affect how the
charge of soliciting minors will be prosecuted. The amendment also
removed the name of the original author of the bill, Assemblymember
Maggy Krell (D-Sacramento). The proposed legislation remains pending in
the Assembly.

Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) did not speak during the debate, but circulated a statement throwing his “full support” behind the
amendments.

This marks the second year in a row that Democrats in the Legislature
have refused to extend felony charges to soliciting older teens. The
effort to scrap the provision to stiffen penalties drew sweeping
criticism from the governor and on social media. Newsom this week said
the law should treat all sex predators who solicit minors the same — as
a felony.

“What a sad state of affairs it is when Governor Gavin Newsom has to be
the voice of reason,” Assemblymember Josh Hoover (R-Folsom) said
Thursday morning.

Assemblymember and public safety chair Nick Schultz (D-Burbank) pointed
to concerns that enhanced punishments could be used to target children
in LGBT or interracial relationships that their families disapprove of, although it was unclear how common those cases are seen. Schultz pledged
to continue to working on adopting harsher penalties this year.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-05-01/democrats-double-down -against-newsom-remove-felony-penalty-from-minor-solicitation-bill

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