Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌

Lawmakers Incensed by ‘Watering Down’ of Language in Child Sex Solicitation Bill

After an emotional hearing on July 2, the Assembly Public Safety Committee voted to advance Senate Bill (SB) 1414 with an 8-0 vote. The legislation is an anti-sex-trafficking measure designed to increase penalties for those who purchase sex from children, SB 1414, co- authored by Senators Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield), Anna Caballero (D-Merced) and Senator Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park), will be reviewed by the Assembly Appropriations Committee after the Legislature break ends on Aug. 5.

Published

2 months ago

July 19, 2024

Oakland Post

Dr. Stephany Powell, a former Los Angeles Police Department officer and current expert on human trafficking survivors, speaks with the media about a bill that would help lock up individuals who buy sex from trafficked children. On Powell's right is Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield), who co-authored SB 1414 with (not pictured) Sens. Anna Caballero (D-Merced) and Susan Rubio. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

By Antonio Ray Harvey

California Black Media

After an emotional hearing on July 2, the Assembly Public Safety Committee voted to advance Senate Bill (SB) 1414 with an 8-0 vote. The legislation is an anti-sex-trafficking measure designed to increase penalties for those who purchase sex from children,

SB 1414, co- authored by Senators Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield), Anna Caballero (D-Merced) and Senator Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park), will be reviewed by the Assembly Appropriations Committee after the Legislature break ends on Aug. 5.

The legislation has received bipartisan support. However, “critical amendments” were removed, Grove said. She is not satisfied with the language currently in the bill and is pressing members of the Assembly Public Safety Committee to allow key provisions to be restored.

“I am disappointed that they didn’t accept the amendments for all minors to be protected under felony convictions,” Grove said after the committee’s vote.

“I am not going to give up fighting for those 16- and 17-year-olds – and all minors,” Grove stated. “Now, the district attorneys would have to prove two crimes: that they were bought and sold in order to go back to the perpetrator (trafficker) who initiated the whole process.”

SB 1414 made it off the Senate floor with a 36-0 bipartisan vote on May 23. Before the floor vote in the Senate, the Senate Public Safety Committee amended SB 1414, weakening protections for children ages 16 and 17, Grove said.

The committee’s amendments included charging violators who purchase children 15 and under for sex as ‘wobblers’ (crimes that can be punished as a felony or misdemeanor). According to the current language of the bill, solicitation of a 16- and 17-year-old child is only punishable as a misdemeanor. The second amendment to the bill calls for the felony charge to only carry possible jail time — not time in prison.

Grove and her supporters’ other concern is that a third amendment to SB 1414 states that only perpetrators with a previous conviction of buying sex from a child 15 or under, on the second offense and with over a 10-year age gap of the victim, must register as a Tier 1 sex offender.

Dr. Stephany Powell, a retired Los Angeles Police Department sergeant who has over 30 years of sexual exploitation and trafficking experience gained through law enforcement, testified in front of the Assembly Public Safety Committee.

“First of all, there’s no way in the world that (these amendments) are protecting a 16- or 17-year-old,” said Powell, who now assists victims of human trafficking. “Just by the age alone, they are considered to be a victim of human trafficking. That’s your proof right there.”

Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), chair of the Public Safety Committee and a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), told Grove that he supports SB 1414 and commended her efforts to bring “more accountability to the sex trade.”

McCarty said he is willing to make SB 1414 “stronger,” but he is not willing to allow Grove to buck the rules of the Legislature to push her amendments through.

“That’s not on the table. As the rules, you know, we can’t go change that,” McCarty said of Grove’s amendments request.

On June 2, Anne Irwin, the founder and director of Smart Justice California, emailed California Black Media (CBM) a statement responding to SB 1414. Smart Justice sides with the amendments made by the Democrats in the Senate and the Assembly.

“With the recently adopted amendments, SB 1414 now represents a smart policy solution that prioritizes the safety and well-being of all minors,” Irwin stated. “By allowing felony prosecutions for solicitation of 16- and 17-year-olds when there is evidence of human trafficking, lawmakers have further improved the bill – which was originally overly broad and would have had harmful unintended consequences.”

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Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌

California Legislative Black Caucus Elects New Leadership

On Aug.13, the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) elected Assemblymember Akilah Weber (D-La Mesa) and Assemblymember Isaac G. Bryan (D-Ladera Heights) to serve as its next Chair and Vice Chair, respectively. “The CLBC has a long-standing tradition of excellence in its ability to represent and advocate for the needs of Black Californians, a responsibility that I deeply care about,” Weber stated.

Published

2 weeks ago

August 27, 2024

Oakland Post

CLBC new leaders, Asm. Akilah Weber (D-La Mesa), Chairperson; and Asm. Issac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights), Vice Chairperson. File photo.

By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media

“The CLBC has a long-standing tradition of excellence in its ability to represent and advocate for the needs of Black Californians, a responsibility that I deeply care about,” Weber stated.

“As I begin my tenure as Chair, I am committed to ensuring that the CLBC upholds its exceptional legislative advocacy, strong partnerships, and exemplary programs as we focus on the major issues impacting our communities,” she continued.

In her new role as Chair, Weber replaces Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) and Bryan succeeds Vice Chair Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood) who is termed out at the end of the current legislative session and announced that he is a candidate for Lt. Governor.

“I want to thank our immediate past leadership team for their unwavering commitment to lead during these past two years,” Wilson stated. “Together, we have been a powerful force, championing legislative policies and budget items with the purpose of enriching the lives of Black Californians. I look forward to working with our new leadership as we continue to work to uplift over two million Black residents living in California.”

Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Alameda) has been elected Treasurer and Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley) will serve as Secretary.

The newly elected officers will assume their two-year terms in December.

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Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌

“The Nation is Watching”: Cal Legislature Advances Four Reparations Bills

Three reparations bills authored by Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood) passed out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Aug. 15. Senate Bill (SB) 1403, SB 1050, and SB 1331 are now on their way to the Assembly floor for a full vote. If approved, the bills would advance to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for his signature or veto.

Published

2 weeks ago

August 27, 2024

Oakland Post

California State Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood), left, and his Chief of Staff Carolyn McIntyre, right, leave the Senate chambers on May 21 at the State Capitol after three of Bradford's reparations bills passed off the floor, including SB 1403 (California American Freedmen Affairs Agency). (CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey).

Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌, ‌California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media

Three reparations bills authored by Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood) passed out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Aug. 15.

Senate Bill (SB) 1403, SB 1050, and SB 1331 are now on their way to the Assembly floor for a full vote. If approved, the bills would advance to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for his signature or veto.

“I want to thank the committee for seeing the importance of these measures,” Bradford said. “I think it speaks to the fact that reparations is an issue that still needs to be addressed. We still experience institutional racism and discrimination in this country.”

SB 1331 proposes creating an account in the state treasury to fund reparations policies approved by the Legislature and the Governor.

SB 1050 would offer compensation to Black Californians who are descendants of enslaved people who lost homes or had their land taken without fair compensation as a result of racially motivated misuse of eminent domain.

SB 1403 establishes the framework for establishing the California American Freedmen Affairs Agency (CAFAA), a state-level department that would oversee all reparations activities, including validating individuals’ status as a descendant of an enslaved person in the United States.

Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), Chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, said it was critical that the reparations bills moved out of the “suspense file,” a designation for bills estimated to cost over $150,000 to implement.

“We moved forward with all the reparations bills. I think this is obviously a huge issue not just for our state but our country,” Wicks said. “It’s about time we have real-direct public policy conversations about it.”

In its final 1,075-page report submitted to the legislature in June 2023, the California Reparations Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans made 115 recommendations to compensate African Americans for harms experienced as a result of slavery.

One of the recommendations is for the state to issue a formal apology to the descendants of people enslaved in the United States. Assembly Bill (AB) 3089, authored by Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), would require the state to make that statement.

It passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee with a 5-0 vote and is the fourth reparations bill advanced by the Legislature. Senate minority leader Brian Jones (R-San Diego) and Sen. Kelly Seyarto (R-Murrieta), abstained from voting.

Chris Lodgson, a member of the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California (CJEC), a Sacramento-based reparations advocacy organization, attended the Assembly Appropriation Committee’s suspense file hearing.

“Our ancestors have been with us every step of the way,” Lodgson said. “But there is still more work to do. We must get the (current) bills off the floor in the next two weeks. Make no mistake about it, we would not have those opportunities for the next fights if we did not win today.”

Bradford hopes the bills and other reparations legislation pushed by the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) set the standards for other states.

“This is not a handout. This is what was promised to us 163 years ago and it’s long overdue,” Bradford said. “I hope it sends a signal not only for California but for the rest of the nation that this is a priority. Not only is California watching. The nation is watching.”

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Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌

Assembly to Vote on Legislation That Will Require Equity in State Contractor Hiring

On Aug. 15, the Assembly Appropriations Committee voted 11-3 to pass a bill Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles) authored requiring state-funded contractors hired for large-scale infrastructure projects prioritize hiring “disadvantaged workers.” Senate Bill (SB) 1340 now moves to the Assembly floor for a full vote.

Published

2 weeks ago

August 27, 2024

Oakland Post

About 100 labor and racial equity activists from across the state converged on the State Capitol on Aug. 13, 2024, to support SB 1340, authored by Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles). The bill would require equitable hiring for federally funded infrastructure projects. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media

Senate Bill (SB) 1340 now moves to the Assembly floor for a full vote.

During a rally on Aug. 13 in front of the State Capitol Smallwood-Cuevas said the bill would help ease the state’s “job crisis” – which only impacts Californians from underserved communities of color whose unemployment rates remain in the double digits.

For all Californians, the unemployment rate is relatively low at around 5.2%.

“We’ve been working on this issue, I would say, a good part of a decade, fighting for better opportunities for our communities to benefit from the investments of public dollars in our infrastructure (projects),” said Smallwood-Cuevas.

The passage of SB 1340 by the Assembly Appropriation Committee happened the same week that the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) released a report showing that Black Californians have the lowest employment rate in California’s top 10 occupations. Those professions include managers, truck drivers, registered nurses, customer service reps, teachers, construction workers, CEOs and legislators, among other fields.

Overrepresented at lower income levels, Black and Latino families consist at or below the 10th percentile while comprising 44% of all families in the state, the PPIC reported. For every dollar that White families earn, Asians make 95 cents, Black families earn 58 cents, and Latinos earn 52 cents.

“There should be equity and labor,” Smallwood-Cuevas said. “It’s not enough to pass a bill. It’s about implementation and intentionality.”