One of the most important roles of government is to protect the vulnerable and advocate for the needs of those who may be exploited or manipulated to do something against their own interests. Throughout my legislative career, sticking up for individuals facing such circumstances has been a constant theme of my work. Whether the individual in need of assistance is a child, victim of domestic violence, or senior citizen worried about fraud, laws I authored have streamlined court processes, created restitution funds, and added protections to keep our communities safe.
I have authored multiple pieces of legislation to pursue that goal, including:
- AB 2236 (2014) – Authorizes the Department of Social Services to levy higher fines against community care facilities for violations that constitute physical or sexual abuse, or result in serious bodily injury or death of a child or adult receiving care.
- AB 328 (2019) - Protects elders and dependent adults from fraud when a care custodian marries an individual in their care to obtain their assets.
- AB 415 (2019) - Removes housing barriers for victims of domestic violence and their pets so that someone in a dangerous situation does not have to choose between staying for a pet or leaving.
- AB 2014 (2020) - Changed the statute of limitations in fertility fraud cases from 3 years after the commission of the crime to one year after the discovery of the crime.
- AB 2471 (2020) - Gives seniors more time to cancel complex contracts so they aren’t rushed into an unfair agreement.
- AB 556 (2021) – Allows victims of fertility fraud to seek civil penalties of up to $50,000 or actual damages, whichever is greater.
- AB 636 (2021) - Improves information sharing across law enforcement agencies to investigate elder abuse to help strengthen the case against bad actors.
- AB 1641 (2022) - Requires GPS tracking and monitoring for Sexually Violent Predators on conditional release.
- AB 806 (2023) - Expands domestic violence-related crimes that can be tried in one jurisdiction to help protect victims. This means survivors can testify in one trial instead of multiple trials in multiple areas.
- AB 1366 (2023) - Creates the Victims of Consumer Fraud Restitution Fund so victims of consumer fraud can be made whole even if the guilty party’s business goes bankrupt or ceases to exist.
When individuals experience one of the worst moments in their life, the law should be an asset to help them recover from whatever crime they experience, be it a financial scam, fertility fraud, or a form of abuse. I’m hopeful the legislation I have passed into law throughout my career strengthens California’s protections for victims and closes loopholes that bad actors previously exploited.