Catholics hail new California law to protect older teens from sex trafficking

(OSV News) -- Catholics have lauded the recent signing of a state law that makes it a felony to procure sex from a 16- or 17-year-old minor in the state of California.

The state already made it an offense punishable by imprisonment for minors below the age of 16. But starting January 2026, "if you solicit a 16- or 17- year old, that is no longer a misdemeanor. It's no longer just two days in jail. That's a felony and it's a $10,000 fine," said the California Catholic Conference's Molly Sheahan, associate director for healthy families.

"Sixteen- and 17-year-olds are children," she told OSV News.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on July 30 signed Assembly Bill 379, which amends the state penal code for soliciting sex from minors, making the felony an offense punishable by up to three years in prison.

The felony would apply if the adult procuring sex from a minor was more than three years older than that minor at the time of the criminal offense. It also reinstates the classification of loitering "in any public place with the intent to purchase commercial sex" as a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail. The misdemeanor, which was removed from California's laws in 2022, again faced opposition from some Democrats who expressed concern over what they said was the potential to profile those who may not be intending to procure sex.

The guilty party would also face an additional fine of $1,000, which would go toward a "Survivor Support Fund" to help support all victims of sex trafficking. If granted probation, the felon would have to finish a course on human trafficking and the exploitation of children.

Under the amendment, management of businesses, especially hotels, would face incremental fines, which would also go to the survivor fund, for allowing sex trafficking to take place at their establishments without reporting it to law enforcement.

Newsom told The Sacramento Bee media outlet in an email, "By signing this bill into law, California is again going on record to support survivors and victims of human trafficking, while penalizing those who solicit minors."

Sheahan said for the past two years the state Catholic conference, through its bishops, had been urging Catholics throughout California to get in touch with their lawmakers and push hard for the passage of the amendment.

"We were able to shine a light through our action alerts on our website and social media," she said. "We had Californians from across the state calling and writing in to their representatives and urging them to support this legislation and to support Assemblymember Krell and Sen.Shannon Grove in this fight. And yeah, we had so many Catholics."

Assemblymember Maggy Krell, a Sacramento Democrat, who faced opposition from members of her party over the amendments, and Sen. Shannon Grove, a Republican from Bakersfield, were the original sponsors of AB 379.

Sheahan explained that the state's Catholic dioceses raised awareness through newsletters and their own media divisions, and "we had opportunities to share with some of the priests and bishops, just to let them be aware."

In a statement sent to OSV News, Fran Eskin-Royer the executive director of the Silver Spring, Maryland-based Sisters of the Good Shepherd National Advocacy Center, said, "For over 180 years, Good Shepherd sisters and partners-in-mission in the U.S. have cared for those on the margins, particularly women and girls, upholding and cherishing their individual worth and dignity. This new law echoes that commitment -- and also works to get to the heart of sexual exploitation, the buyers."

She also said 16- and 17-year-olds, who are dealing with a world that is "more and more complex and precarious," are just as much at risk and in need of care as minors who are younger.

"We pray that California, other states and the federal government will continue to protect our children and support survivors," said Eskin-Royer.

According to the federally-funded National Human Trafficking Hotline, California had the most reported cases to the hotline in 2024, receiving over 14% of the total 11,999 cases it identified. The California calls reported were overwhelmingly about sex trafficking and made by women.