Governor signs solicitation and trafficking bill into law

By Jolena Voorhis, legislative advocate (public safety), and Arthur Goncalves 2025 Ronald O. Loveridge Summer Fellow

Gov. Gavin Newsom today signed a bill backed by Cal Cities that will make it easier for law enforcement to address prostitution and human trafficking.

The measure, AB 379 (Schultz), became the center of controversy earlier this year over whether people who solicit 16- and 17-year-olds for prostitution should face increased punishments. Ultimately, lawmakers reached a compromise and amended the measure to add additional protections and enforcement. The bill passed through the rest of the legislative process with strong bipartisan support.

How it works

AB 379 (Schultz) creates a new offense for loitering with the intent to purchase commercial sex, increases penalties for purchasing commercial sex from minors, and requires certain businesses to display information on human trafficking.

Cal Cities has asked for similar changes since the enactment of SB 357 (Wiener, 2022), which repealed the state's anti-loitering law. Since the repeal, many cities have reported increased levels of prostitution.

Specifically, AB 379 makes it a misdemeanor for any person to loiter in any public place with the intent to purchase commercial sex. The bill increases punishment for those who solicit 16- and 17-year-olds for prostitution, regardless of trafficking status, if the buyer is more than three years older than the victim.

AB 379 also increases fines for businesses that facilitate prostitution and human trafficking, creates a new fund for victim support services, and tasks the Office of Emergency Services to allocate funds to district attorney offices to target human trafficking rings.