Landslide Victory for Proposition 35 to Increase Sex Trafficking Penalties
California voters have approved Proposition 35, to increase penalties for human trafficking convictions, by wide margins, according to the Associated Press. 
Don Knabe via YouTube
The measure will increase fines--from a maximum fine of $100,000 to $1.5 million--and sentences--from a maximum of 8 years to life in prison--for crimes associated with sex trafficking.
With 17 percent of precincts reporting, California voters are supporting the law by a massive margin of 83.2% to 16.8%.
The easy victory is not surprising, given the wide support enjoyed by the proposition--both Democratic and Republican parties endorsed the measure.
There are concerns though, that consensual sex workers and erotic service providers will be unfairly criminalized by the measure.
Maxine Doogan, who campaigned against Prop 35 on behalf of Erotic Service Providers Legal, Education and Research Project, expressed disappointment in written statement:
"Tuesday's vote was deeply disappointing to all who believe in equal treatment for trafficked victims and sex workers under the law.
All Americans are harmed when any of us are discriminated against by having our fundamental rights criminalized via the conflation of sex workers' families and communities as traffickers and mandated to register on sex offender registry.
Make no mistake this fight is not over."
[@tessaestuart / tstuart@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]
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