Prosecuting Some Sex Crimes Just Got Easier In CA, And Riverside County Is Onboard

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — When sex offenders commit crimes across multiple jurisdictions, it is very hard on victims who can be called to relive their trauma — over and over — in several courthouses.

That is changing, and the Riverside County District Attorney's Office is heralding the effort.

On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2147, a new law that strengthens California's ability to prosecute certain sexual offense cases involving crimes committed across multiple counties.

The Act updates state law to allow adults and minors charged with offenses to be prosecuted in one county even though crimes occur in multiple counties.

Previously, cases involving sexual battery, indecent exposure, and annoying or molesting a child often had to be prosecuted separately in each county where the crimes occurred, even when the same offender targeted multiple victims across county lines. The requirement forced survivors to testify multiple times, delayed the judicial process, and created barriers to holding offenders accountable.

The Act eliminates the need for survivors to travel to different counties and relive their trauma in multiple courts, and it strengthens the tools available to prosecutors to hold serial offenders accountable.

"No survivor should be forced to navigate a fragmented legal system because their abuser crossed county lines," said the bill's author, Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo (D-Chatsworth). “The Sexual Predator Accountability Act makes sure our justice system can respond to patterns of abuse with the seriousness they deserve. As a survivor myself, it’s important to me that this law prioritizes protecting survivors, giving prosecutors the tools they need and making sure predators are held accountable."

According to the Riverside County DA's Office, its prosecutors have encountered numerous cases in which offenders targeted victims across multiple counties, where jurisdictional requirements complicated prosecutions and often required survivors to relive their trauma in multiple courtrooms.

Riverside County Chief Deputy District Attorney Ivy Fitzpatrick serves as a legislative advocate in the DA's Office. She said AB 2147 allows prosecutors to seek justice while minimizing the impact the legal process has on victims.

"AB 2147 helps accomplish both by allowing related cases to move forward together," Fitzpatrick said. "We appreciate Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo's leadership in advancing this legislation and Governor Newsom for signing it into law."