California Enacts Law to Protect Child Stars from Creeps

You might be under the impression that we already have laws to protect children from predators—they’re called LAWS—but apparently those weren’t enough to stop convicted sex offenders from representing kids in showbiz. The vetting system (or lack thereof) in Hollywood came under heavy scrutiny after news broke that Jason James Murphy, a casting assistant who’s placed kids in big movies including Super 8 and School of Rock, was a registered sex offender who kidnapped and molested an 8-year-old boy 15 years ago. And just this past summer, manager Martin Weiss pleaded no contest to felony child molestation. OOPS, Y’ALL.

In response, California governor Jerry Brown signed AB 1660, requiring any person who works unsupervised with underage talent to submit to a background check. According to NBC, “Until the bill was signed, only studio teachers and agents were required to have background checks and undergo fingerprinting.” Sure, solid plan. Solid plan.

The bill had support from two high-profile former child actors: Todd Bridges and Corey Feldman, both of whom were molested by men with Hollywood connections. The actors spoke openly about the need for more legislation. “We are not doing enough to protect the children, period,” said Bridges, who appeared on “Diff’rent Strokes” from 1978-86.

Feldman, who as a young actor appeared in films such as “The Goonies,” “Stand By Me” and “The Lost Boys,” said in April, “(the bill) should have been implemented years ago.”