It does not happen often. In fact, it is probably more rare than the appearance of Halley’s Comet. Many people go their entire lives without witnessing such an event. But every once in a while Democrats admit when they’re wrong. You should be thankful such an occasion occurred in your lifetime. You can tell the grandkids about it.
After a disastrous move that gave people across the nation yet another reason to be irate at the Golden State, the California Assembly’s Public Safety Committee voted to move SB-14 out of committee. The bill makes the trafficking of minors a serious felony and under the state’s “three strikes” law would put convicted people in jail without the possibility of early release.
The Center Square noted that, originally, the all-Democrat committee had voted to halt the bill’s progress. Assembly Majority Leader Isaac Bryan of Los Angeles stated, “Longer sentences…increase our investment in systems of harm and subjugation at the expense of the investments that the communities need to not have this problem to begin with.” Bryan originally voted against the bill on July 12 and abstained from Thursday’s vote. The rationale was that harsher prison sentences do not deter crime.
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It took an outcry from fellow legislators and the public for the committee to realize it had veered across the bright yellow centerline of stupidity and callousness, past the oncoming traffic, and into the ditch on the other side of the road. Pundits and journalists across the nation were quick to take umbrage with the original vote, and citizens who were present at the time were extremely vocal and understandably furious. Elon Musk commented on it, and even Gavin Newsom criticized the original decision. During a debate about sending the bill back to committee or holding a floor vote, Manteca Republican Heath Flora stated, “You can choose a team. Pick pedophiles, or children.” The bill in its original form is on its way to the appropriations committee. The Center Square reported that Republican Senator Shannon Grove of Bakersfield, who authored the bill, commented:
This is a bill with strong bipartisan support, and protecting victims of child sex trafficking should not be a partisan issue. Today is a victory for every survivor. However, the battle is not over—SB 14 must still go through the Assembly Appropriations Committee when legislators return from Summer recess. I believe most Assembly Democrats want to vote for this bill if they are given a chance, and I am hopeful we can succeed in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. I urge every Californian to stay engaged until the bill is signed into law.
Of course, none of this has left the six committee members who originally voted against the bill looking particularly good, which is as it should be. But one member, Liz Ortega, did offer an apology in a half-hearted, CYA kind of way:
Via The Daily Wire:
On Tuesday, I made a bad decision. 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.— Assemblymember Liz Ortega (@AsmLizOrtega) July 13, 2023
If men and women of conscience refuse to stay silent and stand on and, when necessary, shout the facts, common sense and human decency can win the day. Even in California.
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