Excerpt from FOX 40 Sacramento

The California Partnership to End Domestic Violence hosted its annual policy advocacy day rally on Tuesday on the west steps of the California Capitol Building to call for additional funding in the state budget to support survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.

Advocates said the rally isn’t about politics- it’s about survival.  

“We’re going to demand that they fund crime victim services, and we’re going to demand increased protections for immigrant and undocumented survivors,” an attendee said.

Over 200 people came out to remind lawmakers that standing idle and balancing budgets on the backs of survivors isn’t an option.

“Support services should be a basic human right for crime survivors,” Perla Flores with Community Solutions said.

Several lawmakers also shared their experiences.

“It’s been 10 years since my divorce, seven years since my first restraining order, five years since my second, and two days since my third,” said Senator Susan Rubio. Sen. Rubio just returned to work following a continued legal battle with her abuser.

Rubio is advocating for SB841—a bill that would prohibit immigration enforcement from entering human trafficking, sexual assault, and domestic violence shelters.

Watch the story from FOX 40 here.