Advocates tell legislators, “The time is now to fund services.”
Rally Photos and Videos can be found here.
SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, more than 250 survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence and the service providers who work with them demanded $100 million for crime victim services as they rallied at the California Capitol. For the third year in a row, Californians who have been impacted by sexual assault and domestic violence are at the Capitol demanding funding for the basic life-saving services they depend on to heal.
At the rally, advocates brought attention to the increase of survivors publicly sharing their stories of experiencing harm by community leaders and political figures, leading to an outpouring of statements by legislators stating that they support survivors. But survivors and advocates demanded that the state legislators act more decisively to support survivors by funding essential crime victim services.
Speakers, including legislators and community partners, called for state leaders to back survivors and fund crime victim services.
Sandra Henriquez, CEO of VALOR, opened the rally with a call to action for not only survivors and advocates at the rally, but directed to California leadership. She called on the nearly 50 members from California’s Senate and Assembly who have put out statements regarding sexual violence by high-profile individuals, saying, “Statements condemning violence are not enough. We are demanding real action for survivors. We are demanding funding for crime victims’ services. We are demanding stronger protections for immigrant and undocumented survivors. We are demanding that state legislators and leaders put their money where their mouth is and fund survivor services.”
Krista Colón, Executive Director of the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, continued the call for state leaders to step up and support survivors of crime as they did in 2024 and 2025. She reminded legislators that one-time funding is a short-term solution, and that the need hasn’t gone away, sharing, “The last year with the data available, domestic violence hotlines across California answered nearly a hundred and forty-nine thousand calls in the year. Over four hundred calls every single day. That work needs to be funded. That work needs to be reliable. Calls from survivors seeking safe housing for themselves and their children. Survivors in extremely dangerous situations with a high risk of lethality. Survivors need someone who understands what they’re enduring, who can help with a safety plan, who can provide options, compassion, care.”
Jazz LedBetter, a survivor of violence, shared her own story of surviving violence at the rally. Recalling how important advocates were for her healing after harm, she called on the Governor and State Legislature to fund crime survivor services, saying, “We need CA to step up and sustain funding. When the state shows up, with guaranteed support, survivors don’t just survive. They rebuild. They heal. They lead.”
Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo, who represents the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys, is leading a request for $100 million in one-time funding from the state. She has championed crime victim services funding for the last three years, and called on the rest of the CA Assembly to include survivor services in the budget, saying, “We are here, again. Again. Again, urging California to stand on its principles to support survivors and backfill reductions from the federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding. We call on the Governor and legislature to stand with survivors and include this funding in the May Budget Revise. These are life-saving services, and I don’t take life-saving lightly. ”
Senator Susan Rubio, who represents the San Gabriel Valley in the Senate and is a domestic violence survivor, is championing a request for $100 million in one-time funding from the state. Through her leadership, the Senate has included the funding in its suggested budget for FY 26-27. She repeated the importance of crime victim services funding, saying, “We’re here to ensure that the Governor hears us, we need that funding. Without immediate action, we are looking at a potential collapse of critical support systems that survivors depend on every single day. VOCA funding is not abstract. It is the backbone of victims’ services in our state.”
Without an allocation of $100 million in one-time funding from the state, programs say they may have to scale back essential services: cutting shelter beds, limiting helpline hours so they can no longer provide 24/7 crisis support, and cutting the service providers who conduct forensic examinations in the wake of sexual violence, among other areas.
The California VOCA Alliance thanks the California Senate for including funding for survivors of crime in their budget proposal. Now, the Alliance calls on the California Assembly to join the Senate and include $100 million to fund crime victim services in their proposed budget, and Governor Newsom to include funding in his May Revise and Final Budget.
Perla Flores, Senior Division Director at Community Solutions in the South Bay region of Northern California, closed the event, telling advocates and state leadership, “Domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking have not stopped, and neither can we.”
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About ValorUS®: ValorUS® (VALOR) is a California-based, national anti-violence organization and California’s sexual assault coalition committed to advancing equity and ending sexual violence. Since our founding in 1980, we have continued to build dynamic relationships across a diverse range of communities, institutions and systems, and mobilize our network of survivors and advocates to influence change. Through leadership, prevention, and advocacy, we are fearlessly pursuing a world free from violence where the dignity of every person is valued and respected. For more information, visit valor.us.
About the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence:The California Partnership to End Domestic Violence (the Partnership) works to prevent and end domestic violence in California by mobilizing over 1,000 survivors, advocates, organizations, and allies. Via public policy, prevention, communications, and community-based strategic engagement, we strive to build healthy relationships at all levels by eliminating the injustices which perpetuate cycles of violence, elevating and expanding opportunities for innovative solutions that center survivors, and building and funding support for local programs. For more information, visit cpedv.org.
About the California VOCA Alliance: The California VOCA Advocacy Alliance consists of over 250 statewide and local organizations dedicated to supporting survivors of crime, advocates, and their communities. Our large coalition represents over 400 programs across the state, and works to advance the rights of survivors of trafficking, child abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, and others. With a common goal to fearlessly advocate for our communities, we center equitable access to victim services in our decisions. For more information, visit FundSurvivors.com.