On Denim Day, Governor Newsom highlights actions to support sexual assault survivors

SACRAMENTO – This Denim Day and Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Governor Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom stand with survivors of sexual assault and are detailing California’s ongoing work to expand access to care, strengthen survivor protections, and hold perpetrators accountable.

Denim Day is an annual campaign against sexual violence and the victim-blaming myth that what a person wears implies consent. In the United States, nearly half of women and more than 1 in 6 men experience some form of sexual violence in their lifetimes. This prevalent reality underscores the need for sustained, survivor-centered policies and services to ensure individuals can safely seek care, report abuse, and access justice. 

California’s actions to protect survivors

Under the Newsom administration, California has taken proactive steps to address gaps in survivor support, including expanding access to victim services, advancing prevention efforts, and improving systems to better respond to sexual violence. 

In 2025, First Partner Siebel Newsom led a Working Group on Support for Survivors of Sexual Assault to develop a comprehensive roadmap to improve California’s response and resources for survivors of sexual assault. The report, created in partnership with public health experts, judicial leaders, advocates, and law enforcement, recommends implementing consent-based education and a variety of trauma-informed practices to support survivors and coordination of services statewide, so healing and support are available for all victims no matter where they live. 

Though there is much work left to do, the following laws were signed by Governor Newsom, in partnership with the Legislature — reflecting a continued focus on ensuring survivors are supported at every stage, from crisis response to long-term recovery: 

Legislative actions that have supported survivors with key resources: 

• AB 933 (Aguiar-Curry, 2023) protects survivors of sexual assault, harassment, and discrimination from retaliatory and baseless defamation lawsuits filed by perpetrators.

• AB 1467 (Cervantes, 2022) supports survivors by requiring sexual assault and domestic violence counselors at public colleges to be independent from the Title IX office and prohibits these counselors from releasing the identity of a victim without permission.

• AB 1968 (Seyarto, 2022) requires CSU and UC campuses to have uniform and clear informational online guidance for sexual assault survivors, allowing them to navigate options and resources, thereby supporting survivors in public higher educational institutions.

• AB 2432 (Gabriel, 2024) established the California Crime Victims Fund in order to provide an ongoing funding source for services like rape crisis centers, counseling, and legal aid, mitigating cuts to federal funding under the Trump administration. It is funded through fines for corporate crimes.

• AB 2843 (Petrie-Norris, 2024) mandates health care coverage for survivors of rape and sexual assault. This includes emergency room care and 9 months of follow-up services without cost-sharing. 

• SB 215 (Leyva, 2021) allows a survivor of sexual assault to track and receive electronic updates privately and securely regarding the status, location, and other information regarding their sexual assault evidence kit in the department’s database.

• SB 916 (Leyva, 2022) empowers sexual assault survivors by providing them with critical information following a sexual assault. The law also ensures that survivors receive clear information regarding their rights, including the status of DNA testing of their forensic evidence kits and the ability to access the Department of Justice’s SAFE-T database.

Legislative actions that expand pathways to justice:

• AB 453 (Garcia, 2021) made California the first state in the nation to prohibit the act of stealthing by creating a civil sexual battery offense for someone to remove a condom during sex without their partner’s verbal consent.

• AB 1171 (Garcia, 2021) acknowledges spousal rape as equivalent to non-spousal rape under California law.

• AB 1927 (Boerner, 2020) established an amnesty clause to encourage survivors and witnesses of sexual assault to testify in court by removing the fear of prosecution for victims and witnesses who may have used drugs or alcohol during the assault, thereby encouraging more sexual assault victims to come forward and report.

• AB 2024 (Pacheco, 2024) ensures applications for emergency, temporary civil restraining orders (including for sexual assault) under the Domestic Violence Prevention Act aren’t rejected due to technical errors in filling out forms.

• SB 258 (Wahab, 2025) strengthens protections against spousal rape for people with a mental disorder or developmental/physical disability that renders them incapable of giving consent.

• SB 464 (Wahab, 2023) improved statewide transparency regarding sexual assault evidence kits, including by requiring local reporting of data re: untested kits to the California Department of Justice. It was later enhanced by SB 733 (Wahab, 2026).

• SB 554 (Cortese, 2024) strengthens the ability of survivors to obtain restraining orders in California against perpetrators who live out-of-state.

• SB 690 (Rubio, 2024) extends the statute of limitations for prosecution of felony domestic violence.