California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill on Friday that reversed the loitering law police used to crack down on human trafficking and prostitution in the Golden State.
Authored by San Francisco’s Democrat Sen. Scott Wiener, SB 357 repeals a law that criminalized “loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution.” He says the law gave law enforcement a subjective perception of whether a person is “acting like” or “looks like” they engage in prostitution—especially transgender, black, and brown women. However, Weiner says revoking the law would not decriminalize soliciting or engaging in prostitution.