REGION — A small faction of state Assembly Democrats caused a firestorm last week after killing a bill redefining human trafficking as a “serious felony.”
After Senate Bill 14 was killed on July 11 in the Assembly’s Public Safety Committee, social media exploded with a range of accusations against Democrats, from protecting traffickers and supporting pedophilia to failing to use common sense to address a bipartisan issue.
At least one Democrat member of the Assembly Public Safety Committee reported receiving a death threat, according to a report by CalMatters.
The bill, making human trafficking of a minor (age 0-17) a serious felony and treated as a strike under the state’s three strikes law, was brought back on July 13 when Assemblyman Heath Flora (R-Ripon) called for a vote on the Assembly floor. The Democrats defeated the bill 43-17.
The California Assembly subsequently voted on July 13 to return the bill to the Public Safety Committee, where it passed on a 6-2 vote, with Assemblyman Isaac Bryan (D-Culver City), the Democratic majority leader, and Assemblywoman Mia Bonta (D-Oakland), wife of state Attorney General Rob Bonta, abstaining.
The bill was authored by Assemblywoman Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) with a bipartisan coalition of more than 30 co-authors. After the July 13 hearing, the total of coauthors grew to 50. In the state Senate, Grove’s bill sailed through committees and the floor with bipartisan approval.
During a July 12 press conference, Grove said she received a call from Gov. Gavin Newsom, who expressed shock and dismay over the committee’s action. Two years earlier, Grove introduced a broader bill regarding human trafficking, SB 1042, which failed to pass through the legislature.
“This is a bill with strong bipartisan support, and protecting victims of child sex trafficking should not be a partisan issue,” Grove said at the press conference. “Today is a victory for every survivor. However, the battle is not over — SB 14 must still go through the Assembly Appropriations Committee when legislators return from Summer recess. I believe most Assembly Democrats want to vote for this bill if they are given a chance, and I am hopeful we can succeed in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.”
The California Legislature is currently in recess, and the Assembly Appropriations Committee is scheduled to take up the bill when the session reconvenes on Aug. 14.
Currently, child trafficking carries a sentence between five to 12 years in prison and a $500,00 fine for a first offense, with penalties increasing up to life in prison if the crime involves violence, coercion, fear or threats.
Under California’s three strikes law — which currently includes the crimes of murder, attempted murder, rape, sodomy by force, arson, bank robbery and first-degree burglary — penalties increase significantly.
The California Assembly Democrats’ posted a since-deleted tweet on July 12 after the controversial vote: “The current 3 Strikes (sic) model disproportionately affects Black, Indigenous & (sic) People of Color communities, so any bill that builds on this system needs to ensure equity & (sic) that unforeseen consequences do not lead to trafficked children being punished under the law.”
Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles) explained his abstention by saying on Twitter, “The people most vulnerable to being charged with trafficking are the victims of trafficking themselves. Charges are used to leverage their cooperation in prosecution, and their survivor status is erased, with many currently incarcerated in youth and adult prisons.
On July 13, Assemblywoman Liz Ortega reversed course, tweeting that she made a “bad decision” regarding her abstaining from the July 11 vote, thus helping kill the bill.
“Voting against legislation targeting really bad people who traffic children was wrong,” Ortega later said. “I regret doing that and I am going to help get this important legislation passed into law.”
Denise Aguilar, a co-founder of Freedom Angels, responded to Ortega on Twitter.
“I’m glad to hear you have changed your position after we spoke to you yesterday (July 12) when you told us to our face there’s enough punishment for child traffickers,” Aguilar said.
Flora’s call for a vote on the Assembly floor was met with pushback as Democrats said the bill may not be fully funded without going through the Appropriations Committee.
“I’m calling on us to do what is right,” Flora said on July 13. “What kind of signal are we sending … if we can’t pass a bill to hold traffickers accountable. You can choose a team. Pick pedophiles or children.”
