California: Governor Newsom signs bills to protect sexual assault survivors and increase safety on college campuses

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Sep 30, 2026

Governor Newsom signs bills to protect sexual assault survivors and increase safety on college campuses

What you need to know: Governor Newsom signed a major package of public safety bills, including Senate Bill 1056 to establish safeguards for the review of sexually explicit evidence without compromising the fairness of the trial.

SACRAMENTO – As disturbing allegations of sexual violence on college campuses draw renewed national attention, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of public safety legislation strengthening accountability, protecting sexual assault victims and survivors, increasing safety on college campuses and giving law enforcement and prosecutors additional tools to address emerging threats.

Among the measures signed is Senate Bill 1056 by Senator Tim Grayson (D-Concord), which establishes new privacy protections for adult victims who are the subject of sexually explicit images or recordings introduced as evidence in specified criminal cases.

The Governor spoke directly with the couple whose experience helped inspire the legislation. The conversation underscored what public safety legislation is ultimately about: protecting real people when they are most vulnerable, giving victims meaningful tools to seek protection, and making sure the justice system can respond when someone poses a threat to others.

Public safety is about more than statistics — it is about people, families and communities, and making sure the law is there when people need it most. This package strengthens protections for victims, gives law enforcement and courts additional tools to address serious crimes, and focuses on prevention where it can make a difference. California's approach to keeping communities safe is showing meaningful progress across major categories of crime.

Governor Gavin Newsom

SB 1056 was inspired in part by the experience of Denise Huskins Quinn, who was kidnapped and sexually assaulted in 2015. Evidence documenting the assaults was subsequently made available during the criminal proceedings. Huskins Quinn has advocated for stronger safeguards to ensure that survivors do not experience additional trauma through the unnecessary copying, dissemination or retention of sexually explicit evidence.

"At its core, SB 1056 is about dignity. It ensures that survivors are afforded meaningful privacy protections through clear and consistent standards, and ensures that they alone have the right to control their own story while seeking justice," said Senator Grayson. "This bill could not have become law without the bravery and advocacy of Denise Huskins Quinn and Aaron Quinn, the dedication from Volare, and the Governor's support."

Protecting survivors and strengthening safety on college campuses

And as disturbing allegations of sexual violence on college campuses draw renewed national attention, Governor Newsom also signed legislation further strengthening protections for California students and survivors — helping colleges identify and respond to human trafficking and sexual exploitation, strengthening protections for victims, and holding offenders accountable.

The new laws strengthen protections for survivors of domestic violence, stalking and sexual assault by strengthening enforcement against perpetrators who willfully violate criminal protective and stay-away orders. AB 1845 by Assemblymember Maggy Krell (D-Sacramento) strengthens protections on college campuses by requiring postsecondary institutions to adopt policies and training addressing human trafficking and improve procedures for identifying and reporting sexual crimes. The law will help campus employees recognize potential trafficking and exploitation and strengthen institutions' ability to respond when students may be at risk.

"As Deputy Attorney General, I prosecuted a case where the defendant stole the victim's financial aid check and forced her into prostitution," said Assemblymember Krell. "Students can be particularly vulnerable to exploitation for a variety of reasons including financial insecurity and housing instability. AB 1845 requires human trafficking prevention education and training on college campuses to better protect California students."

California is also strengthening the systems that identify trafficking, protect victims and hold traffickers accountable.

✅ Strengthening protections on college campuses and ensuring higher education institutions to adopt policies and training addressing human trafficking and reporting incidents.

✅ Giving prosecutors additional flexibility in trafficking cases when determining whether good cause exists to continue a human trafficking case.

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✅ Training body-art facilities to recognize trafficking and reporting potential trafficking.

✅ Closing the "Epstein loophole" and prohibiting prosecutors from offering immunity or leniency in cases of human trafficking, pimping or pandering involving minors.

Protecting victims of domestic violence

Several of the new laws focus directly on giving survivors greater protection and making it harder for abuse to continue.

✅ Strengthening enforcement of protective orders for serious or repeated violations of criminal protective and stay-away orders.

✅ Helping survivors reclaim their lives from litigious abusers who attempt to harass, intimidate or maintain control through abuse of the legal process.

✅ Expanding access to workplace protection by allowing parties and witnesses in workplace violence restraining-order proceedings to participate remotely.

✅ Protecting children from the consequences of sexual violence, specifically about rules governing custody and parentage when a child was conceived through sexual assault.

✅ Strengthening military-family protections and requiring the courts to acknowledge military protective orders when imposing a restraining order under California law.

✅ Improving access to restitution for victims when criminal defendants enter into diversion proceedings.

Holding serious offenders accountable

The package also strengthens tools available to courts, probation departments and prosecutors in serious cases.

✅ Keeping supervision in place when rehabilitation is incomplete, allowing courts to extend probation for registered sex offenders who have not completed required programming.

✅ Strengthening safeguards around serious juvenile offenses, authorizing extended confinement for dangerous offenders in secure youth treatment facilities.

✅ Addressing organized metal theft, creating new crimes targeting coordinated theft of utility and infrastructure metals.

Making California's streets and roads safer

The package also addresses emerging transportation safety concerns associated with the growing use of electric bicycles and other high-powered electric devices.

✅ Giving consumers clearer information about e-bikes and e-motos with clearer labeling and buyer disclosures.

✅ Strengthening equipment and safety requirements, updating requirements for specified e-biikes, including requiring specified lighting and speedometers.

✅ Helping law enforcement identify illegal or mislabeled devices by strengthening labeling requirements, clarifying the distinction between e-bikes and other motorized vehicles, and improving crash-reporting requirements.

✅ Giving communities tools to manage dangerous speeds, allowing local governments to establish posted speed limits on bicycle paths and multiuse trails.

✅ Allowing targeted local protections for children under age 12 in San Mateo County from operating certain e-bikes.

The Governor signed the following bills addressing public safety:
  • AB 1656 by Assemblymember Laurie Davies (R-Laguna Niguel) — Human trafficking case continuances.
  • AB 1816 by Assemblymember Laurie Davies (R-Laguna Niguel) — Probation: duration.
  • AB 1845 by Assemblymember Maggy Krell (D-Sacramento) — Student safety: human trafficking.
  • AB 1877 by Assemblymember Catherine Stefani (D-San Francisco) — Domestic violence: protective orders.
  • AB 1902 by Assemblymember Gail Pellerin (D-Santa Cruz) — Secure youth treatment facilities.
  • AB 1918 by Assemblymember Diane Dixon (R-Newport Beach) — Human trafficking: body art practitioners.
  • AB 1941 by Assemblymember Mark González (D-Los Angeles) — Organized metal theft.
  • AB 2179 by Assemblymember Darshana Patel (D-San Diego County) — Workplace violence: restraining orders.
  • AB 2274 by Assemblymember Dr. Jasmeet Bains (D-Delano) — Crimes: plea deals.
  • AB 2297 by Assemblymember Catherine Stefani (D-San Francisco) — Restitution: diversion.
  • AB 2346 by Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisan City) and Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park) — Vehicles: electric bicycles and speed limits.
  • AB 2595 by Assemblymember Diane Papan (D-San Mateo) — San Mateo Electric Bicycle Safety Pilot Program.
  • SB 99 by Senator Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas) — Military protective orders.
  • SB 1056 by Senator Tim Grayson (D-Concord) — Criminal procedure.
  • SB 1167 by Senator Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas) — Vehicles: electric bicycles.
  • SB 1192 by Senator Susan Rubio (D–Baldwin Park) — Domestic violence: Reclaim Act.
  • SB 1364 by Senator Caroline Menjivar (D-San Fernando Valley) — Child custody.

Public safety is delivering results

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The legislation comes as California continues to build law-enforcement capacity while pairing enforcement with prevention.

The Governor's public safety strategy has included expanded California Highway Patrol capacity, partnerships with local law enforcement, targeted efforts against organized crime and retail theft, gun-safety measures, fentanyl interdiction and investments in violence prevention.

Since launching in 2023, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) Crime Suppression Teams have made more than 15,000 arrests, recovered more than 7,000 stolen vehicles and seized hundreds of illicit firearms. The teams operate across six regions and work with local law enforcement on auto theft, violent crime, organized criminal activity, illegal firearms and drug trafficking.

California is also continuing its aggressive crackdown on organized retail theft, backed by the largest-ever state investment in the effort. Since October 2023, California law enforcement agencies have made 35,907 arrests, referred 28,667 cases for prosecution and recovered more than $293.4 million in stolen property.

At the same time, California's counterdrug efforts have supported the interception of large quantities of fentanyl and fentanyl pills, while the state has paired enforcement with overdose-prevention measures.

The latest statewide crime data show declines across every major category in 2025 compared with 2024, including reductions in homicide, robbery, property crime, motor vehicle theft and violent crime. Since Governor Newsom took office, homicide is down 20%, robbery is down 31%, property crime is down 24%, motor vehicle theft is down 19%, and violent crime is down 3%.

The broader record reflects an approach that combines enforcement with prevention: more officers and investigative capacity, targeted intervention against organized criminal networks, stronger tools for prosecutors and courts, and investments aimed at preventing violence before it happens.

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