AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 20, 2026
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
98
Introduced by Senator Strickland
February 10, 2026
An act to add and repeal Title 6.7 (commencing with Section 13990) of Part 4 of the Penal Code, relating to human trafficking.
Vote: majority Appropriation: no Fiscal committee: yes Local program: no
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST
Under existing law, an individual who solicits, who agrees to engage in, or who engages in any act of prostitution is guilty of disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor. Under existing law, a person who deprives or violates the personal liberty of another with the intent to obtain forced labor or services, or for the purpose of prostitution or sexual exploitation, is guilty of the crime of human trafficking and subject to imprisonment.
This bill would, until January 1, 2030, establish the California Street Prostitution Issues and Options Task Force to take specified actions related to street prostitution and human trafficking, including collecting and organizing data related to prostitution,
prostitution and sex trafficking, examining models and strategies for enforcing existing law, law and supporting survivors of human trafficking, analyzing state law for its adequacy in addressing street prostitution, and recommending revisions to state law to address street prostitution and human trafficking. The bill would prescribe the composition of the task force and appointing authority. The bill would require the task force to hold its first meeting no later than July 1, 2027, and would require the task force to meet at least once every 2 months until February
July 1, 2028. The bill would require the task force to report its findings and recommendations to the Governor, the Attorney General, and the Legislature by July 1, 2028, January 1, 2029, as specified, and would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2030.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Title 6.7 (commencing with Section 13990) is added to Part 4 of the Penal Code, to read:
Title 6.7. The California Street Prostitution Issues and Options Task Force
(a) For the purposes of this title, the following definitions shall apply:
(1) “Street prostitution” means the practice of soliciting or engaging in sexual acts for money in public places, including streets, parks, or street corners, that may involve visible solicitation and performance in nearby vehicles or secluded areas.
(2) “Trafficking” means all acts involved in the recruitment, abduction, transport, harboring, transfer, sale, or receipt of persons, within national or across international borders, through force, coercion, fraud, or deception, to place persons in situations of slavery or slavery-like conditions, forced labor, or services, including forced prostitution or sexual services, domestic servitude, bonded sweatshop labor, or other debt bondage.
(b) The California Street Prostitution Issues and Options Task Force is hereby established to do all of the following:
(1) Collect and organize data on the nature and extent of street prostitution and sex trafficking in California.
(2) Prepare recommendations for all of the following:
(A) The cost of a sex work and human trafficking prevalence study for California that addresses types of trafficking, including both sex and labor trafficking, and the dynamics of who is being trafficked, including citizenship, gender, age, race, and additional characteristics identified by the task force as essential to an understanding of the scope of these issues.
(B) The best entity to conduct such a study for California.
(C) How often such a study should be conducted in California.
(3) Examine models and strategies for enforcing street prostitution laws.
laws, supporting survivors of human trafficking, preventing human trafficking in California, and mitigating the impact of street prostitution and human trafficking on communities in California.
(4) Analyze the impact of recent laws regarding street prostitution and human trafficking on the problem of human trafficking.
(5) Analyze the role of street prostitution in human trafficking and the role that law enforcement response to street prostitution has on identifying, protecting against, and preventing human trafficking. Examine collaborative models between governmental and nongovernmental organizations for supporting survivors of human trafficking and preventing human trafficking.
(6) Identify available federal, state, and local programs that provide services to sex workers and survivors of trafficking that include, but are not limited to, health care, human services, housing, education, legal assistance, job training or preparation, interpreting services, English-as-a-second-language classes, voluntary repatriation, and victim’s compensation. Assess the need for additional services, including, but not limited to, shelter services for trafficking survivors.
(7) (A) Analyze existing state law for its adequacy in addressing street prostitution, including any role state law plays in human trafficking, supporting survivors of human trafficking, and the impacts on communities resulting from street prostitution.
(B) If the analysis determines that state law is inadequate, recommend revisions to existing law or the enactment of new law that specifically addresses street prostitution and the impacts of street prostitution and any related human trafficking on communities.
(c) The task force shall be established within the office of the Attorney General.
(d) The task force shall be chaired by the Attorney General or their designee.
(e) The task force shall be comprised of the following representatives or their designees:
(1) The Attorney General.
(2) The Chairperson of the Judicial Council.
(3) The Chairperson of the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls.
(4) One representative of the League of California Cities.
(5) The Director of Social Services.
(6) The Director of Health Care Services.
(7) The State Public Health Officer.
(8) One representative of the County Health Executives Association of California.
(9) One representative of the County Welfare Directors Association of California.
(10) One representative of the California State Association of Counties.
(11) One representative of the California District Attorneys Association.
(12) One representative of the California Public Defenders Association.
(13) One representative of the California State Sheriffs’ Association.
(14) One representative of the California Police Chiefs’ Association.
(15) One representative of the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault, appointed by the Governor.
(16) One university researcher with expertise related to sex work and human trafficking, appointed by the Governor.
(17) One mental health expert with expertise related to sex work and human trafficking, appointed by the Governor.
(18) One representative of an organization that serves victims of sexual exploitation, sex trafficking, and prostitution, appointed by the Governor.
(19) One representative from an organization that serves victims of sex trafficking in southern California, appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly.
(20) One representative from an organization that serves victims of sex trafficking in northern California, appointed by the Senate Rules Committee.
(21) Two people with lived experience as sex workers, appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly.
(22) Two survivors of sex trafficking, appointed by the Senate Rules Committee.
(f) Whenever possible, members of the task force shall have experience with street prostitution issues or have knowledge of street prostitution issues.
(g) (1) The members of the task force shall serve at the pleasure of the respective appointing authority.
(2) Reimbursement of necessary expenses may be provided at the discretion of the respective appointing authority or agency participating in the task force.
(h) Subcommittees may be formed and may meet as necessary.
(i) The Department of Justice shall provide staff and support for the task force, to the extent resources are available.
(j) (1) The first meeting of the task force shall be held no later than July 1, 2027.
(2) The task force shall meet at least once every two months.
(3) The final meeting of the task force shall
be held no later than February July 1, 2028.
(4) All meetings shall be open to the public.
(k) On or before July 1, 2028,
January 1, 2029, the task force shall report its findings and recommendations to the Governor, the Attorney General, and the Legislature. At the request of any member of the task force, the report may include minority findings and recommendations.
(l) All reports to the Legislature made pursuant to this section shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
This title is repealed on January 1, 2030, unless a later enacted statute that becomes operative before January 1, 2030, deletes or extends that date.