Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 145 by Sen. Fran Pavley on Saturday, raising the maximum penalty for the most serious child pornography offenses.
The bill was sponsored by Ventura County District Attorney Greg Totten and strongly supported by the California District Attorneys Association. SB 145 received the unanimous support of both the Assembly and the Senate because it addresses problems with existing California law.
Prior to SB 145, California had the weakest child pornography sentencing laws in the nation. SB 145 will raise the maximum penalty for 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 crime. The bill will raise the maximum sentence from three years to five years, but reserves discretion for judges to issue shorter sentences for less serious offenders.
“California needs to keep pace with the rest of the nation to protect children from exploitation,” Pavley said. “These images perpetuate the cycle of sexual abuse of children and fuel the market for sex trafficking and other crimes.”
“Internet pornography is one of the fastest growing crimes in America,” Pavley said. “The images of these sexually abused children can be sent around the world in a matter of seconds and ruin children’s lives.”
“This measure will significantly enhance prosecutors’ ability to punish the worst child pornographers and better protect children from this devastating crime that re-victimizes over and over again when their images are sent around the world via the Internet,” Totten said.
Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, represents about half of the Santa Clarita Valley in the state Senate.
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That story seriously falsifies what that bill does. We are seeing reporting across the board on sex offenses being falsified and serious biased — which is only serving to fuel the public hate and hysteria and blood lust. This story is another example.
This bill does NOT do anything to the “worst offenders,” as the story screams. In fact, it is attacking the least offenders. This does zero to attack production of child porn, or even sale or purchase of child porn. This is strictly aimed at people who do nothing more than merely look at porn. They don’t have to pay for it, and thus arguably fund the production, they simply have to download it and look at it.
This was already a felony. There is no way simply looking at porn should be a felony. I don’t even think it should be a misdemeanor — not merely looking — but certainly no more than that. Production, or funding it, OK that is the part that would be harmful, but not merely looking at it.
I will note, I have zero interest in looking at child porn. Still, I don’t think that should be a crime — much less that the already overwrought penalties for it should be increased.
The California Department of Transportation has scheduled full freeway closures on the northbound and southbound State Rout 14 / Antelope Valley Freeway between Technology Drive in Palmdale and Avenue A in Lancaster.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health cautions residents who are planning to visit L.A. County beaches to avoid swimming, surfing and playing in ocean waters.
The California Department of Transportation has scheduled full freeway closures on the northbound and southbound State Rout 14 / Antelope Valley Freeway between Technology Drive in Palmdale and Avenue A in Lancaster.
The regular meeting of the Saugus Union School District Governing Board will take place Tuesday, June 6, beginning with closed session at 5:30 p.m., followed immediately by open session at 6:30 p.m.
The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office released the nine productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, June 5 - Sunday, June 11.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health cautions residents who are planning to visit L.A. County beaches to avoid swimming, surfing and playing in ocean waters.
On Saturday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department celebrated 78 young men and women who completed a 14-week “Scouts of America - Learning for life,” Certified Sheriff’s Explorer Academy at S.T.A.R.S. Center in Whittier.
Shelter Animals Count, the most trusted and current source for animal sheltering data, spotlights a trend in dog euthanasia from the newly-released Intake and Outcome Data Analysis report for Q1 2023.
The Santa Clarita Arts Commission will meet on Thursday, June 8 at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 23920 Valencia Blvd. First Floor, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
Raising the Curtain Foundation, through their Grand Ovation program, honored Jim Sudik and Paco Vela on Thursday, June 1 by naming the dressing rooms at the Newhall Family Theatre for the Performing Arts after the duo.
The Santa Clarita Library's annual Summer Reading challenge will kick off on June 12. The event, sponsored by Friends of the Santa Clarita Public Library, will boast the theme "Find Your Voice!"
Join instructor Katie Pinto at Bouquet Canyon Park on Tuesday, June 20 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. for a fun and interactive Hula Hoop class for adults and seniors.
The city of Santa Clarita Planning Commission will meet June 6 at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 23920 Valencia Blvd. First Floor, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
City Cinemas in the Park will screen the film "The Little Rascals" on June 23 at 8:30 p.m. The film will be shown in Newhall Park, 24923 Newhall Ave., Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
The city of Santa Clarita is seeking artwork for an upcoming exhibit located in the First Floor Gallery of City Hall. This art exhibition is seeking artwork depicting the theme of "Pop Culture."
By now you have no doubt heard about the waste hauler transition coming to the city of Santa Clarita. Beginning July 1, all residents in our city will begin the process of switching over to Burrtec Waste Industries for their trash service.
California State Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo (D-Chatsworth) successfully passed eight bills off the Assembly Floor, bringing her total number of bills now in the Senate to 11. Notably, more than half of her bills received bipartisan support.
In collaboration with the Saugus Unified School District, the city of Santa Clarita is excited to announce playground construction plans for Northbridge Park. The project aims to provide recreational space for Charles Helmers Elementary School students and the surrounding Northbridge community. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer.
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1 Comment
That story seriously falsifies what that bill does. We are seeing reporting across the board on sex offenses being falsified and serious biased — which is only serving to fuel the public hate and hysteria and blood lust. This story is another example.
This bill does NOT do anything to the “worst offenders,” as the story screams. In fact, it is attacking the least offenders. This does zero to attack production of child porn, or even sale or purchase of child porn. This is strictly aimed at people who do nothing more than merely look at porn. They don’t have to pay for it, and thus arguably fund the production, they simply have to download it and look at it.
This was already a felony. There is no way simply looking at porn should be a felony. I don’t even think it should be a misdemeanor — not merely looking — but certainly no more than that. Production, or funding it, OK that is the part that would be harmful, but not merely looking at it.
I will note, I have zero interest in looking at child porn. Still, I don’t think that should be a crime — much less that the already overwrought penalties for it should be increased.