Prostitution: minors: punishment.

Existing law provides that a person who solicits or agrees to engage in or engages in any act of prostitution is guilty of disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for no more than 6 months, by a fine not exceeding $1,000, or by both that fine and imprisonment. Existing law requires a person convicted of seeking to procure or procuring the sexual services of a prostitute in violation of these provisions, if the prostitute is under 18 years of age, to pay an additional fine in an amount not to exceed $25,000. This bill would, instead, make it either a misdemeanor, punishable by not more than one year in a county jail, or a felony, punishable in a county jail for 16 months or 2 or 3 years, for a person who, in violation of the above provisions, solicits an act of prostitution from, agrees to engage in an act of prostitution with, or engages in an act of prostitution with, another person under 18 years of age whom the person knows or reasonably should know is under 18 years of age. The bill would make a 2nd or subsequent violation of that offense a felony, punishable in a county jail for 16 months or 2 or 3 years. The bill would also impose an additional fine in an amount not to exceed $25,000 for a violation of these provisions. These provisions would apply only to the person who exchanged, or offered to exchange, anything of value with the other person in return for a lewd act. By increasing the punishment for a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.