Senator Shannon Grove gives speech on April 25, 2023 (Photo: sen.ca.gov)
California Assembly Democrats Block Bill to Fight Sex Trafficking of Minors
‘Trafficked children on Figueroa Street and across California will continue to be raped and victimized until Assembly Democrats take action’
By Katy Grimes, July 12, 2023 11:28 am
UPDATE below: A bill to make sex trafficking a felony once again in California was blocked Tuesday in the Assembly Public Safety Committee by Democrats, after passing unanimously in the Senate.
Currently human trafficking is defined as a “non-serious” crime which means the act of human trafficking cannot be considered a strike under California’s Three Strikes law.
Six proposed bills in 2018-19 would have corrected unclear language and serious flaws in Proposition 57, passed in 2016 by voters, which reclassified many serious heinous crimes as “non-serious.” The initiative specified early parole for persons who committed non-violent offenses. However, the initiative never specified what is considered a non-violent felony.
But all 6 bills were killed by Democrats. Ironically, most of the bills were killed in Assembly or Senate Public Safety committees, just as SB 14 was.
Human trafficking involving a minor, assault with a deadly weapon, solicitation of murder, rape under various specified circumstances, grand theft of a firearm, elder and dependent adult abuse, were considered “non-violent” crimes under Prop. 57.
Senate Bill 14 by Senator Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) was voted down in the Assembly Public Safety Committee with 6 Democrats abstaining and 2 Republicans voting “aye”… that means Democrats wouldn’t even commit to a “no” vote lest it look bad during reelection time.
SB 14 would have included sex trafficking of minors in the lists of crimes that are defined as serious under California law, making the crime a strike under the Three Strikes law, and would help strengthen protections for the millions of victims of sex trafficking.
“After passing the Senate with a unanimous, bipartisan vote, I had hoped Democrats on the Assembly Public Safety Committee, led by Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), would agree to make sex trafficking of a minor a serious felony,” Sen. Grove said. “I am profoundly disappointed that committee Democrats couldn’t bring themselves to support the bill, with their stubborn and misguided objection to any penalty increase regardless of how heinous the crime.”
Sen. Grove’s fact sheet on SB 14 goes into more detail:
California consistently ranks number one in the nation in the number of human trafficking cases reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. The California Attorney General notes that California is one of the largest sites for human trafficking in the United States, recognizes the serious nature of this crime, and has defined it as “modern day slavery.” “Human trafficking is among the world’s fastest growing criminal enterprises and is estimated to be a $150 billion-a-year global industry. It is a form of modern day slavery that profits from the exploitation of our most vulnerable populations.”(https://oag.ca.gov/human-trafficking).
“Human trafficking of children is a growing tragedy that disproportionately targets minority girls, and California is a hotbed because of our lenient penalties,” Sen. Grove said after Tuesday’s hearing. “The sad reality is that trafficked children on Figueroa Street and across California will continue to be raped and victimized until Assembly Democrats take action. Since the bill was granted reconsideration, I will continue to work with the committee and fight for Californians who are outraged by their decision.”
The bipartisan measure is coauthored by 34 members of the Legislature. SB 14 is supported by a large coalition of human trafficking survivors, advocates, local, national and international organizations. Click here for the full list.
UPDATE: Senator Grove held a Zoom conference Wednesday afternoon, updating media after having talks with Assembly Public Safety Chairman Jones Sawyer, and Gov. Gavin Newsom. Sen. Grove said the governor was also disappointed with the Public Safety Committee, and said he would help with the bill.
Sen. Grove answered questions from media:
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Hope Republicans scream this loud – its the DEMOCRATS THAT WANT CHILD TRAFFICKING and use this as the example regardless of them staying out to vote their silence on it is just like a no vote. Give them back some of their Alinsky methods
I am SO with you, Orwellianism. This is INFURIATING. Repubs need to run on it and scream bloody murder.
At this point I have to wonder if the democrats even have a soul at this point!
If they cannot cross the aisle and vote with the republicans to stop human trafficking primarily children then they are devoid of humanity. This should have been a slam dunk!
Notice I did not capitalize the political parties, they have lost all of my respect, with the exception of some outstanding people such as State Senator Shannon Grove.
The United States is the number one purveyor of sex trafficking. The democrats are essentailly protecting those who partake and are further damaging the youth that they have an obligation to protect! America We Have A Problem.
Disgusting!
Matthew 18:6
“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of [a]offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!
“Human trafficking of children is a growing tragedy that disproportionately targets minority girls….”
I think I know the solution-
Just add the word ‘TRANS.
The democrats will gladly support a bill to protect TRANS girls.
“Human trafficking of children is a growing tragedy that disproportionately targets TRANS girls”
“DOJ Removes ‘International Sex Trafficking of Minors’ From Areas of Concern”
The timing of this CA Democrats’ blocking is not a coincidence. Definitely a coordinated effort with the DOJ: https://www.oann.com/newsroom/doj-removes-international-sex-trafficking-of-minors-from-areas-of-concern/
This is technically correct. They removed the word minor and not it says CHILD. Your statement feels as if it were written to be misleading and the article you linked is clearly intended to mislead for those who won’t do their own research.
justice.gov/criminal-ceos/child-sex-trafficking
California Democrats wants to pay “reparations” for slavery that ended 158 years ago and never occurred in California yet the Democrats do not want to define “modern say slavery” – that is sex trafficking of minors – as a “serious crime” – to me this is more proof the Democrats want to destroy California by allowing crime to run rampant while at the same time try as hard as possible to make it impossible to defend yourself against such crimes…
Very well said, Gary !
The true motives of the democrats has been a hard pill for me to swallow.
I did not want to believe that ANYONE would think themselves so untouchable and their actions are just plain evil.
But, for me, ‘pandemic’ tore back the curtain and revealed the hypocrisy and greed of all our selected ‘representatives’.
We were all forced to just sit back and watch while they gave themselves free reign to dig deep into the big pots of money that they have been lusting after for so long.
Schools, prisons and other public institutions.
It they sit there and kneel for Black Lives Matter and talk about handing out money to people who weren’t even slaves themselves?? Democrats are a joke!!!!
Who were the six evil Democrats in the Assembly Public Safety Committee who abstained and wouldn’t even commit to a “no” vote lest it look bad during reelection time resulting in Senate Bill 14 failing? The six demonic Democrats who refused to stop child trafficking are Mia Bonta (Alameda), Isaac Bryan (Jefferson Park), Reggie Jones-Sawyer (Los Angeles), Liz Ortega (San Leandro), Miguel Santiago (Boyle Heights), and Rick Zbur (Los Angeles).
It’s not surprising that Mia Bonta, wife of AG Rob Bonta, doesn’t want to stop child trafficking? Neither Mia or Rob Bonta are originally from California and they’re both graduates of Yale Law School whose graduates are often known for implementing the WEF globalist agenda. No doubt the criminal Democrat cabal dispatched this deep-state duo to California to destroy the state and make sure that the cartels operate with little interference?
She’s just a ethically challenged as her husband? According to Cal Matters, while he was an assemblyman, Rob Bonta’s foundation gave $25,000 to a nonprofit called Literacy Lab where Mia Bonta at the time was earning a six-figure salary as CEO. It wasn’t the first time Rob Bonta had directed money to an organization connected to Mia Bonta . He donated $2,000 from his campaign funds to a nonprofit called Bring Me a Book when his wife was the executive director there in 2013. Records show he donated $21,000 from his campaign account to Literacy Lab between 2015 and 2019, when she was its CEO. Bonta donated $4,500 from his campaign account to Oakland Promise, the nonprofit Mia Bonta had joined. He’s also helped his wife’s organizations by asking donors to give them money, or facilitating her fundraising efforts. Between 2014 and 2016, state disclosures show, Bonta solicited $517,500 from donors including Google, PG&E and the owner of an Oakland cannabis dispensary to support his wife’s nonprofits. The bulk of it — $500,000 — was in the form of a grant from Google to Bring Me a Book, where Mialisa Bonta worked before joining Literacy Lab. The rest were smaller donations to Literacy Lab. According to Politico, sport betting interests such as card rooms, non-tribal casinos and their executives supplied most of the donations to the campaign coffers of Mia Bonta who replaced Rob Bonta in the 18th Assembly District. The donations were questionable since Rob Bonta as the Attorney General oversees such operations in the state.
Yep!
I love how you do your homework TJ!
Very impressive and always spot on!
There was NOT enough outreach to voters to lobby for this bill. There needs to be an avalanche of public contact with legislators over this and that takes time due to censorship across the media.
“Sex trafficking” is relabelled pimping or pandering, both of which are voluntary activities. It is not sex slavery. If it was, it could already be prosecuted as kidnapping, false imprisonment, rape or statutory rape of a minor. Much ado about nothing.
If we’re concerned about prostitution of minors, then enforce laws against child abuse, not just sexual but physical and mental as well. If minors are engaged in prostitution, it’s probably because they prefer it to going back to an abusive home.
Also, reform “child labor” laws so that minors who want to escape abusive homes can support themselves without having to resort to prostitution.
By your logic, if someone is attacked because of their race, and it should only be prosecuted as an assault rather than a hate crime.
Let’s also keep in mind that with all the George Soros DAs around the state, none of the crimes you mentioned are even prosecuted.
So I’ll just take your statement as a vote to continue with sex trafficking. (roll eyes)
Prostitution is a voluntary activity, assault is not. Assault is wrong regardless of the reason. I’d prosecute it as assault.
Soros DAs have been refusing to adequately prosecute misdemeanors, but still prosecute felonies. If it was child prostitution or sex slavery, we’d hear about charges of rape, kidnapping, false imprisonment. But we don’t hear about it. The police would surely publicise any raids or arrests or charges. The “child sex trafficking” claims are fake news.
As far as “child trafficking” is concerned that’s simply children coming across the border with their family or to join their families in the U.S. Again, more fake news.
More evidence, if you need any, that the Dem Party are evil servants of Satan.
Go watch the movie “Trafficked” and come back and say we don’t need stronger sex trafficking laws and enforcement for minors and adults.
Democrats are evil, sick people. They aren’t even human.
Movies are fiction, not necessarily truth. Movies exaggerate because drama and outrage sells more tickets, gets more word-of-mouth. People seem to be eager for outrage.