January 24, 2025 - Today, SB 221 was introduced by Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh - a continuation of her previous efforts to strengthen California's stalking laws to include threats made to one's pet, including service and emotional support animals, and horses.
Last year SCIL was a supporter of SB 89. This year, Senator Ochoa Bogh asked SCIL to sponsor SB 221, which we are honored to do. The bill at introduction has an impressive list of bipartisan coauthors, including Senators Alvarado-Gil, Arreguín, Choi, Dahle, Hurtado, Niello, Seyarto, Umberg, Valladares, and Wahab, and Assemblymembers Chen and Essayli.
The bill originated from the advocacy of the Riverside District Attorney, which saw themselves handcuffed from prosecuting people who would threaten the life of a pet of their stalking victim. This bill would align California's stalking law with federal stalking laws.
"I don't believe any California legislator would want to tell their own daughter that there's nothing the law can do when her stalker threatens to steal or kill her beloved cat or dog," said Judie Mancuso, Founder and President of Social Compassion in Legislation. "SB 221 is the kind of compassionate and reasonable policy Californians support, and we are grateful that Senator Ochoa Bogh entrusts our group to help get it to the Governor's desk."
An estimated one in three women (31.2%) and one in six men (16.1%) in the United States report enduring stalking at some point in their lives. One National Crime Victimization Survey estimated that four in 10 stalkers threaten a “victim or the victim’s family, friends, co-workers, or family pet,” with 87,020 threats to harm a pet being reported.
Current California statute ignores threats to pets as a means of terrorizing stalking victims. The relationship between animal cruelty and violent behavior, often referred to as “The Link,” has been widely studied. The abuse of animals is often an indicator of an escalation of violence towards a human, and threatened cruelty towards pets can be a means to “perpetuate terror” towards a targeted individual.
This is not the first time SCIL has sponsored a bill related to "the Link" between animal and human violence. In 2023, SCIL sponsored AB 829, which ensured judges consider higher levels of mental health treatment than what is mandated for those convicted of animal abuse. That bill was graciously signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom and went into effect in January, 2024.
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