So, like, Governor Gavin Newsom was all like, “Hey guys, we need to make it a felony if someone tries to hook up with a 16- or 17-year-old in California.” And I guess the Democrats in the state Assembly were like, “Nah, let’s not do that” and watered down the bill.
Newsom, who usually doesn’t get involved in this stuff until it’s on his desk, decided to speak up for tougher penalties for those trying to get with minors. He’s all about making sure anyone who preys on kids gets hit with a felony charge, no matter how old the kid is. Pretty straightforward, right? But the Assembly Democrats were like, “Nah, let’s not do that” and made the bill less strict.
The original bill was supposed to make it a felony to hang around looking to buy sex and make it a felony to try to get with anyone under 18. Right now, it’s a felony in California to pay for sex with anyone under 16. And if you’re caught sex trafficking a minor under 18, you’re looking at some serious felony charges.
But the Democrats weren’t feeling the felony charge for soliciting 16- and 17-year-olds, so they made the bill less harsh. This move got a lot of people talking about what the heck the Democrats are thinking. Assemblymember Tom Lackey was all like, “Yo, these are young girls we’re talking about! Why are we making it easier for the predators?” The Democrats defended their decision and said they’ll talk about it more in the future.
Not really sure why this matters, but it seems like the Democrats are playing it safe or something. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like they should be more focused on protecting young people. But hey, what do I know?
So, like, Newsom is all about making sure sex predators face serious consequences. He’s not messing around when it comes to this stuff. And the Democrats? Well, they’re not exactly on the same page. But they say they’ll keep talking about it, so I guess we’ll see what happens next.
