Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Cal OES and advocates warn of major shortfall in VOCA victim‑services funding; state backfill debated
Summary
Cal OES told the Senate subcommittee the federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) allocation to California has fallen sharply and that, if federal awards remain low, state backfill of roughly $130 million may be needed to maintain current services; advocates urged the Legislature to sustain funding while federal allocations are uncertain.
Cal OES officials, the Legislative Analyst’s Office and victim‑service advocates warned lawmakers that federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding for California has plummeted and that organizations providing counseling, forensic exams, housing and legal help face immediate funding gaps.
Cal OES update and state gap estimate
Eric Swanson, deputy director for finance and logistics at Cal OES, told the committee federal fiscal year allocations for VOCA had fallen from about $396 million (2018) to $87 million for the 2024 federal award. Swanson said his office’s rough estimate to maintain current service levels would be a federal award of approximately $224 million; if federal awards repeat the 2024…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
