Did California Democrats Legalize Child Prostitution?

How sleazy are the Democrats who run the legislature in California?

This sleazy: Starting on January 1, when SB 1322 goes into effect, child prostitution will be legal.

The bill prevents police from arresting sex workers who are under the age of 18 for soliciting or engaging in prostitution, or loitering with the intent to do so. Police could take minors into temporary custody only “if leaving them unattended would pose an immediate threat to their health or safety.”

Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley, well-known for targeting human trafficking, stated, “It just opens up the door for traffickers to use these kids to commit crimes and exploit them even worse.”

Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen (R-Modesto) said when slamming the bill, “Right now the best way to get these young women help, the best way to rescue them from this lifestyle is by keeping law enforcement involved through the ability to arrest. Maybe in a few years from now, when we are doing better job at both the state and local level, we will better equipped and ready for this bill because services to young women will be readily available. But we are not there yet.”

Sean Hoffman, the director of legislation for the California District Attorneys Association, said, “Where we differ is in how much faith we have in the dependency side of the juvenile system to effectively handle this population.” He wrote Democratic state senator Marty Block last April about a similar bill, SB 823, signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown, that it “would promote criminal conduct by creating an incentive for traffickers to enlist their victims to commit crimes knowing full well that the people they press into service will not be held responsible for their actions.”

(SB 1322) “would promote criminal conduct by creating an incentive for traffickers to enlist their victims to commit crimes knowing full well that the people they press into service will not be held responsible for their actions.”

Sean Hoffman, the director of legislation for the California District Attorneys Association

As National Review noted last August regarding California, “In 2015, approximately 293 cases of trafficking involving minors were reported by the National Human Trafficking Resource Center. This year, the tally has already hit 200 such cases.”