The rejection of new legislation to severely punish those who sell children for sex fueled a political firestorm across California on Wednesday.
Senate Bill 14, introduced by Republican state Sen. Shannon Grove, was rejected by the Democratic majority on the Assembly Public Safety Committee.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said he was surprised by the committee’s action, and he told reporters he had spoken to Grove and expressed his appreciation to her and his strong support for the bill.
Newsom said he was puzzled how a bill that passed unanimously in the Senate with widespread support among many groups across California could then be rejected by a committee on the Assembly side. He spoke about his long record in supporting laws that target human trafficking.
“We’ll be following up with a lot more to say about that — very shortly,” he told a reporter.
Grove said she was shocked when the bill was rejected, noting that “things started moving and changing last night,” and then throughout Wednesday “it’s been very fluid.”
Her legislation would have made the existing three strikes law apply to anyone who has been found guilty multiple times of trafficking someone under the age of 17. The offender could be charged with a third strike, which means the trafficker would face a lifetime prison sentence.
During Tuesday’s hearing there was a restrained confrontation between the chair of the committee, Assemblyman Reginald Jones-Sawyer, and Grove. He indicated that the bill might have cleared the committee if Grove had been willing to work with his office on the bill’s substance.
The senator tried to interrupt him, but he shushed her. Sources in Grove’s office say they had tried to connect with Jones-Sawyer on several occasions but to no avail. He claimed otherwise.
At a press conference it was revealed Grove met with Jones-Sawyer on Wednesday, but there apparently was no progress on the bill. When asked if she was hoping that Republicans and Democrats in the Assembly could force a floor vote, bypassing Jones-Sawyer and the committee, she described this as an option.
“I would hope that wouldn’t be necessary, but if that is necessary, then that’s an option,” Grove said.
Several times she was asked by reporters why she could not drop the three strikes provision of the bill. She detailed how her team had checked with multiple district attorneys and their own legal counsel to advise her on the bill.
“You can’t amend the code to do that,” she said, asking whether anyone could “stand up and say that the three strikes law shouldn’t apply” to a criminal who sells children for sex.