Editor’s note: The following letter was submitted before Thursday’s unanimous Assembly vote in favor of a revised version of Assembly Bill 379 that restored a modified version of the original bill’s felony provisions for sex trafficking of 16- and 17-year-olds.
Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo has publicly shared that she is a survivor of childhood sexual assault — a painful truth that should inspire courage, compassion and moral clarity.
And yet, when the moment came to stand up and protect other children from suffering the same trauma, she failed.
(On May 1), Schiavo voted (against amendments to a watered-down version of) a bill in the California State Assembly that would have made it a felony for adults to solicit sex from 16- and 17-year-olds. It wasn’t vague. It wasn’t partisan. It was a clear-cut opportunity to protect minors from exploitation. And she chose her political party over protecting kids.
As someone who has personally survived childhood sexual abuse, I, Patrick Gipson, will always stand with the victims — every single time.
There is no excuse, no justification, and no political calculation that should ever take precedence over the safety of our children. I know what it feels like to be silenced, to be violated, and to live with scars that never fully heal. That’s why I’m speaking now — because victims deserve voices in power who fight for them, not betray them.
Schiavo had that chance. And she turned her back.
On May 10, The Signal newspaper published an editorial titled “Sex Trafficking and Democrats in Sacramento,” calling out Schiavo and her colleagues for their vote. The editorial board’s piece courageously exposed the Assembly’s decision to shield predators instead of children.
Let me be perfectly clear: You don’t get to claim survivor status for political sympathy and then vote against protecting victims. You definitely don’t get to use your trauma as a shield while enabling others to become predators.
Fortunately, survivors don’t forget. Parents don’t forget. And voters certainly won’t forget.
The California Republican Party wasted no time calling it out. A campaign video declared: “They are not like us.” And it’s true. There is a moral chasm here that cannot be bridged by press statements or campaign ads. Schiavo had a choice — to stand with victims or side with her party’s radical agenda. She chose the latter.
But I refuse to let her actions go unchecked.
This isn’t politics for me — it’s personal. As someone who has lived with the consequences of being abused, I cannot stand silent while our elected officials put predators above children. We are not talking about abstract policy differences. We’re talking about real kids, real trauma, and a very real failure of leadership.
Pilar Schiavo should have known better. She did know better. But when the cameras were off and the pressure was on, she cast a vote that will haunt victims and empower predators. That’s not courage. That’s cowardice.
To the people of Assembly District 40: Remember this betrayal. Remember who stood with the victims — and who stood with the predators.
I am Patrick Gipson. I am a survivor. And I will always stand with the victims.
Patrick Lee Gipson
Santa Clarita
