(Image Credit: IMAGN) California Gov. Gavin Newsom arrives at the late Ethel Kennedy’s funeral at Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C., for her memorial service on Oct. 16, 2024.
Sacramento, California – Governor Gavin Newsom is once again stepping into a politically sensitive battle over sex trafficking legislation — this time to confront members of his party.
On Tuesday, Newsom publicly criticized Assembly Democrats for pushing to exclude 16- and 17-year-olds from a bill that would increase penalties for soliciting minors for sex, calling the move a step too far and demanding full protections for all minors.
“The law should treat all sex predators who solicit minors the same — as a felony, regardless of the intended victim’s age,” said Izzy Gardon, a spokesperson for the governor. “Full stop.”
The bill in question, authored by Democratic Assemblymember Maggy Krell, a former prosecutor known for her work on sex trafficking cases, aimed to criminalize loitering with the intent to buy sex and expand an existing law to include older teens. Currently, California law treats it as a felony to solicit sex from minors under 16. Still, Krell’s bill would have closed a legal loophole by applying the same standard to those targeting 16- and 17-year-olds.
However, members of the Assembly Public Safety Committee insisted that Krell strip the felony provision for older teens from the bill in order to allow it to advance, sparking a backlash from moderate Democrats, Republicans, and the governor himself.
During a tense committee hearing, Assemblymember Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale) voiced outrage at the amendment. “These are girls, and these are people that our society should be doing everything they can to protect. So why are we protecting the predator?”
The maneuver by Assembly Democrats highlights a persistent tension within the party on how to approach sex trafficking laws. Many progressives argue that laws aimed at punishing predators can be misused — particularly in cases involving LGBTQ youth or interracial relationships — and worry about parents weaponizing such legislation.
Krell expressed frustration with the demand to cut protections for older teens. “I expected support on the totality of the bill,” she told reporters. “I thought people would understand it’s wrong to buy 16- and 17-year-olds for sex, that it should be treated as a felony.”
This isn’t the first time Newsom has injected himself into legislative disputes over sex trafficking. In 2023, when the same committee initially blocked another bill from Republican Senator Shannon Grove, Newsom’s intervention helped it advance and ultimately become law.
Critics accuse Democrats of bending to pressure from their left flank, allowing political optics to override protections for vulnerable teens. Grove, who co-authored last year’s legislation, has repeatedly leveraged the issue to portray Democrats as weak on crimes involving minors. This tactic has inflamed tensions in the Capitol and fueled conservative backlash online.
After Tuesday’s hearing, Committee Chair Nick Schultz acknowledged the political strain. “Trafficking is a tricky issue for the Democratic caucus,” he said. “We have to be smart on crime. That means confronting sexual exploitation head-on, but also crafting balanced policy.”
As the bill continues to spark outrage and debate, Newsom’s statement is likely to force Democratic lawmakers to reconsider their position—or risk appearing out of step with public opinion and the law’s original intent.
