With note of caution, Newsom signs bill decriminalizing loitering for purpose of prostitution

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Friday that decriminalizes loitering for the purposes of prostitution. Senate Bill 357 was authored by State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, who has said that police use existing loitering laws to discriminate against people of color and LGBTQ people, particularly transgender people. “Current law essentially allows law enforcement to target and arrest people if they are wearing tight clothes or a lot of make-up. Many of those impacted by this law are Black and Brown trans women,” Wiener said in a statement about the bill.

The measure had several sponsors, including ACLU California Action. But it was opposed by several anti-trafficking groups, including the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, which said it would hinder efforts to fight sex trafficking. “The same people that this bill is supposed to protect will be hurt by taking away the very mechanisms to protect them,” said center Vice President Stephany Powell, a former LAPD vice sergeant, in a statement.

https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article263034468.html#storylink=cpy