‘Yes Means Yes’ Sexual Assault Bill Passed By Gov. Jerry Brown

Posted by: Jessica Boyer in Home Town Station September 30, 2014 - 4:18 pm 0 418 Views

Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill to make California the first state to define “yes means yes” and to change the way colleges handle sexual assault cases, officials said Sunday.

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“I think its very important this came out, ” said Linda Davies, executive director of the Domestic Violence Center of Santa Clarita Valley. “One of the things you can applaud California for is in 1964, they

'Yes Means Yes' Sexual Assault Bill Passed By Gov. Jerry Brown

opened the very first women’s shelter for domestic violence and later they made a law stating that stalking as crime.”

College of the Canyons, CalArts, The Master’s College and Charter College are local colleges in the Santa Clarita Valley that will be affected by the new law

“Every student deserves a learning environment that is safe and healthy,” said Senator Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles. “The State of California will not allow schools to sweep rape cases under the rug. We’ve shifted the conversation regarding sexual assault to one of prevention, justice, and healing.”

Related: Domestic Violence Center Of Santa Clarita Valley Hosts Weekend Training

Known nationally as the yes-means-yes bill, SB 967 makes California the first state in the nation to define affirmative consent and require institutes of higher education to educate students about consent and sexual assault, according to the news release. To ensure a fairer campus adjudication process, the bill requires increased training for the faculty reviewing complaints so that survivors of assault aren’t re-victimized by inappropriate questions when they seek justice.

“Our sisters, our daughters, our nieces – every woman deserves the right to pursue the dream of higher education without being threatened by the nightmare of violence and sexual abuse,” de Leon said. “The Governor’s signature on this legislation is an important step to prevent that kind of nightmare on our college campuses.”

The bill was first introduced in February and co-written by Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara.

“We as a state tend to do a good job protecting as many people as we can,” Davies said. “We pay attention more so than other states. What is good about this bill is that it means that women have to consent on having sex. Yes means yes and no means no.

“It’s very positive that Brown signed this bill. There have been such a rampage of sexual assault of college campuses. It’s a really big deal.”

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