California Increases Funding For Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services

Legal Advocate Rebecca David, and Program Manager Quinton Page, are photographed with Senator Jeff Stone, during Public Policy Day. Presentations were made to state policy makers about the need for increased state funding.

On May 15th we joined organizations throughout the state of California to ask for an increased budget to better provide for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. The California Partnership to End Domestic Violence recently announced an approved budget increase with the press release below:

California’s final state budget included $10 million in new funding for Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence Prevention, with $5 million for each the Rape Crisis and the Family Violence Prevention Programs administered by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. California Coalition Against Sexual Assault CEO Sandra Henriquez and California Partnership to End Domestic Violence Executive Director Kathy Moore responded with this joint statement:

“This is an important step forward, at an historic moment for the movement to end gender-based violence. Although the final funding differs from our original $50 million ask, we recognize that the budget process involves a series of complex negotiations reflecting the core values and priorities of our state. Successfully advocating for a substantial increase in funding, at a time when the state budget is under tremendous demand, is a victory that we can be proud of.

This is a move toward greater equity in services for sexual assault and highlights prevention as key in responding to and ending domestic and sexual violence! Specifically, we are proud that this is the first time the State of California has approved an increase in funding to address sexual assault. However, this budget success does not address the disparity in funding between sexual and domestic violence services, and still falls short of our goal of ongoing funding. We must continue to increase access to funds for community-based and culturally-responsive approaches. CALCASA and the Partnership are committed to working with legislators to leverage opportunities and resources for lasting change in our state, and we’ll stand together next year to advance these solutions.

Our two coalitions are extremely proud of our collaboration, recognizing that we truly are stronger together! We remain committed to leading with prevention, expanding resources for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and resourcing research and evaluation. We are sincerely grateful to our legislative champions, Assemblymember Blanca Rubio and Senator Jim Beall, as well as the legislators who signed on their support of our budget request: Assembly Members Catharine Baker, Marc Berman, Rob Bonta, Autumn Burke, Ana Caballero, Wendy Carrillo, Rocky Chávez, David Chiu, Jim Cooper, Mike Gipson, Eloise Gómez Reyes, Tom Lackey, Al Muratsuchi, Miguel Santiago, Mark Stone, Susan Talamantes Eggman and Marie Waldron–and Senators Ben Allen, Anthony Cannella, Cathleen Galgiani, Steve Glazier, Ed Hernandez, Bob Hertzberg, Jerry Hill, Hannah-Beth Jackson, Connie Leyva, Josh Newman, Henry Stern and Bob Wieckowski.

We also extend our deep gratitude to all who added their voice to our joint effort. 140 organizations across the state signed our support letter, over 1,500 people added their names to our Change.org petition, and our coalition members participated in many calls and legislative meetings.We will continue our work collaboratively to build awareness, support survivors, families and communities—and ultimately end sexual and domestic violence.”

Board Member Feature - Margo Pernardi

Tell us a little about yourself:

I have lived in Big Bear Lake since 1989 (almost 29 years!), moving up here from Lake Forest in south Orange County. We raised our two daughters, Kaylinn (32), and Kerri (30) here and they went completely through the Bear Valley School District. I have been a Speech Language Pathologist in the Bear Valley USD since 1992. While I love my job and being able to work with students with speech and language needs of all ages from preschool age up through high school, it is getting to be time to start thinking about retirement! I am active in the Bear Valley Center for Spiritual Enrichment, was active in CATS (Community Arts Theater Society), and of course, DOVES! I am a grandma to a completely adorable (and brilliant!) little boy, Huxley Edward, who just turned 2 last month! I am working on getting used to and navigating my new journey as a widow (that sounds very strange), having lost my wonderful husband, Paul, earlier this year. We had been married for 35 years last October and together four years before that, so there are some adjustments happening in my life. I have my almost 10-year-old Yorkie, Maddi, who has been a definite companion and source of comfort as I go through this!

Why did you choose to join the DOVES board?

I was asked to join the board by Carolyn Dawley, in August of 2002. At the time, I was looking for a way to be involved in the community somehow, and even though I didn’t have any background or personal experience with domestic violence, I was willing to get involved and have learned so much in the process.  

What is your favorite part about working with the DOVES organization?

Having been on the board for almost 16 years, I have seen a lot of changes over the years. I am particularly proud of how far the organization has come and that is due to the exceptional staff and volunteers that are part of DOVES. Right now, the leadership and staff are the best that it has ever been, and I am proud to have had a small part in that. I have really enjoyed knowing that I am making a difference in the lives of domestic violence survivors and I am excited about the work that we are doing with teens and our involvement in the schools. The transitional living program is also very important, and I love seeing how it is evolving and growing!

What do you do for fun?

My most favorite thing to do is to be with my family, especially that grandson! Since both my daughters are in Colorado, I love going there to visit, or having them here. I enjoy doing theater and am currently in rehearsals as part of the cast for the upcoming production of “Our Town,” produced by the Big Bear Theater Project. It will be performed at the PAC the first two weekends in July for 6 performances…come check it out! I also like reading, walking, cooking/baking, and just enjoying our beautiful Big Bear Valley!

What is your favorite quote?

When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. – Wayne Dyer

Client Success Story at Lorrie's House

When Kelsey* arrived, she was concerned that she would not be able to function on a daily basis. She would think: "how would I get dressed, do chores, go to classes, just be human?" She felt that she had been making herself sick by stuffing the emotional pain she endured.

Since coming to DOVES, she said she is seeing things so differently; she now knows that she can still go on and do things with her life, which she did not think was possible before. She is now ready to live the rest of her life as a productive member of society. 

Our staff feels fortunate to have witnessed her wonderful growth.

*Name has been changed to protect client's identity.

Save the Date - Immunization Fair on June 30

DOVES will be taking part in the upcoming Immunization Fair on June 30 at the Brenda Boss Center, stop by our booth and say hi!