California Democrat Vows to Help Pass Child Trafficking Bill She Blocked

California Democrat Liz Ortega has publicly apologized and vowed to right her wrong after helping to block legislation that would have made human trafficking of minors statewide a "serious felony" by law.

Ortega, a member of the California State Assembly's Committee on Public Safety, and five other Democratics abstained from voting Tuesday on Senate Bill 14. Two Republican committee members voted in favor, leading to another vote on Thursday that passed, according to bill author Republican Shannon Grove.

California consistently ranks No. 1 nationally in the number of human trafficking cases reported, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

"On Tuesday, I made a bad decision," Ortega, who represents District 20, tweeted on Thursday. "Voting against legislation targeting really bad people who traffic children was wrong. I regret doing that and I am going to help get this important legislation passed into law."

Newsweek reached out to Ortega via email for comment.

Ashley Zavala, a Capitol correspondent with local NBC-affiliated news station KCRA 3, tweeted Tuesday that an audience member shouted "horrible" when the votes were cast.

"I'm glad to hear you have changed your position after we spoke to you yesterday when you told us to our face there's enough punishment for child traffickers," Denise Aguilar, an activist and co-founder of the Freedom Angels organization in California, tweeted at Ortega on Thursday.

Newsweek reached out to Freedom Angels via email for comment, as well as human trafficking groups like the California Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST).

Assembly Majority Leader Isaac Bryan, a Democrat from Los Angeles, said Tuesday that "longer sentences don't actually stop things from happening," according to local ABC-affiliated news station KGTV.

"All they do is increase our investment in systems of harm and subjugation at the expense of the investments that the communities need to not have this be a problem to begin with," Bryan said.

"SB14 makes no new corrective actions or enhancements to laws already in place. Ultimately, members of the Assembly's Public Safety Committee understood the author's intent but recognized this bill needs considerable work and granted reconsideration," Jones-Sawyer's statement concluded.

Heath Flora, a Republican member of the Assembly, later criticized Democrats for voting against harsher penalties for human trafficking.

"What kind of signal are we sending to people who elect us if we can't pass a bill to hold child traffickers accountable? SB 14 is a critical step forward to fighting human trafficking in California. ... Colleagues, today we have a choice to make. You can choose a team: pick pedophiles or children," Flora said in a video that was shared by Jonathan Zachreson.

Bryan took umbrage with Flora's comments, rejecting the notion that voting against the legislation means he or anyone else is in favor of human trafficking.

Today, Bryan and another Committee on Public Safety member, Mia Bonta, reportedly abstained again from voting on the issue.

Grove's bill, which passed the Democratic-controlled Senate in May by a 40-0 vote, would include human trafficking of a minor within the definition of a serious felony crime in California for all purposes, including for purposes of the so-called "three strikes law."

That law not only significantly increases prison sentences for individuals convicted of felonies, but it doles out harsher criminal penalties to repeat offenders. In California, that equates to a defendant being mandated to life imprisonment after being convicted of a third violent felony.

Human trafficking is defined as "non-serious" under current state law, meaning it does not signify a strike that goes towards the "three strikes law".

Grove said she was "profoundly disappointed" in the six Democrats who abstained on Tuesday, referring to their views as "stubborn and misguided objection to any penalty increase regardless of how heinous the crime," according to KCRA.

"This is a bill with strong bipartisan support, and protecting victims of child sex trafficking should not be a partisan issue," Grove said in a statement Thursday after Democrats helped push the legislation out of committee. "Today is a victory for every survivor. ... I believe most Assembly Democrats want to vote for this bill if they are given a chance."

California Governor Gavin Newsom reportedly helped change committee Democrats' minds, telling reporters on Wednesday that he called Grove to understand what happened because he cares about the issue "very deeply," according to KGTV.

Newsweek reached out via email to Newsome's office.

The next step for SB 14 will be to go through the Assembly Appropriations Committee, expected to take up the issue in mid-August when legislators return from summer recess.