Purchasing a child for sex is a misdemeanor in California. The effort to change it is underway.

Purchasing a child for sex is a misdemeanor in California. The effort to change it is underway. Far-Left Groups Oppose Effort to Reclassify Purchasing a Child for Sex from Misdemeanor to Felony in California — Current Law Only Allows for Max One Year Jail Time and $10,000 Fine.

California’s legislative battle intensifies as far-left ‘social justice’ groups stand in opposition to a bill aiming to strengthen the penalties for purchasing or soliciting a child for sex.

Under current state law, such an act is merely a misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in county jail, a minimum of two days in jail, and a potential fine of $10,000. Additionally, offenders are required to register as tier-one sex offenders for at least ten years.

Republican State Sen. Shannon Grove is spearheading the push with SB 1414 to elevate the offense to a felony.

Senate Bill 1414 (SB 1414) was introduced last month to increase penalties for child sex trafficking. The bill would make it a felony to solicit or engage in commercial sex with a minor, and criminals could face two to four years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000.

Sen. Grove’s motivation stems from conversations with survivors of sex trafficking, who emphasize the necessity of targeting buyers to effectively combat the issue.

“A lot of the survivors of lived experience have said you’ve gotta go after the buyer, it’s just a misdemeanor and I said there is no way,” Grove told KCRA 3. “I thought they were mistaken.”

The proposed bill also aims to eliminate the requirement that those convicted must have known or should have known the age of the minor. Furthermore, it seeks to extend the sex offender registration requirement to ten years for buyers.

Grove is already facing resistance from fellow lawmakers wary of increasing prison sentences. The Senate Public Safety Committee’s analysis reveals clear opposition from criminal justice reform groups such as Californians for Safety and Justice, the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, and the California Public Defenders Association.

According to KCRA 3, this is not the first time a bill of this nature has been brought to the state capitol; similar efforts have faltered since 2014.

The Senate Public Safety Committee is scheduled to hear the bill on Tuesday, with Grove looking to capitalize on the momentum from last year’s successful bipartisan bill which classified child sex trafficking as a serious felony under California’s three strikes law.