CA Democrats block attempt to make consequences harsher for buyers of teens
KCRA 3
[{'start': '2.202', 'end': '4.571', 'text': "STARTING RIGHT NOW WITH A LIVE  LOOK OVER THE STATE CAPITOL,  WHERE THE FIGHT CONTINUES OVER  CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING.  DEMOCRATS TODAYAY, AGAIN REJECTG  ANOTHER PUSH TO MAKE IT AN  AUTOMATIC FELONY TO PURCHASE OR  SOLICIT A 16 OR 17 YEAR OLD FOR  SEX.  THANKS FOR BEING WITH US AT SIX.  I'M GULSTAN DART AND I'M EDIE  LAMBERT.  SO THIS IS NOW THE THIRD NIGHT  THIS WEEK.  WE HAVE COVERED THIS MOVEMENT OF  THIS BILL AT THE STATE CAPITOL  WITH GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM  HAVING TO GET INVOLVED ON  TUESDAY.  SO LET'S GO TO OUR CAPITOL  CORRESPONDENT, ASHLEY ZAVALA,  WITH WHAT HAPPENED TODAY.  ASH EDIE, NOT ONLY DID DEMOCRATS  BLOCK THIS LATEST ATTEMPT TO  RAMP UP THE PENALTIES FOR THE  BUYERS IN THE CHILD SEX  TRAFFICKING INDUSTRY, THEY ALSO  SIDELINES SIDELINED SACRAMENTO'S  DEMOCRATIC ASSEMBLY MEMBER  MAGGIE KRELL, WHO HAS MADE THIS  HER LIFE'S WORK.  DEMOCRATIC LEADERS PROMISED TO  KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING, BUT  THEY'RE LEAVING KRELL, AN  EXPERT, OUT OF IT.  THEY CRITICIZED NOT JUST KRELL,  BUT ALSO GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM.  IT WAS DENIM DAY IN THE STATE  ASSEMBLY, THE ANNUAL EVENT WHEN  LAWMAKERS CAN BE SEEN IN JEANS  AND DENIM JACKETS FOR SEXUAL  ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH.  BUT SOME DEMOCRATS ARRIVED TO  THE ASSEMBLY FLOOR THURSDAY  HOPING TO AVOID THAT TALK,  SCRAMBLING TO SHUT DOWN A  REPUBLICAN PUSH TO VOTE ON A  PROPOSED AUTOMATIC FELONY FOR  THE BUYERS OR SEX SOLICITORS OF  16 AND 17 YEAR OLDS.  AFTER AN HOUR OF CLOSED DOOR  PLANNING, DEMOCRATS EMERGED WITH  A DEAL THAT STRIPPED  SACRAMENTO'S DEMOCRATIC ASSEMBLY  MEMBER MAGGIE KRELL FROM HER OWN  BILL THAT TRIES TO CRACK DOWN ON  THE CONSUMERS OF THE CHILD SEX  TRAFFICKING INDUSTRY.  SHE ORIGINALLY PROPOSED THE  AUTOMATIC FELONY FOR THE OLDER  TEENS THIS YEAR, NOTING STATE  LAWS ARE INCONSISTENT FOR THE  TRAFFICKER AND THE BUYER.  BUT THAT PIECE, BLOCKED BY THE  PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE EARLIER  THIS WEEK.  I WANT ONE THING OUT OF THIS.  I DON'T CARE WHETHER MY NAME IS  ON THE BILL, BUT I WOULD HAPPILY  SUPPORT IT IF IT INCLUDES  PROTECTIONS FOR 16 AND 17 YEAR  OLDS.  IF IT TREATS THEM AS VICTIMS  BECAUSE THEY TRULY ARE.  IF IT RECOGNIZES THE FIGHTS THAT  SURVIVORS HAVE LED FOR DECADES,  FOR THE BASIC UNDERSTANDING THAT  IF YOU'RE 17 YEARS OLD ON A  STREET CORNER AND AN OLD MAN  COMES UP AND PURCHASES YOU FOR  SEX, THAT'S RAPE.  THAT SHOULD BE TREATED AS A  FELONY.  KRELL HAS SPENT TWOWO DECADES  INVESTIGATING HUMAN TRAFFICKING  AND WAS A PROSECUTOR FOR THE  CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE  BEFORE BEING ELECTED TO THE  ASSEMBLY LAST NOVEMBER.  SHE WAS FACING A LOT OF THE  TRAUMA.  SHE WAS A VOICE IN KCRA 3'S  ESCAPING THE BLADE DOCUMENTARY  ABOUT SEX TRAFFICKING IN  SACRAMENTO.  IN ONE SCENE, A TRAFFICKER URGED  LAW ENFORCEMENT TO GO AFTER THE  BUYERS.  IF YOU WANT TO STOP HUMAN  TRAFFICKING AND LITTLE GIRLS  BEING PUT UP AND DOWN THESE  STREETS, IF YOU WANT TO REALLY  STOP THAT, YOU ARREST TRICKS.  YOU ARREST WHO DEMANDS IT.  YOU DON'T ARREST WHO SELLS IT  BECAUSE WHOEVER SELLS IT, THEY  CANNOT SELL IT.  ARE THEY BUSINESS UNLESS THE  PERSON THAT BUYS IT?  THAT'S THE PROBLEM TOO.  BACK ON THE ASSEMBLY FLOOR,  KRELL'S BILL TAKEN OVER BY  ASSEMBLY PUBLIC SAFETY CHAIRMAN  NICK SCHULTZ, WHO IS PROMISING  TO KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING.  I'M SORRY THAT WE COULDN'T SEE  EYE TO EYE ON THE SOLUTION HERE.  SOME PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS ARE  WORRIED PARENTS COULD USE THE  PUNISHMENT IF THEY DON'T APPROVE  OF THEIR CHILD'S INTERRACIAL OR  LGBTQ RELATIONSHIP WITH AN OLDER  TEEN.  SCHULTZ ACCUSED THE GOVERNOR,  WHO SUPPORTS KRELL'S PUSH AND  THE MEDIA OF SPREADING FALSE  INFORMATION ABOUT THE STATE'S  CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING LAWS.  IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND  THAT 16 AND 17 YEAR OLDS, MINORS  OF ANY AGE IN THE STATE OF  CALIFORNIA THAT ARE CONTACTED  FOR A SEXUAL PURPOSE THAT IS  PUNISHABLE AS A FELONY.  ALREADY, THE GOVERNOR MADE A  STATEMENT EARLIER THIS WEEK.  I AGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY WITH THE  GOVERNOR'S STATEMENT TO THE  EXTENT THAT IT ALREADY STATES  EXISTING STATE LAW.  REPUBLICANS FRUSTRATED.  WE DON'T NEED MORE TIME.  WE DON'T NEED TO STUDY THIS  ANYMORE.  WE NEED TO MAKE IT JUST AND  CHANGE THE LAW.  THAT'S WHAT WE PUSHED TO DO  TODAY.  AND UNFORTUNATELY, A MAJORITY OF  THE DEMOCRATS DECIDED TO  CONTINUE THIS DISPARITY WHEN IT  COMES TO 16 AND 17 YEAR OLDS,  THEY ARE DESERVING OF JUSTICE.  AND.  PROTECTION.  NOW, WE SHOULD NOTE DURING  TODAY'S DEBATE, THE LEADER OF  THE STATE ASSEMBLY, SPEAKER  ROBERT RIVAS, SAT SILENTLY FROM  HIS DESK.  HE DID NOT RISE TO SPEAK.  HIS OFFICE HANDED US THIS  WRITTEN STATEMENT THAT SAYS, IN  PART, PROTECTING CHILDREN AND  STANDING UP FOR VICTIMS ARE  AMONG HIS TOP PRIORITIES THIS  YEAR.  SO I THINK FOR THOSE OF US  WATCHING ALL OF THIS UNFOLD,  EVEN AS WELL AS YOU EXPLAIN IT,  IT IS VERY HARD TO MAKE SENSE OF  ANY OF THIS.  BUT I GUESS THE QUESTION IS,  WHAT HAPPENS NOW THAT WE HAVE  ASSEMBLY MEMBER SCHULTZ CARRYING  THE BILL?  IT IS NO LONGER ASSEMBLY MEMBER  BILL.  YEAH, WELL, I MEAN, THERE IS A  LOT OF TIME FOR THIS BREATHER  BECAUSE THIS WAS AN EXPLOSIVE,  ABRUPT MOMENT.  NONE OF THIS WAS PLANNED ON THE  ASSEMBLY FLOOR.  BUT SCHULTZ TELLS US THAT WITH  THIS BILL, IT WILL KEEP THE  CONVERSATION GOING.  AND HE'S VOWING TO GET A  PROPOSAL PUT TOGETHER ON THIS  ISSUE THAT THEY'LL SEND TO THE  GOVERNOR BY THE END OF THE  SUMMERER.  HE SAYS HE STILL WANTS TO HAVE  HEARINGS ON THE ISSUE THIS FALL,  AS HE TOLD US EARLIER THIS WEEK,  THE BILL RIGHT NOW IS SITTING IN  THE ASSEMBLY APPROPRIATIONS  COMMITTEE AND COULD BE CHANGED  AGAIN IN ITS NEXT HEARING.  BUT WE'LL JUST HAVE TO SEE.  AND THIS BILL, AS LONG AS IT'S  STILL ALIVE, STILL HAS MANY  HURDLES, MANY COMMITTEES THAT  COULD CHANGE IT.  AND SO THAT MEANS THAT THIS  DEBATE IS GOING TO BE ONGOING  UNTIL POTENTIALLY THAT FELONY IS  PUT IN THERE.  BUT WE'LL SEE.  AND WE REALLY SHOULD POINT OUT  THE URGENCY WITH THIS, THAT  CHILDREN 16 AND 17 YEARS OLD ARE  BEING VICTIMIZED EVERY DAY THAT  THAT IS HAPPENING.  AND RIGHT HERE AND RIGHT HERE IN  SACRAMENTO.  YEAH.  ASHLEY THANK YOU.  THANK YOU.  WELL, WITH THAT IN MIND, AS WE  CONTINUE TO COVER THE COVER,  THIS ISSUE WITH ASHLEY, WE JUST  WANT TO REMIND YOU THAT WE HAVE  THIS FULL, IN-DEPTH DOCUMENTARY  ON THE ISSUE OF SEX TRAFFICKING  IN SACRAMENTO.  IT'S CALLED ESCAPING THE BLADE.  YOU CAN SCAN THAT QR CODE AND  FIND THE STORIES FROM SURVIVORS"}]