To escalate the crackdown on human trafficking, California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into action Assembly Bill 379, a piece of legislation initially put forward by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria in conjunction with District Attorney Summer Stephan, among others, to reestablish certain acts associated with prostitution, particularly those involving minors, as criminal offenses. The newly signed bill marks a return to misdemeanor status for individuals loitering to purchase sex and institutes felony penalties for adults soliciting sex from 16- or 17-year-olds, as reported by the City of San Diego.
"AB 379 will make a real difference in our ability to disrupt child exploitation and illegal prostitution in San Diego by holding buyers and traffickers accountable," Mayor Todd Gloria expressed, manifesting his gratitude towards Governor Newsom for enacting the legislation and also channeled appreciation toward Assemblymembers Maggy Krell and Nick Schultz for their dedicated efforts in formulating and pushing the bill forward, information conveyed by the City of San Diego.
The bill emerges as a direct response to the municipally felt repercussions of Senate Bill 357, a law enacted in 2022 that scrapped a previous anti-loitering statute tied to prostitution and has since been connected to increased visible trafficking and a hindrance to law enforcement's ability to confront these crimes. San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl, in the wake of AB 379's approval, lamented the struggles of the past three years stating, per the City of San Diego, "For the last three years, we have seen the consequences of Senate Bill 357 play out, with open prostitution and human trafficking on our streets, and little that our officers could do to address it," a narrative echoed in details shared with Inside San Diego.
