Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom‘s Department of Finance has pushed back on a Republican-proposed bill to crack down on those who solicit a minor for sex over the cost of the proposal and how it could hamper the state’s progress on reducing prison populations.
The proposed bill, SB 1414, would make it a felony to solicit or purchase a minor for sex in California, which currently classes it as a misdemeanor with a minimum of two days in jail.
Although Newsom has voiced support for the bill, his Finance Committee is worried about the financial impacts of the bill as well as how it could interfere with California’s declining prisoner numbers.
In a hearing on Wednesday, a representative for the Department of Finance said: “While we appreciate the intent behind the Bill, Department of Finance is opposed to it because of CDCR (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation) potential costs.
“California has successfully remained below …