League of California Cities Inc.

06/11/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 06/11/2025 16:56

Senate Public Safety advances bill expanding punishments for soliciting minors

By Jolena Voorhis, legislative advocate, and Zack Cefalu, legislative analyst

After several failed attempts in recent years, AB 379 (Schultz) cleared a key hurdle in the Senate Public Safety Committee on Tuesday. The bill, supported by Cal Cities, would reinstate a provision of the Penal Code related to loitering with the intent to commit prostitution that was repealed in 2022 by SB 357 (Wiener).

Since the passage of SB 357, cities across the state have reported increases in prostitution and human trafficking.

AB 379 would add the new offense of loitering in a public place with the intent to solicit prostitution, increase fines for businesses that facilitate prostitution and human trafficking, create a new fund for victim support services, and send money to district attorney offices to target human trafficking rings.

Additionally, AB 379 would increase punishments for those who solicit 16- and 17-year-olds for prostitution, regardless of human trafficking status. The provision sparked controversy recently after Assembly leaders removed the increased punishment from the bill. Current law reserves this increased punishment for minors aged 15 years old and younger and applies only to 16- and 17-year-olds who are victims of human trafficking.

The removal split the Assembly and led to a highly publicized debate on the Assembly floor. Ultimately, lawmakers reached a comprise that would apply this increased punishment to 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. The bill passed off the Assembly floor, with 74 in favor and five abstaining.

The Senate Public Safety Committee heard the bill earlier this week. At the beginning of the hearing, Committee Chair Jesse Arreguín said he would move the bill forward with no changes. Sen. Scott Wiener, who sits on the committee and authored the loitering repeal, raised concerns regarding the criminalization of vulnerable populations should the loitering offense be enacted. Wiener announced his intention to work with the author and Senate committees to address his concerns and potentially push to remove the offense.

The measure passed out on a 6-0 vote, with all members, including Wiener, voting in favor of the bill.

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