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A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 21 June 2022
California eyes banning loitering for prostitution arrests

By DON THOMPSON Burt believes lawmakers
Associated Press waited to send it to New-
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) som until after the governor
— California lawmakers defeated the recall and
are finally sending to Gov. safely made it through the
Gavin Newsom a hot po- June 7 primary election.
tato of a bill that would bar The bill is sponsored in part
police from making arrests by groups supporting gay
on a charge of loitering for and transgender rights,
prostitution, nine months and Wiener said he waited
after the measure passed to send the measure to
the Legislature, the author Newsom until Pride Month,
of the bill announced Mon- which celebrates the LGT-
day. BQ community.
Democratic Sen. Scott “It is more important than
Wiener and other support- ever to get rid of a law that
ers said arrests for loitering targets our community,”
with the intent to engage said Wiener, who is gay.
in prostitution often rely on “Pride isn’t just about rain-
police officers’ perceptions bow flags and parades. It’s
and disproportionately tar- about protecting the most
get transgender, Black and marginalized in our com-
Latino women. munity.”
Critics see it as a further ero- The Los Angeles County
sion of criminal penalties Sheriff’s Department, the
that tie the hands of police nation’s largest such agen-
on quality-of-life issues like California state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, speaks on a measure at the Capitol in cy, and the 75,000-member
shoplifting and car burglar- Sacramento, Calif., on March 31, 2022. Peace Officers Research
ies. Greg Burt, a spokesman Associated Press Association of California
for the California Family viously convicted or are He wanted time, Wiener Among the bill’s supporters are among the opponents.
Council, and other oppo- currently serving loitering said then, “to make the is San Francisco District At- Both say repealing it will
nents fear it’s part of an sentences to ask a court to case about why this civil torney Chesa Boudin, who hinder the prosecution of
eventual effort to decrimi- dismiss and seal the record rights bill is good policy ... voters just recalled from of- those who commit crimes
nalize prostitution. of the conviction. and why this discriminatory fice in mid-term after critics related to prostitution and
“This bill seems to be per- The measure has passed loitering crime goes against mounted a campaign la- human trafficking and
fect if you want sex traf- both legislative chambers, California values.” beling him as soft on crimi- make it harder to identify
ficking to even increase in but Wiener took the unusu- But in the nine months since nals. and assist those being vic-
California,” he said. “This al step of stopping the bill lawmakers acted, con- Newsom, a Democrat timized.
bill is really going to affect from going to Newsom af- cerns about crime, home- running for reelection af- In a statement to lawmak-
poor neighborhoods — it’s ter the Assembly approved lessness and the percep- ter easily beating back a ers, the sheriff’s depart-
not going to affect neigh- the measure in Septem- tion that major California recall last year, has said ment said the law is “often
borhoods where these leg- ber with no votes to spare. cities are becoming more more needs to be done used to keep prostitutes
islators live.” More than two dozen of his unsafe have become more to address homelessness from hanging around pub-
The bill would not decrimi- fellow Democrats in the As- acute, providing fodder for and shoplifting. Newsom’s lic places, business and resi-
nalize soliciting or engag- sembly and Senate either political campaigns head- spokespeople did not im- dential communities, which
ing in sex work. It would voted no or declined to ing into the November mediately comment on can breed crime and drug
allow those who were pre- vote. election. Wiener’s bill. use.”q

Law officers testifying for committee

on Uvalde shooting

ny from law enforcement forcement agencies for whether they would testify
officers on Monday. being cooperative and voluntarily before the pan-
State Rep. Dustin Burrows, providing the witnesses we el. But he said Friday that
who is chairing the com- have asked for,” said Bur- Uvalde police officials had
mittee investigating the rows, a Republican from agreed to speak with the
shooting at Robb Elemen- Lubbock. committee.
tary School in Uvalde, said After Burrows’ opening An 18-year-old gunman
they would hear more statements during the killed 19 students and two
witness testimony from committee hearing in teachers at the school on
the Uvalde Police Depart- Uvalde, the committee May 24. Questions about
ment, in addition to speak- went into executive ses- why police did not con-
People visit a memorial at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, ing with another officer sion, blocking the public front and kill the gunman
Texas, on June 2, 2022, to pay their respects to the victims from the school district from hearing witness testi- for more than an hour,
killed in a school shooting. police and a member of mony. even as anguished par-
Associated Press the Department of Public Last Thursday, Burrows sig- ents outside the school
UVALDE, Texas (AP) — A shooting at a Texas ele- Safety. naled impatience with urged officers to go in and
legislative committee in- mentary school last month “We want to at least com- the Uvalde Police Depart- panicked children called
vestigating the deadly is set to hear more testimo- pliment all the law en- ment, saying it was unclear 911 from inside.q