SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — A lawmaker from Bakersfield has made ending human trafficking in California a priority since being elected to office.
State Sen. Shannon Grove authored Senate Bill 1414 to increase penalties for people convicted of soliciting a minor for sex.
This bill builds off her bill from last year, Senate Bill 14, which raised penalties for those convicted of selling minors for sex. Now, it’s Grove’s goal to go after the buyers.
SB 1414 would increase penalties for people convicted of a second offense of soliciting a minor to a felony.
Hostile amendments were added to SB 1414 in the Senate Public Safety Committee. Those amendments established the following: If people are convicted for a first-time offense and the person solicited was under 16, the crime could be charged as a wobbler, which means it could be charged as a misdemeanor or felony which is usually decided by the prosecution.
Grove is proud of her bill to protect children 15 years and younger, but she feels her bill isn't as strong as it could be.
“The disappointment of not having 16 or 17-year-olds - all minors - included is heartbreaking,” Grove said.
There was an added provision where people could be charged with a felony for soliciting a 16 or 17-year-old if prosecutors can prove the child was a victim of human trafficking.
California receives more calls to the National Human Trafficking Hotline than any other state. In 2023, 3,152 calls were made from the state. About a third were from survivors of human trafficking.
3Strands Global Foundation, a Sacramento nonprofit, supported SB 1414. The organization was founded by Ashlie Bryant after the daughter of a family friend was trafficked.
“California usually leads when it comes to policy, and yet in this place, we haven’t led,” Bryant said.
Bryant founded 3Strands to both raise awareness about the pervasiveness of human trafficking and to provide a safe resource for survivors during the recovery process.
Research Triangle Institute, a nonprofit research organization, estimates there were a little over 13,000 human trafficking victims in Sacramento County from 2015 to 2020.
“[Human trafficking] happens in plain sight. It happens in rural communities, it happens in urban communities, it happens in suburban communities - no one is immune to this crime,” Bryant said.
The bill received strong bipartisan support through the legislative process but was opposed by criminal justice organizations like the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. They believe SB 1414 is “overly broad” and would only increase the prison population, without addressing the root causes of the crime.
“We strongly urge policymakers to invest in healthcare, education, and housing—critical protective factors that provide real, lasting support for youth at risk,” Isabella Borgeson with the Ella Baker Center said in an opposition letter to Governor Gavin Newsom.
Meanwhile, Grove credits Newsom for saving SB 14 from being killed in the legislature last year. She hopes his past support for protecting children from human trafficking indicates he will sign SB 1414.
“I look forward to his signature. I hope it happens… I do believe from the bottom of my heart that he will sign it,” Grove said.
Newsom has until Sept. 30 to sign SB 1414 into law.
Here are signs of human trafficking to look out for:
- Changes in behavior and/or relationships
- Signs of physical abuse
- Sexual abuse
- Malnutrition
- Unpaid work, paid very little or paid only in tips
- A minor dating an older person
- Seemingly rehearsed responses to questions
- Missing school
- Running away
- Homelessness
- Working extremely long hours in poor conditions
- New phone, clothes, jewelry, extra cash, or other items
- Sexual references beyond age-specific norms
- Tattoos suggesting ownership by another person
