(NewsNation) — Recent news reports about the sex-trafficking of minors in a notorious Los Angeles red-light district have circled back to a California legislative reform that critics and observers say has resulted in unintended consequences.

In July 2022, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the “Safer Streets for All Act” (SB 357), which barred police from arresting suspected prostitutes who loiter in public. Proponents of the measure said the law, which took effect in 2023, would end harassment of suspected sex workers, including transgender women, thus cutting down on the targeting of females and minorities.

At the time, Newsom — a Democrat widely seen as a 2028 presidential contender — said the legislation was meant to stop the “disproportionate harassment of women and transgender adults,” but h

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