Gov. Newsom Signs Bipartisan Bills to Support Domestic Violence Victims

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom today announced he signed a bipartisan package of bills into law to protect crime victims, including victims of domestic abuse. The new laws will help build on California’s protections for victims and survivors of domestic abuse, creating additional resources and access to safeguard victims from abusers.

The new laws will help build on California’s protections for victims and survivors of domestic abuse, creating additional resources and access to safeguard victims from abusers. With his signature, Gov. Newsom is strengthening California’s restraining orders by removing barriers that could prevent someone from accessing these life-saving tools and by extending the length of time that abusers must stay away from their victims. The new laws will also help survivors rebuild their lives — by providing financial help through a victims’ restitution fund that would be funded by the penalties recovered from white-collar criminals.

What the new laws do

CREATE A NEW CRIME VICTIM RESTITUTION FUND to provide critical support and services to victims and survivors of crimes across the state — including those who have experienced domestic abuse. The new program will be modeled after the federal Victims of Crime Act program, funded with penalties paid by corporate white-collar criminals.

EXPAND ACCESS TO RESTRAINING ORDERS and help to ensure that all restraining order applications will be processed without delay, extending the time that a court can issue a post-conviction protective order, and removing geographic barriers that could prevent victims from getting the protection they need. 

PROTECT VICTIMS FROM TRACKING by requiring car manufacturers to allow drivers to terminate remote access to a vehicle, preventing abusers from tracking victims and even manipulating controls of the vehicle. 

SAFEGUARD VICTIMS FROM FINANCIAL ABUSE by addressing and building awareness about financial insecurity and manipulation that often prevents victims from exiting an abusive or violent situation and helping to create online resources to help victims leave while protecting their assets and resources. 

EXTEND THE TIME A VICTIM CAN REPORT ABUSE by expanding the statute of limitations to charge an individual with domestic violence, allowing abuse to be reported within seven years of the incident.

HELP SECURE JUSTICE FOR DOMESTIC-HOMICIDE VICTIMS and prevent cases from being improperly classified as suicides by equipping investigators and family members of victims with more tools to intervene and identify domestic violence-related deaths. 

Domestic violence, also called intimate partner violence, is abuse that occurs in a close relationship with a current or former spouse or dating partner. Domestic violence refers to a range of behaviors that include physical, sexual, verbal, emotional, and psychological abuse. Economic control is also a form of domestic violence, as it can be used against a current or former partner in an attempt to exercise power and authority

Domestic violence affects all ages and socioeconomic groups. 

• 1 in 5 women and 1 in 7 men report having experienced severe physical violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime.
• 1 in 6 homicide victims are killed by an intimate partner.
• Victims can also experience mental health problems such as depression and posttraumatic stress disorder and can engage in risky behaviors such as smoking, binge drinking, and sexual risk behaviors.
• The estimated domestic violence cost over a female victim’s lifetime is $103,767 and $23,414 for a male victim.