The daily commute for Californian drivers has taken a shocking turn, as they are now subjected to explicit displays of prostitution, a consequence of a contentious policy change.
This follows the repeal of a state law that prohibited loitering with the intention to engage in prostitution, a move made by Governor Gavin Newsom.
National City's Mayor, Ron Morrison, relayed to Fox News that drivers are being unwillingly exposed to explicit sexual displays as prostitutes brazenly parade down the highway, scantily clad, with some only donning g-strings.
"They're waving to people on the freeway or, just to be honest with you, they are bending over for the freeway. I don't know how else to put it; they're showing their wares," Morrison stated.
Morrison elaborated that the citizens of California are bearing the brunt of Gov. Newsom's decision to sign Senate Bill 357 in July of the previous year, which effectively abolished loitering laws for prostitutes.
"The moment it was signed by the governor, boom, everyone knew the rules were out the window," Morrison told the outlet, adding that the state's indecent exposure laws permit them to be virtually naked.
"Those that are out there on the street, most of them are wearing less than what you would consider a scanty negligee. It is just flaunting in everybody's face. And so a lot of people are screaming, Hey, you know, can't you get them on indecent exposure? And the problem is the way our laws read in this state. The definition of indecent exposure is as long as the genitals are covered. Anything else is fair game out in public," he explained.
According to Morrison, prostitutes are congregating in a downtown area of National City, a diverse community of approximately 60,000 residents. They are most frequently seen prowling the streets in search of their next client in the early morning hours and after 3 pm. With California's recent legalization of jaywalking, Morrison reported that prostitutes are standing in the midst of traffic and approaching vehicles to find their next john, as reported by Fox News.
"I was driving on one of the streets the other day, and there's this young lady standing there in the middle of the street wearing basically a G-string, and that was it, and a couple of pasties. But she's right in front of my car, I couldn't move. So, I did ask her very politely, Would you please move out of the street? And she looked at me and says, 'If you don't want to talk to me, you can go around,'" Morrison recounted.
The Mayor is not alone in his frustration with the blatant prostitution. Local businesses have also voiced their concerns, asserting that the nearly-naked prostitutes are deterring business.
Morrison labeled Senate Bill 357 as "idiotic," claiming that it encourages human trafficking, another problem that California cities are grappling with. He noted that some of the prostitutes appear very young, and the city has minors as young as 12 years old working the streets.
"This one has just opened the doors to prostitution, sex trafficking, child sex trading, I mean, you name it. This has obviously done that. And I don't think anyone that is not just purely politically motivated could disagree with that," Morrison asserted.
"A lot of the times [police] found out that these were juveniles or that they were basically being sex trafficked, and they could get them out of that. Now, they basically have no legal opportunity to even talk to them," Morrison claimed.
While prostitution remains a crime under California law, Morrison stated that SB 357 has indirectly decriminalized it.
The bill was authored by Democrat state Senator Scott Wiener of San Francisco, known for introducing controversial legislation, such as allowing men in women's prisons and prohibiting schools from informing parents if their child was transitioning genders.
Wiener stated that he introduced the bill in the hopes that it would protect trans-identified prostitutes from being targeted by police.
"[The previous law] allowed police officers to arrest a person, not based on what they did but based solely on how a person looks," Wiener said earlier this year, according to the outlet. "So, an officer could arrest someone because they were wearing tight clothing, high heels and extra lipstick."
Wiener also sponsored California's push to "end discrimination against LGBTQ young people" with a bill called SB145, which allows some adults to avoid previously mandatory criminal consequences upon being convicted of a sexual offense.
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