New ERA-backed CA bills would strengthen protections for survivors of sexual assault

February 12. 2025

For Immediate Release
Feb 12, 2025

Media Contact
Nazirah Ahmad
[email protected]

(SACRAMENTO, CA) — Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters), recently introduced Assembly Bill (AB) 250 and AB 464, two critical bills aimed at strengthening protections for survivors of sexual assault and expanding their access to justice. These bills reaffirm California’s commitment to supporting survivors, regardless of their circumstances, and ensuring accountability of both perpetrators and institutions that enable abuse.

“This is a moment of reckoning for perpetrators of sexual assault and those who seek to cover it up.”

– ERA’s Jessica Ramey Stender

“Sexual assault can happen to anyone, and too often, is a result of toxic environments,” said Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry,” Chair of the Legislative Women’s Caucus. “The goal of AB 250 and AB 464 is to make sure survivors have the rights they need to take action against those who harm them, and that the employers who cover up or ignore these assaults are held accountable. Sunlight is the best disinfectant after all.”

AB 250 gives survivors an opportunity to revive claims, with a new two-year window, even if the statute of limitations has expired—recognizing survivors may take years to come forward due to trauma, stigma, fear of retaliation, or other complex factors. It also clarifies that sexual assault perpetrators and entities that cover up, or attempt to conceal, such crimes will be held accountable. “When sexual violence happens at work, employees can feel threatened and unsafe. But they often have no choice but to keep working in a place that endangers their mental, emotional and physical health,” said Mariko Yoshihara,
legislative and policy director with the California Employment Lawyers Association. “AB 250 gives employees not just the time to seek justice against their abuser—it also holds accountable those seeking to cover up the sexual assault.”

“This is a moment of reckoning for perpetrators of sexual assault and those who seek to cover it up. AB 250 sends a strong message that California will not tolerate the silencing and further traumatization of survivors,” said Jessica Ramey Stender, policy director and deputy legal director at Equal Rights Advocates. “It can take years to fully process the trauma of sexual assault and come forward. This bill will ensure our laws reflect this reality and empower survivors to hold their abusers and the entities that enable them accountable.”

AB 464 seeks to allow survivors who were incarcerated and assaulted by public employees to file lawsuits up to four years after incarceration. It will also hold accountable California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) staff who commit sexual assault toward an incarcerated person, so that they cannot be re-employed with CDCR. “Staff sexual violence is a pervasive and unsettling problem in California’s prisons,” said April Grayson, political director at Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition. “AB 464 will safeguard the rights of survivors of sexual abuse by officers so they can report abuse without fear of retaliation.”

Sexual assault within California’s prisons is alarmingly pervasive. In May 2023, the Madera County District Attorney charged a former corrections officer with 96 counts of rape and sexual assault against incarcerated women at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla. Investigations revealed reports of abuse dating back to 2014 were ignored, and survivors who spoke out faced retaliation. In September 2024, federal prosecutors launched a civil rights investigation into widespread sexual abuse in two California women’s prisons, underscoring the urgent need for legislative action.

Since the rise of the #MeToo movement in 2017, the need to expose the systemic assault and harassment of women is ever present. Holding perpetrators accountable delivers justice to survivors and acts as a deterrent, sending a clear message that toxic workplace cultures and institutions may no longer ignore sexual violence. AB 250 and AB 464 represent a significant step in addressing sexual violence in California. These bills will ensure survivors have the legal tools they need to hold perpetrators and enablers accountable, while reinforcing California’s commitment to justice and safety for all.