Mother Lode Senator Hopes To Crackdown On Unconscious Sexual Assaults

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Sacramento, CA — An early bill this legislative session introduced by Democratic Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil is calling on state lawmakers to increase the penalty for anyone committing rape against an unconscious individual.

She notes that rape is currently only a “violent felony” when committed against a person’s will by force, violence, duress, or threat of violent retaliation. It does not address situations when victims are unconscious or otherwise unable to give consent. Alvardo-Gil’s legislation would make all forms of rape a violent felony, including situations where the victim is disabled, intoxicated, or unconscious.

Alvarado-Gil says, “I am proud to introduce bipartisan legislation that brings parity to victims of sexual assault. Over the last several years, California has gotten tougher on prioritizing the rights of rape victims over their perpetrators by increasing sentence enhancements for those who rape their spouses and by eliminating the code section defining spousal rape altogether. It is now time to declare that all forms of rape are a violent felony.”

Alvarado-Gil’s office reports that sexual assault statistics in California are very high and that over two-thirds of rapes go unreported. According to the World Population Review, there are almost 15,000 cases of rape reported each year in the state of California, which is a fraction of those occurring.

“Our hope is to give these victims a voice and the courage to step forward and report the assault so we can seek justice and help reduce these staggering numbers,” stated Alvarado-Gil.