Assemblyman Jeff Gorell

In a bipartisan decision to address one of the nation’s fastest-growing crimes, the California State Senate voted unanimously Wednesday to approve tougher penalties for possession of child pornography through Senate Bill 145 by Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) and Assemblyman Jeff Gorell (R-Camarillo).

California has the nation’s weakest laws in this area, and SB 145 would change that by raising the maximum penalty for possession of child pornography.  The bill focuses on the worst of the worst offenders: those with huge collections of child pornography, those with images of children forced to endure sexual sadism or masochism, and those who use images to groom children to participate in this horrible crime.

Sen. Fran Pavley

The bill is sponsored by Ventura County District Attorney Greg Totten and strongly supported by the California District Attorneys Association.

“This legislation aligns California’s penalties more closely with those of other states,” Pavley said.  “Victims of child pornography suffer lifelong consequences from this tragic crime.  This bill focuses on the most extreme cases and targets predators who fuel further sexual abuse with images of their crimes.”

Pavley represents California’s 27th Senate District, which includes about half of the Santa Clarita Valley.