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Motion to ask state to repeal SB 357 fails after heated public comment
Summary
Supervisor Desmond moved that the board ask the state to repeal 2023’s SB 357—arguing it hamstrings officers investigating suspected trafficking—but the motion failed for lack of a second after extensive public testimony for and against. Several survivors and law-enforcement advocates gave contrasting views.
Supervisor Desmond urged the San Diego County Board of Supervisors to ask the state to repeal Senate Bill 357, which took effect in 2023 and removed a penal-code prohibition on loitering with intent to engage in prostitution. Desmond told the board that the change "tied the hands of our law enforcement officers" and said it had allowed traffickers and buyers to operate "in plain sight." He cited local enforcement actions—"Operation Home for the Holidays," where staff offered services to 19 people and made 10 arrests, and a separate operation called "Stand on Demand" that he said resulted in about 120 arrests—and said the county faces "about 8,000 victims of human trafficking per year" with an average victim age of 16.
The board took…
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