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San Diego Council amends sexual-assault proclamation to commit to testing every evidence kit after survivor testimony
Summary
After lengthy public comment from survivors and advocates demanding an audit of untested sexual‑assault evidence kits, the council amended its Sexual Assault Awareness Month proclamation to include a pledge to 'test every kit' and passed the amended proclamation unanimously.
Council President Joe Lacava on Tuesday moved an amendment to the council’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month proclamation to add a commitment to "testing every evidence kit," a change survivors and advocates had urged at public comment.
Advocates at the meeting and in written forms pressed the council for an audit and for transparent evidence that the San Diego Police Department had cleared its backlog of untested sexual‑assault kits. Valerie Bridal, a District 4 resident and longtime advocate, asked the council to "show us the audit," saying the community had been told the backlog was cleared but had not seen proof. Survivor Latham Staples described months‑long delays in his own case and told the council California law requires kits be transferred within 30 days and tested within 120 days; he said his kit took nearly a year to be completed. The testimony helped build momentum for the change.
Council members framed the amendment as both symbolic and substantive. Lacava said the insertion would make the proclamation reflect concrete expectations: "the city of San Diego's committed to standing with survivors, holding perpetrators accountable, testing every kit," he read as the revised whereas clause. Council Member Henry Foster and others supported the amendment during debate.
The amended proclamation was moved and seconded on the floor and adopted on a recorded vote. City Clerk Diana Fuentes recorded the action as passing unanimously. The council also scheduled follow‑up informational items: Council Member Von Wilpert said he had requested the police department present in May to explain how it cleared the backlog and to provide numbers to the public.
What’s next: The proclamation amendment does not itself change departmental procedure or funding. Advocates who spoke asked the council to require and publish an audit and to ensure prosecutions follow from any newly tested evidence; council members agreed to request informational briefings from police and the Family Justice Center to report how the backlog was addressed and to identify outstanding gaps.
