Some key efforts to help combat domestic violence

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY (Oct. 30, 2024) — Even before running for public office, I committed myself to helping victims of interpersonal violence.

I am very proud to have helped co-found the Contra Costa County Family Justice Center (FJC). Located in Todos Santos in downtown Concord, FJC is a one-stop shop of free resources for victims of domestic violence, child and elder abuse, and human trafficking.

Our local FJC is just one of many such centers located throughout California, and since my election to the Legislature, I have secured $30 million in statewide funding to support new and existing FJCs and ensure that even more victims receive the help, healing and justice they deserve.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and all of us can be part of the effort to end the occurrence of this horrible crime. This year, I authored a new law to help provide resources relating to financial abuse for victims of domestic and intimate partner violence.

Intimate partner violence can be physical, sexual, psychological or financial; often it is a combination of these. In California, one third of women and one quarter of men will experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime.

Unfortunately, financial insecurity is a leading obstacle to safety for survivors of interpersonal violence. A less visible and far too common form of abuse that victims endure is financial abuse. This kind of abuse can take many forms, including the harm-doer reducing savings accounts or assets, restricting access to bank accounts, and incurring coerced and fraudulent debt.

According to a national poll conducted by the Allstate Foundation, in 99% of intimate partner violence cases, financial abuse is one of the main reasons victims are unable to leave the abusive relationship.

In fact, the financial devastation of abuse makes banking products unaffordable, and survivors can’t safely save the money they need, nor can they access the cash needed to leave. The Centers for Disease Control published a 2018 study that found female survivors pay on average $103,000 for expenses related to domestic violence.

Economic abuse is widespread, but financial institutions are not trained on how to effectively detect and respond to it. This is why I authored Assembly Bill 2422, which Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed into law.

This new law requires the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) to develop and publish resources, for banks and the general public, relating to financial abuse for victims of domestic violence. These resources, which will be made available on DFPI’s website, will include resources on how to detect financial abuse as well as information on protecting survivors’ assets and privacy, and other supports available to survivors.

It is my hope that this can be a meaningful step toward removing barriers separating victims and survivors from the lifesaving support they need.

If you would like to learn more about this new law, or to discuss other matters important to you, please contact me at my Concord District Office at 925-521-1511.