News release
Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares, R-Acton, announced that all three bills in her public safety legislative package have successfully cleared committee and are headed to the Senate floor for a full vote.
The bills target human trafficking, long-term protections for crime victims and illegal dumping across California, according to a news release from the senator’s office.
“I am proud that this entire public safety package has advanced out of committee and is one step closer to becoming law,” Valladares said in the release. “These bills address real challenges facing real people in our communities – childhood survivors of violence, victims of trafficking, and neighborhoods plagued by illegal dumping. Now it is time for the full Senate to act.”
The release provided the following summaries of the bills:
• Senate Bill 1022, The California MAST Act: SB 1022, the California Multidisciplinary Alliance to Stop Trafficking Act, would establish a statewide task force to strengthen collaboration between government agencies and nonprofit organizations serving human trafficking victims, the release said. The task force would identify best practices, close service gaps, and report findings to the governor, the attorney general, the Legislature, and the Office of Emergency Services.
“Human trafficking is an evil, complex, and evolving crime that demands a coordinated response,” Valladares said in the release. “Getting this bill to the Senate floor means California is one step closer to an all-hands-on-deck approach that better protects victims and holds traffickers accountable.”
• Senate Bill 1395, Kayleigh’s Law: SB 1395 would allow judges to issue 20-year protective orders at sentencing for individuals convicted of felony sex offenses against a minor — ending the cycle that forces survivors to repeatedly return to court to renew basic protections. The bill is named after survivor and advocate Kayleigh Kozak and is co-sponsored by the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls.
“No survivor should have to keep facing their abuser in court just to stay protected,” Valladares said in the release. “Kayleigh’s Law has cleared committee and now the full Senate has the opportunity to finally put victims’ rights before perpetrators’.”
• Senate Bill 1230 – Illegal Dumping Accountability: Act SB 1230 increases penalties for repeat illegal dumping offenders, updates outdated fine structures, and designates CalRecycle as the state’s central resource hub for enforcement tools, funding and best practices — giving cities and counties the support they need to combat a problem that hits rural and underserved communities the hardest.
“Illegal dumping is not a victimless crime. It harms our environment, threatens public health and drains local budgets,” Valladares said in the release. “This bill now heads to the Senate floor with real momentum, and I urge my colleagues to send a clear message that California will hold offenders accountable.”
