California: Leftist groups oppose increasing penalties for soliciting sex with a child
Under current state law, if convicted of the crime of "solicitation involving a minor" for sexual purposes, the penalty carries a maximum of one year in prison. The new rule would have penalties of "2, 3, or 4 years, and a fine not to exceed $25,000."
In the California State Legislature, the battle to advance a law that would increase penalties for child sex trafficking is intensifying, as leftist groups such as Californians for Safety and Justice, the California Public Defenders Association and the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights oppose its approval.
According to the current state law, soliciting a child for sexual purposes is a misdemeanor. The text states that "if you're convicted of solicitation involving a minor, the first-time penalty involves a minimum of two days in a county jail, with a maximum term of one year, and/or a fine of up to $10,000."
Republican state Sen. Shannon Grove is leading the initiative with the SB 1414 to elevate this misdemeanor to a felony:
20230SB1414_99 by Veronica Silveri
Similar efforts have failed since 2014
According to Grove, in statements to KCRA 3, her motivation to pursue traffickers stems from conversations he has had with survivors of sex trafficking.
However, Grove is not only facing radical left-wing groups that do not want the bill to go forward, she is also fighting resistance from other progressive lawmakers who refuse to increase prison sentences. This is not the first time a similar bill has been introduced in the California State Legislature. Other proposed measures with the same purpose have failed since 2014.