Supervisors support state sex trafficking bill but voter ID proposal fails
The San Diego County Administration Building is shown on Jan File photo by Zo Meyers inewsource The Board of Supervisors on Wednesday opted to patronage a state bill on sex trafficking while a call to back voter ID requirements failed Supervisors threw their assistance behind proposed state statute aimed at protecting teenage sex trafficking casualties after a motion by Jim Desmond regarding Assembly Bill which was introduced by Assemblywoman Maggy Krell D-Sacramento Current law states that children up to age are protected as minors in felony sex trafficking cases Krell s bill would fix a loophole by extending that protection to include - and -year-olds according to Desmond s office Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe reported she favors the bill but took issue with one section that featured language making it a crime for someone who may exclusively be talking to a person with no ill intentions or just driving down a street because they re lost Desmond reported he supported her amendment asking the county s chief administrative officer to urge the Legislature to redraft this language such that the elements of the offense are defined with clarity and specificity as to the proscribed conduct Meanwhile supervisors rejected another Desmond proposal for the county to issue a formal announcement in patronage of voter ID requirements He also sought the county to urge the state to reverse SB signed into law last year which bars local governments from requiring people to present identification to vote Desmond and Supervisor Joel Anderson voted yes while Montgomery Steppe was opposed and Vice Chair Terra Lawson-Remer abstained The proposal required three yes votes to pass and the District seat remains vacant pending a July special balloting According to Desmond SB strips local control and opens our elections to anticipated abuse undermining confidence in the democratic process Desmond s office contended this week that there is strong national encouragement for voter ID requirements based on inhabitants opinion polls and actions in other states He added that he would amend his proposal to patronage any laws that would allow easier access to ID cards including making them free of charge During citizens comment particular residents argued that Desmond s proposal was necessary to stop fraudulent voting while others were concerned about voter suppression Montgomery Steppe disclosed she appreciated Desmond mentioning that voter fraud is rare with between one and convictions for fraud in California on a yearly basis in latest history We don t need any kind of voter ID requirement to prevent mass voter fraud Montgomery Steppe noted The content does tell us that Montgomery Steppe also noted that there are studies showing that certain communities of color are disproportionately affected by ID requirements She also stated that too often in current national history lawmakers have put forward voter ID laws in bad faith and with the intent to disenfranchise voters because they don t like who those voters are likely to vote for As an example she pointed to Republican lawmakers in Florida Pennsylvania and Wisconsin who in bragged privately that voter ID laws would suppress turnout and help their candidates win
