LOS ANGELES, CA — Today, City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto and Senator Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) commended Governor Gavin Newsom for signing SB680 - Sex offender registration: unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor into law. This law closes a loophole that allowed sexual predators of teenage girls to avoid mandatory registration on California’s sex offender list. SB 680, sponsored by City Attorney Feldstein Soto and introduced by Sen. Susan Rubio, passed with bipartisan support and was signed by Governor Newsom on October 13, 2025.
Under prior law, sexual offenses involving minors automatically require registration on the sex offender list. In some circumstances, particularly vaginal intercourse - when the girl is 14-17 years old and the man is no more than 10 years older- the law allows a judge to decide whether to require the alleged offender to register as a sex offender. SB 680 closes this loophole to ensure that cases involving minors are treated the same way as other sexual offenses that victimize children.
“Sex offenses against minors have been automatically registerable for years, except in cases of illegal sexual intercourse with young girls," said Hydee Feldstein Soto, Los Angeles City Attorney. “I am proud to have sponsored this long-overdue correction to the disparity in the law. I thank Governor Newsom for signing this bill and Senator Rubio for her leadership in holding accountable sex offenders who target our children.”
“This bill is about one thing – protecting our girls,” said Senator Susan Rubio (D–Baldwin Park). “A predator like Jeffrey Epstein could have been sentenced to decades in prison. But when he got out, current California law might not have required him to register as a sex offender for some of his crimes. That’s appalling. If a grown man sexually abuses a young girl, we’re going to make sure he’s treated like every other sex offender. No loopholes. No excuses. SB 680 makes sure of that.”
SB 680 does not create new crimes, increase penalties or change sentencing laws. It merely fixes a blind spot that has to date allowed some of the most serious offenses against minors to be treated as less serious under the law.
Since 2023, Feldstein Soto has been leading a multi-agency and multi-jurisdictional initiative to disrupt the sex trafficking of minors on the Figueroa corridor in South Los Angeles. Her sponsorship of SB 680 is a continuation of this work.
The results of this initiative include:
- Over 200 children rescued, the youngest of whom was 12 years old;
- 22 adults assisted to leave sex work;
- More than 2,000 “dear john” letters sent;
- More than 190 perpetrators and pimps arrested, cited or prosecuted;
- Closure of area motels that contributed to the violent activity;
- Lawsuits against alleged crime magnet motels;
- Multiple permit revocations at area motels that permitted prostitution activity; and
- Investigations into other area businesses.
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Hydee Feldstein Soto is the 43rd Los Angeles City Attorney, elected in November 2022 and sworn into office in December 2022. Her team of nearly 1,000 legal professionals, including 500+ attorneys, carries out legal work for the City of Los Angeles at her direction and under her supervision. She is the first female City Attorney in L.A. history.
Senator Susan Rubio represents and advocates for over one million residents in the State Legislature. She was elected to the State Senate in 2018 to represent District 22, and was reelected with overwhelming support in 2022. Previously, she served as a public school teacher for 20 years at Baldwin Park and Monrovia school districts, and was an elected official for 13 years in the City of Baldwin Park.