The last time I wrote about public safety, California was preparing to release a convicted child rapist.

David Allen Funston admitted he was still attracted to children. He said himself he should not be around them. Yet our system still moved to set him free.

He was only stopped because a local district attorney stepped in at the last minute to re-file charges. Without that intervention, he would be out today.

That should never happen.

Cases like this expose what too many families already know: For years, California’s criminal justice system has drifted away from common sense — prioritizing process over protection and, too often, criminals over victims.

We’re working to change that.

Last week, two of my public safety bills passed the Senate Public Safety Committee, both focused on closing dangerous gaps and putting victims first.

The first is Senate Bill 1395, known as Kayleigh’s Law.

Right now, survivors of violent crimes are forced to return to court again and again — sometimes for years — just to renew a protective order........

© Santa Clarita Valley Signal