California Child Sex Trafficking Bill Gutted: Felony Charges for Buyers of Older Teens Dropped

California’s push to get tougher on child sex trafficking just hit a major speed bump. Assemblywoman Maggy Krell, who authored the much-debated Assembly Bill 379, has agreed to a controversial amendment that strips out felony charges for adults caught buying sex from 16- and 17-year-olds. Instead, under the revised bill, those buyers will now only face misdemeanor charges—a detail that’s raising more than a few eyebrows.

Krell admitted, "In order to get a hearing on the bill, we were forced to remove the piece that ensures the crime of purchasing a minor for sex applies in all cases where the victim is under 18." Despite her obvious frustration, she’s pushing forward, pledging continued partnership with survivors and law enforcement to protect minors from what she calls the "horrors of sex trafficking." I have to say, it’s wild that protecting all kids from predators is still up for negotiation in 2025.

The bill’s remaining elements still criminalize adults who loiter with the intent to buy sex from teenagers, and it sets up a fund for victims—a step Krell insists will provide powerful tools in the fight, even if it feels like only a partial victory.

Republicans in the state Assembly wasted no time slamming the amendment. From their perspective, there’s no excuse for softening the penalties on those exploiting older teens. Their message: "Protect the kids. Not the predators." Hard to argue with that logic, honestly.

This legislative drama unfolded because a previous state law that cracked down on buying sex from children under 16 left 16- and 17-year-olds in a legal gray area. Last year, a similar bill didn’t include those older teens, and now this new effort has had to water down its own language just to make it to a hearing.

Currently, traffickers face the harshest penalties when caught exploiting minors under 18. Buyers? Not so much, especially now that felony charges are off the table for some of the most vulnerable teens.

AB 379’s future is uncertain, having been dropped from the Public Safety Committee agenda at a crucial deadline. Republican Rep. David Tangipa didn’t mince words, suggesting these amendments are just a way to quietly kill the bill. He went so far as to say, "What that actually sounds like is just California participating in the prostitution and the trafficking themselves." That’s a scorching take, but it captures the intensity of the debate.

The California Republican Party also jumped in, calling it "sad and disgusting" that protecting kids from predators is still a debate. When the stakes are this high, it’s hard not to wonder how this is even controversial in the first place.