20250HR__003198AMD INTRODUCED 2025-04-09 AMENDED_ASSEMBLY 2026-04-09 REVISED 2026-04-27 2025 HR AMD Introduced by Assembly Member Celeste Rodriguez (Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Aguiar-Curry and Caloza) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Addis, Ahrens, Alanis, Alvarez, Arambula, Ávila Farías, Bauer-Kahan, Bennett, Berman, Calderon, Carrillo, Castillo, Chen, Connolly, Davies, DeMaio, Dixon, Elhawary, Flora, Fong, Gallagher, Garcia, Gipson, Jeff Gonzalez, Mark González, Hadwick, Haney, Harabedian, Hart, Hoover, Irwin, Jackson, Johnson, Kalra, Krell, Lackey, Lee, Lowenthal, McKinnor, Muratsuchi, Nguyen, Ortega, Pacheco, Papan, Patel, Patterson, Pellerin, Petrie-Norris, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Ransom, Rivas, Michelle Rodriguez, Rogers, Blanca Rubio, Sanchez, Schiavo, Schultz, Solache, Soria, Ta, Tangipa, Valencia, Wallis, Ward, Wicks, Wilson, and Zbur) LEAD_AUTHOR ASSEMBLY Celeste Rodriguez PRINCIPAL_COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Aguiar-Curry PRINCIPAL_COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Caloza COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Addis COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ahrens COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Alanis COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Alvarez COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Arambula COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ávila Farías COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Bauer-Kahan COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Bennett COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Berman COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Calderon COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Carrillo COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Castillo COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Chen COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Connolly COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Davies COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY DeMaio COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Dixon COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Elhawary COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Flora COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Fong COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Gallagher COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Garcia COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Gipson COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Jeff Gonzalez COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Mark González COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Hadwick COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Haney COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Harabedian COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Hart COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Hoover COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Irwin COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Jackson COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Johnson COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Kalra COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Krell COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Lackey COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Lee COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Lowenthal COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY McKinnor COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Muratsuchi COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Nguyen COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ortega COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Pacheco COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Papan COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Patel COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Patterson COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Pellerin COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Petrie-Norris COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Quirk-Silva COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ramos COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ransom COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Rivas COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Michelle Rodriguez COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Rogers COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Blanca Rubio COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Sanchez COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Schiavo COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Schultz COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Solache COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Soria COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ta COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Tangipa COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Valencia COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Wallis COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ward COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Wicks COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Wilson COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Zbur Relative to Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Denim Day.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Denim Day

WHEREAS, In 2021, California rape crisis centers provided direct crisis intervention services to 44,000 individuals; and

WHEREAS, People of all genders and ages are victims of sexual assault, and it is estimated that nearly one in two women and one in five men experience sexual violence other than rape throughout their lifetime; and

WHEREAS, The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey reports that there are over 38,000,000 survivors of rape throughout the United States, with 3,250,000 of those survivors of rape currently living in the State of California; and

WHEREAS, According to the California Study on Violence Experience Across the Lifespan (CalVEX), one in seven adults in California experienced sexual violence from to 2021, inclusive; and

WHEREAS, Rape and sexual assault impact people of all racial, cultural, and economic backgrounds; and

WHEREAS, People of all genders and ages suffer multiple types of sexual violence, including acquaintance rape, stranger rape, sexual assault by an intimate partner, gang rape, incest, serial rape, sexual harassment, child sexual abuse, sex trafficking, and stalking; and

WHEREAS, In addition to the immediate physical and emotional costs, sexual assault survivors too frequently suffer from severe and long-lasting consequences, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, major depression, homelessness, eating disorders, low self-esteem, and suicide; and

WHEREAS, The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified sexual assault as a significant, costly, and preventable health issue; and

WHEREAS, A coalition of rape crisis centers and their allies, continues to directly confront this crisis with the cooperation of community advocates, health care providers, institutions of higher education, law enforcement, and other allied professionals from California’s diverse communities; and

WHEREAS, It is our responsibility to support all rape survivors by treating them with dignity, compassion, and respect; and

WHEREAS, It is important to recognize the compassion and dedication of the individuals involved in this effort, applaud their commitment to foster healing, and increase public understanding of this significant problem; and

WHEREAS, It is important to recognize the strength, courage, and challenges of the victims and survivors of sexual assault and their families and friends as they struggle to cope with the reality of sexual assault; and

WHEREAS, It is important to recognize that not all victims of sexual assault survive, either at the time of the assault or later, due to the horrific long-term trauma that sexual assault often inflicts upon victims; and

WHEREAS, There are rape prevention and education efforts underway throughout California to challenge the societal myths and behaviors that perpetuate rape and to engage communities in a common goal of ending sexual assault; and

WHEREAS, It is crucial to hold perpetrators responsible for sexual attacks, and to prevent sexual violence at every opportunity; and

WHEREAS, In 1998, the Supreme Court of Cassation in Italy overturned the conviction of a man who sexually assaulted an 18-year-old woman after the court determined that, “because the victim wore very, very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans it was no longer rape but consensual sex”; and

WHEREAS, Enraged by the court decision, within a matter of hours, the women in the Italian Parliament launched into immediate action and protested by wearing jeans to work; and

WHEREAS, Nations and states throughout the world have followed the lead of the Italian Parliament by designating their own “Denim Day” to raise public awareness about rape and sexual assault; and

WHEREAS, In 2021, California joined the States of New Hampshire and Florida in fulfilling the promise of Denim Day by approving and enacting Assembly Bill 939 (Chapter of the Statutes of 2021), which prohibits a survivor’s manner of dress from serving as evidence of consent in sexual assault cases; and

WHEREAS, Harmful attitudes about rape and sexual assault allow these crimes to persist and allow survivors to be revictimized through victim-blaming attitudes and sometimes unresponsive government systems; and

WHEREAS, California is a national leader in promoting victim-centered approaches within the judicial, criminal justice, medical, rape crisis, and health communities;

now, therefore,

be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the Assembly recognizes the month of April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month; and be it further Resolved, That the Assembly recognizes April 29, 2026, as Denim Day in California and encourages everyone to wear jeans on that day to help communicate the message that there is no excuse for, and never an invitation to commit, rape; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution. REVISIONS: Heading—Line 3.