Assembly Public Safety Committee rejects AB 1701, legislation aimed at preventing early release of individuals convicted of mass shootings on school campuses
Today, the Assembly Public Safety Committee rejected AB 1701, a bill authored by Assemblymember Carl DeMaio to prevent individuals convicted of mass shootings on school campuses from seeking early release. The proposal was introduced in response to concerns in San Diego County following a judge’s decision to recall the sentence of the Santana High School shooter.
Assemblymember Carl DeMaio’s Statement:
“Today, Democrats on the Assembly Public Safety Committee rejected the pleas of victims from the Santana High School shooting and the broader San Diego community who simply asked for justice and accountability.
AB 1701 was a straightforward reform: if someone commits a mass shooting on a school campus — murdering children and terrorizing teachers — they should not be eligible for resentencing loopholes that lead to early release. California law already recognizes that certain crimes are so heinous that they deserve special protections, such as attacks on law enforcement officers or acts of torture. My bill simply said the same protection should apply to our teachers and our kids when a mass shooting occurs at a school.
Instead of standing with victims, Democrats chose to block this common-sense reform and preserve a policy that allows even school mass shooters to seek early release.
San Diego families who lived through the Santana High School tragedy deserved better than this vote.”