Overview

• The Assembly Public Safety Committee advanced AB 379 only after its author, Maggy Krell, removed a provision making it a felony to buy sex from 16- and 17-year-olds.
• Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the decision, urging lawmakers to treat all minor solicitation offenses as felonies, regardless of the victim's age.
• The revised bill focuses on criminalizing loitering for sex purchases and creating a fund to support trafficking survivors, but advocates argue it doesn't go far enough.
• Republicans and advocacy groups condemned the removal of the felony clause, accusing Democratic lawmakers of protecting predators over victims.
• A second bill, AB 63, which seeks to reinstate loitering laws with safeguards against discrimination, awaits a hearing in the Assembly.