CA Gov. Gavin Newsom Legalizes Loitering for Prostitution

Roxanne just got the green light to put on the red light in California. Yes, the popular song “Roxanne” by the Police might as well describe a situation emerging out of Sacramento this week.

With the signing of S.B. 357 on Friday, Governor Gavin Newsom (D) said "To be clear this law does not legalize prostitution."

Oh, but it does.

The law explicitly bars police from arresting those they suspect of intending to commit prostititution.

Carl DeMaio, chairman of Reform California, says that the bill still creates a “clear greenlight to facilitate prostitution which in turn enables human trafficking.”

“A red light district is coming to your neighborhood, and the police’s hands are going to be tied on doing anything to stop it,” said DeMaio.

“This bill legalizes the first step of prostitution, which will effectively increase the rate of prostitution in the state because more criminals think they can get away with it — not to mention this will increase the rate of and make it harder to crack down on human trafficking,” he continued.  

Democrats claim arrests for prostitution disproportionately penalize trans, black, and brown people. But statistics prove otherwise - showing that arrest rates actually correspond with the profile of individuals that actually engage in prostitution.

DeMaio says the bill is the latest move by Newsom and his fellow Democrats to “coddle criminals” in California, a movement that has increased crime and proven unpopular with voters.

DeMaio points to a recent poll by Berkeley/IGS which found that 78% of voters say crime has risen statewide, with 65% of voters saying crime has increased in their local area. Another poll by Politico/Morning Consult shows 75% of voters blame liberal policies like “defund the police” as the main cause of rising crime.

“These coddle-the-criminal policies are incentivizing and spiking crime across the state, and voters are noticing and taking to task those that are responsible,” said DeMaio.

“Even in deep blue San Francisco, voters recalled District Attorney Chesa Boudin for his lax law enforcement; Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon could face the same fate for his hand in rising crime; and Attorney General Rob Bonta faces a stiff challenge from Nathan Hochman in the November election — voters are waking up,” he continued.

DeMaio says the best way to fight back against the prostitution bill and other “coddle-the-criminal” policies is to elect common-sense reform-minded leaders in the November election.

That’s why DeMaio is urging all Californians to join the campaign today to flip key seats in the 2022 election and make crime illegal again in California.

“We can restore safety and stop rampant crime in our communities — we just need candidates willing to do it,” says DeMaio. “That’s why we need your help today to elect these candidates in 2022,” he concluded.

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