California's Assembly Bill 379 (AB 379) was supposed to be a rare, bipartisan marriage between the Democrat Supermajority and the Republican minority to make it a felony to traffic any child 18 years old or younger. In 2023, SB 1414 was passed and signed into law, making it a felony (it was formerly a misdemeanor) to traffic or purchase any child 15 years old or younger. Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield), was the champion and author of this bill, and she originally made the age ceiling 18 years old or younger, but thanks to cretins like Sen. Scott Wiener, the bill was amended in committee and the age ceiling was lowered. Democrats also tried to kill the bill, putting SB 1414 in the Senate Appropriations Committee "suspense" file, the place where bills go to die. Gov. Gavin Newsom intervened in order to improve his presidential street cred, pushing the bill forward and ultimately assuring its passage. Sadly, the compromise of "15 years old" still remained. Two years later, Assemblywoman Maggy Krell (D-Sacramento) has partnered with Grove to see this changed. 

The push comes after California's Democratic-led legislature approved a bill last year, SB 1414, to make it a felony to purchase or solicit a child 15 years old and younger for sex. Before the law took effect months ago, it was a misdemeanor crime in California.

Republican Bakersfield State Senator Shannon Grove originally filed that bill to protect all children under the age of 18.

"I made a promise last year that we would come back and keeping fighting for 16- and 17-year-olds," Grove said in an interview with KCRA 3 this week. "This is not a third world country thing. It's happening right underneath our noses."

Enter Democratic Sacramento Assemblymember Maggy Krell who filed AB 379 this week with Grove. The bill would solidify the felony conviction for anyone who purchases or solicits a 16 or 17-year-old for sex.

Despite her Democrat and anti-Trump leanings, Krell has decades of experience as a prosecutor of sex crimes: she didn't just play one on TV. Krell has seen firsthand the pain and damage caused to victims of sex trafficking, and how, thanks to the laws (or lack of them), the traffickers and the purchasers get a free pass.

Krell prosecuted human traffickers and exposed backpage.com as an attorney with the California Department of Justice. She noted the state's stiffer penalties for child sellers applies to those who committed the crime against anyone 18-years-old and younger, regardless of if the victim was forced into it or not. She said the law should be consistent when it comes to those who purchase them, too.

"We're still seeing throughout California girls being sold for commercial sex, seeing a lot of teenagers. Creeps in cars lining up to buy teenagers. We need to do more to address demand. So this bill really does that," Krell said standing alongside Grove.

Last week, Krell appeared in a press conference with the stakeholders and supporters of AB 379 to explain its critical importance:

I want to solve two problems with this bill: One, we have to create more resources for victims like Julie and the thousands of other victims who are being trafficked. And two: we have to crack down on the men who are buying them for sex. That's what Assembly Bill 379 does. It creates a law that allows law enforcement to intervene, when men are out on the prowl trying to buy victims for sex. It also makes it chargeable as a felony when those victims are under 18 years old.

But it's deja vu all over again in CalLeg. as AB 379 is being held up in the Assembly Public Safety Committee supposedly for "further debate." Since both houses are still Democrat supermajorities, you know who is debating: the Democrats. Capitol Correspondent Ashley Zavala has been covering the back-and-forth, and with a key deadline of Friday looming, the bill has somehow dropped off the committee agenda.

California Democrats appear to be internally arguing over bill to include 16-and 17-year-olds in a state law that has made it a felony to purchase a child for sex.

The bill faces a key deadline Friday, and it's been dropped from the Assembly Public Safety committee agenda. pic.twitter.com/osPqCU7OTL

— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) April 28, 2025

California Democrats appear to be internally arguing over bill to include 16-and 17-year-olds in a state law that has made it a felony to purchase a child for sex. 

The bill faces a key deadline Friday, and it's been dropped from the Assembly Public Safety committee agenda.

Zavala had calls into Assembly Public Safety Committee Chair Nick Schultz's (D-Burbank) office to ask why, and she finally was able to corner him on Monday. His response was, to say the least, gobsmacking.

WATCH:

Spoke w/ Assem. Public Safety Chair Nick Shultz about blocking bill to make it a felony in CA to buy 16- & 17-year-olds for sex.

When I asked if he's ok with what's happening on Sacramento's blade, he didn't like premise of my question but hopes law enforcement keeps engaging.. pic.twitter.com/tnEA2G0t8u

— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) April 29, 2025

What a dig at Krell. Schultz said to Zavala: "I trust my experience as well." Translation: Unlike Krell, Schultz did play at being a prosecutor in order to gain political street cred. Schultz was admitted to the Oregon bar in 2013 and worked as a deputy district attorney for the State of Oregon for less than two years before being admitted to the California bar in 2014. In 2016, he was hired at the California Attorney General's office, where he was in charge of health quality enforcement. So very California. 

In 2018, Schultz transferred to the Special Prosecutions Section of the Attorney General’s Office with the California Department of Justice, but spent less than two years there before diving into politics. In 2020, he was elected as the Mayor of Burbank and has been on the Democrat politician fast track ever since.

So, Schultz equating himself to Krell's is like U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) comparing herself to United States Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). We're talking light years--not even on the same planet, let alone the same universe.

But this is who the Democrats have in charge to make critical decisions on important legislation: people whose resume is paper-thin but who can gaslight on cue. Even California Democrat royalty and party loyalist Christine Pelosi calls Schultz out on his duplicitous efforts to kill this bill. 

What are you doing, #CAleg Democrats? As a mom of a 16-year-old child, I 100% believe it should be a felony to purchase one. In what world do you think voters will trust a party that considers buying a 16-year-old to be “only” a misdemeanor? https://t.co/tqmo3PifCW

— Christine Pelosi (@sfpelosi) April 29, 2025

Shame that the California Democrats have abandoned X for the Blue Sky app. No doubt, as a party leader, she probably has Schultz's mobile and will call him directly, but suffice to say that when you've lost the top tier of your party, you might want to rethink your life choices.

In the meantime, families continue to flee California because not only does their quality of life diminish by the day, but the safety of their children continues to be compromised.

Editor's Note: The Democrat Party has never been less popular as voters reject its globalist agenda.

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