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Editor’s note: Sacramento Snapshot is a weekly series during the legislative session detailing what Orange County’s representatives in the Assembly and Senate are working on — from committee work to bill passages and more.

The California Legislature couldn’t start its month-long summer break without a little drama.

Or rather, a lot.

At issue was a bill meant to make child trafficking a serious felony, with increased sentences for repeat offenders, that had previously gotten unanimous, bipartisan support in the Senate. It would make sex trafficking of minors a crime included under California’s “Three Strikes” sentencing law, which means if a person is convicted of a third serious or violent offense, they will face between 25 years to life in prison.

The idea, supporters say, is to deter potential traffickers with these harsher penalties.

“This is an important issue, and I’m glad to see it moving forward,” said Sen. Josh Newman, D-Fullerton, who is a co-sponsor of the bill. “There’s an ongoing debate on striking the right balance between criminal justice reform and sentencing, but this is a different issue. We need to ensure traffickers are prosecuted to the full extent of the law, and I’m gratified to see that cooler heads prevailed on the Assembly side.”

From Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, the bill has broad support with Sens. Newman; Janet Nguyen, R-Huntington Beach; and Kelly Seyarto, R-Murrieta signed on as co-sponsors. The city of San Juan Capistrano gave its support for the bill as have all of Orange County’s Republican assemblymembers.

Where it didn’t have support, at least initially: the Assembly Public Safety Committee.

On Tuesday, only Republicans voted it out of committee. The six Democrats, including chair Reggie Jones-Sawyer, D-Los Angeles, abstained from voting, essentially killing the bill before Friday’s deadline for it to make it out of policy committees.

It’s no secret that public safety committees in the California Legislature are considered “cemeteries” for bills that either create new crimes, enhance existing crimes or result in more incarceration — look no further than what happened with fentanyl legislation this year. And those opposed to the bill, like the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, argue the Three Strikes policy doesn’t actually act as a deterrent and is disproportionately applied to Black, Latino or Indigenous people.

But on Thursday — after Jones-Sawyer said he met with Grove and after Gov. Gavin Newsom and brand-new Speaker Robert Rivas signaled their support for the bill — he called for his committee to meet again where this time legislators advanced the bill.

Human trafficking is a sick crime. We must do more to protect vulnerable people, especially kids.

It’s great to see SB 14 making progress and we look forward to working with the Legislature on this.

— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) July 13, 2023

That doesn’t mean it’s a slam-dunk to the finish line for the bill, however. Next up is the Assembly Appropriations Committee, scheduled to hear it in mid to late August, according to Grove’s office, and Jones-Sawyer says he wants to see tweaks. According to the Associated Press, he wants to shore up protections for victims and ensure the bill won’t disproportionately affect people of color.

“Human trafficking is a serious crime,” Jones-Sawyer said on social media. “But SB 14 needs to be fixed. It could charge trafficking victims and children with a felony. We are going to improve this bill and provide justice for victims.”

Still, it was a rare victory for Republicans in a supermajority as legislators head into the month break.

“This momentous achievement represents a resounding victory for Republican legislators, with Senator Shannon Grove being a tireless champion in the fight against human trafficking,” said Nguyen, the minority caucus chair. “This milestone underscores our shared commitment to prioritizing the safety and well-being of our communities.”

Assemblymember Diane Dixon, R-Newport Beach, vowed to back the bill in the Appropriations Committee. “It is our job as lawmakers to ensure the most vulnerable members of our community are protected against predators and criminals,” she said.

The legislature will be back in session on Aug. 14.

In other news

• A contentious bill meant to increase fast food franchisors’ legal accountability for compliance with health and safety standards was put on pause this week. Sen. Tom Umberg, D-Santa Ana, the Senate Judiciary Committee chair, is seeking a rules change to hold a special hearing on it later this year, in August or September, he said. The idea, he says, is for both sides to come to an agreement on the issue.

“I do believe that franchisors do bear responsibility in this issue when they are made aware of repeat labor violations at their franchises,” Umberg said from the dais. “Therefore, they would be well-served to negotiate in good faith. We’ll be continuing to work with both sides on this issue in the weeks to come and will keep members informed of progress.”

• Newsom signed several bills last week, including an effort from Democratic Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco, whose district includes La Habra, that clarifies just when attorneys fees and costs as a sanction can be imposed.

He also signed legislation from Sen. Dave Min, D-Irvine, to give survivors of abuse greater opportunity to request evidence in their cases. It increases the time for victims of sexual assault, stalking and other similar crimes to request documents like photos of injuries or property damage and 911 recordings from two years to five. The bill also allows victims to request this evidence, in addition to incident reports, without a fee.

“Until now, (domestic violence) survivors have had to pay for the evidence they need to seek legal protections from their abusers, often at exorbitant costs they cannot afford,” said Min. “In the digital era, where storing and accessing digital records is inexpensive, it is outrageous that we continue to propagate this unnecessary barrier to the safety of survivors.”

The bill caught the attention of actress Angelina Jolie, who said: “Beyond the government’s decision of whether to criminally charge and prosecute crimes, abuse survivors need records of the abuse they or their children experienced to advocate for health and trauma care and for safety protections in legal realms, including in family court systems.”

• The lower chamber passed Assemblymember Tri Ta’s bill to dedicate a portion of the 405 Freeway from Bolsa Chica Road to Magnolia Street as the “Little Saigon Freeway.” The Westminster Republican’s resolution is to commemorate the 35th anniversary of Little Saigon.