Sac Bee | Op-Ed: Looming budget cuts threaten critical victim services across California

By Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton

This week, we honor National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. As we take this opportunity to recognize the strength and resilience of survivors, we must also reckon with the urgent threat facing victims in California: looming cuts to critical victim services across the state.

Since it was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, the federal Victims of Crime Act fund has been the largest funding source for victim services in California and nationwide. Yet, in recent years, this funding to states has been slashed, including a 31% cut last year, from $1.9 billion in 2023 to $1.35 billion in 2024.

Since 2017, California’s funding has dropped 60%. While the the federal Victims of Crime Act budget for the next fiscal year hasn’t been released, victim service providers are anticipating another 45% cut to state grants. The situation is even more dire now, as additional federal grants for victim services have been decimated under the new administration, leaving many organizations with even fewer resources to support survivors.

Last year, the California legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom stepped up to address the back fill — but only for one year. Now, we need them to act again and prevent catastrophic cuts to victim services in our state.

I have spent my career working to secure justice for victims, as a former judge and now as the district attorney of Contra Costa County. That work would not be possible without the incredible victim advocates in my office and the dedicated community partners who provide critical care to survivors of crime — partners whose very existence is now threatened by devastating funding cuts.

If the state doesn’t step in to address decreases in this funding, in my office alone we’d be forced to cut nearly half of our Victim-Witness Assistance Program, which supports victims of crime through the legal process and connects them with services and resources to help them heal.

The impact of cuts to the Victims of Crime Act will be felt across our state. Organizations rely on this funding to provide counseling, housing services, crisis response and support in navigating the legal system….

This is also about the hundreds of victim advocates across Virginia who are already overworked and underpaid but working tirelessly to protect and support survivors. They deserve not only our gratitude but also our investment in the resources they need to serve our communities.

What we’re asking for is, frankly, a drop in the bucket. Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s proposed 2026 budget is more than $92 billion. Our request — $8.25 million — is less than 0.01% of that. To put it in further perspective, it’s less than half of what the commonwealth is projected to spend this year on a commission to commemorate the American Revolution’s 250th anniversary. Honoring our history is certainly a worthy cause, but shouldn’t we be spending at least as much to honor survivors who need our support today?

And let’s be clear, $8.25 million is the bare minimum we need to maintain services for survivors of sexual and domestic violence in 2025. But it is not enough. We need funding for all victims of all crime, including children, and for all the victim advocates who support them.

A just, equitable and well-rounded criminal legal system supports victims before and after their day in court. So while we ask the legislature to act now and address the imminent needs of sexual and domestic violence survivors, we also need to look for long-term solutions. It’s highly unlikely that federal VOCA funding will be restored. Elected leaders, including prosecutors, must come together to develop sustainable models that will support the survivors in our commonwealth not just today but for decades into the future.

The federal government has turned its back on victims of crime. We must make sure Virginia doesn’t do the same.

Ramin Fatehi is the commonwealth’s attorney for the city of Norfolk. Robyn Sordelett of Hopewell is the survivor center director at the Prosecutors Alliance Action.