SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Beneath the shade of a massive redwood tree on California's Capitol, eight California legislators from both the assembly and senate convened Wednesday morning in support of several domestic violence bills attempting to become law.
The bills highlighted included SB 1000, SB 989, SB 963 and SB 690.
While each bill addresses a different issue and comes from various legislators, all aim to fix a piece of California's domestic violence system — a broken system ABC10's investigative reporting has previously covered.
The collaboration was led by Senator Susan Rubio (District 22) and Senator Angelique Ashby (District 8). Accompanying them were Asm. Blanca E. Rubio, Asm. Jesse Gabriel, Asm. Blanca Pacheco, Asm. Cottie Petrie-Norris, Asm. Mike Gipson and Asm. Eloise Reyes who all discussed these bills.
"Being an advocate means more than standing here before you and talking to you about the trauma that domestic violence victims endure," said Asm. Blanca Rubio, who is also Senator Susan Rubio's sister. "Being an advocate means holding hands with other legislators to make sure that we push legislation forward so that we some day say domestic violence is eradicated."
The legislators also gave voice to domestic violence survivors who reiterated the importance of passing this collection of bills.
To some legislators, like Senator Susan Rubio, these issues are personal.
"I am a survivor of domestic violence. I often wonder if someone as prominent as myself can fall victim to domestic violence, then what chance does the ordinary victim out there have? So they need us fighting, advocating," said Susan Rubio.
If passed, her bill will extend California's statute of limitations, allowing victims to seek justice as far as 15 years later. The statute is currently five years, extending this is something Rubio has been working on since 2019.
"We tried to extend (the statute) to 20 years in 2019," said Susan Rubio. "We were successful in getting two more years, so it went from three to five years. I've been trying to get this through the legislature... so this year we want to make sure we push it through. It's so important."
Senator Ashby is working to pass three bills, including SB 1000, which would require tech companies to "swiftly cut off an abusers access to internet-connected devices," Ashby said.
"Think of all the ways you're reliant on apps," Ashby said. "Now think about your abuser having access to those and you not being able to cut that access off. They would literally know every time you walk in and out of your house."
Ashby's SB 989 would ensure law enforcement does proper investigations when these cases turn deadly. She said it would enhance investigation protocols and police training to more accurately identify cases of hidden homicides.
SB 963 would ensure emergency departments in acute care hospitals would implement a program to identify victims of human trafficking and domestic violence through a confidential process.
"In truth, this bill was inspired by my husband, who is an emergency room nurse himself," Ashby said. "He and his colleagues implemented a program just like this a few blocks from here at Sutter Emergency Room and were able to identify dozens of victims, including children, and connect them to services."
These bills are still in the process of making it to Governor Gavin Newsom's desk, where he will either veto or sign each into law. While legislators are hopeful each of their bills becomes law, they also unified as a front for domestic violence survivors.
"Women come and tell me their stories all the time, not just here in the states, women and victims from all over the world," said Susan Rubio. "We have to get it right. We have to support victims and we will continue to fight."
