Senate Minority Leader Jones and Senator Alvarado-Gil introduce bipartisan measure to protect communities from Sexually Violent Predators
SACRAMENTO – Today, Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego) and Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil (D-Jackson) announce the introduction of the bipartisan Senate Bill 1074, called the “Sexually Violent Predator Accountability, Fairness, and Enforcement Act” (SAFE Act). Click here for SB 1074 factsheet and here for the petition in support of the bill.
“The SAFE Act is designed to protect our neighborhoods and families from dangerous sexually violent predators,” said Leader Jones. “SVPs have committed crimes so heinous, I argue they should never be released from prison. If the state is ordered by a court to release SVPs and has no choice but to do so, the state has the responsibility to do it in a manner that best protects the public.”
SB 1074 aims to prevent the state from continuing to try to secretly dump Sexually Violent Predators (SVPs) in unsuspecting communities throughout the state with no regard to public safety. SB 1074 is the third SVP bill Leader Jones has authored in the last three years.
The measure is coauthored by Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil (D-Jackson), Senator Brian Dahle (R-Bieber), Senator Janet Nguyen (R-Huntington Beach), Senator Roger W. Niello (R-Fair Oaks), Senator Kelly Seyarto (R-Murrieta), Assemblymember Juan Alanis (R-Modesto), Assemblymember Megan Dahle (R-Bieber), Assemblymember Joe Patterson (R-Rocklin), and Assemblymember Marie Waldron (R-Valley Center).
“As a legislator who represents predominantly rural communities from Lake Tahoe to Death Valley, I have seen our neighborhoods become dumping grounds for Sexually Violent Predators. The decision-making process surrounding the placement of these predators has been unclear from the beginning, and this lack of transparency only fuels public distrust and exacerbates the challenges we face,” said Alvarado-Gil. “It’s time to put an end to the dangerous practice of allowing Sexually Violent Predators to roam freely in our communities. I stand with Minority Leader Brian Jones in holding the Department of State Hospitals (DSH) accountable for every single step of the placement process.”
Specifically, SB 1074 would:
• Make public safety the highest criterion of any potential placement of an SVP
• Require the Department of State Hospitals (DSH) to take ownership in the placement process by approving any placements BEFORE the vendor can sign any leases for placement locations
“Families across California are being jolted by the state’s secret attempt to put an SVP in their neighborhoods in a manner that completely disregards public safety,” continued Leader Jones. “State Hospital officials have often tried to duck their responsibility by giving their vendors, such as East Coast-based Liberty Health Care, too much freedom in targeting unsuspecting communities. This practice is unacceptable.
“We’re announcing the bipartisan SAFE Act to require transparency in the SVP placement process, force state officials to own up to these decisions, and make public safety the highest priority. Let’s fix this broken release program once and for all,” concluded Leader Jones.
Leader Jones has been a trailblazer in fighting SVP placements in San Diego County for years. Last year, Leader Jones secured an audit of Liberty Healthcare, the state contractor responsible for overseeing SVP placements.
SB 1074 is similar to Leader Jones’s bipartisan SB 832 from last year, and the bipartisan SB 841 from two years ago. To sign the petition supporting SB 1074 please click here. For more information on the SVP issue, please click here.
Senator Brian W. Jones represents the 40th Senate District which includes the Cities of Escondido, Poway, San Marcos, Santee, San Diego City communities of Carmel Mountain Ranch, Mira Mesa, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Peñasquitos, Scripps Ranch, Sorrento Valley, and University City, along with the San Diego County unincorporated communities of 4S Ranch, Alpine, Bonsall, Fallbrook, Lakeside, Pine Valley, Rainbow, Ramona, and Valley Center.
Senator Alvarado-Gil represents the 4th Senate District including the Counties of Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Inyo, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne.
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