California Moms Demand Action, Everytown Applaud Governor Newsom For Signing Legislation Ensuring Funding for California Violence Intervention and Prevention Goes to Most Impactful Programs in Communities With Greatest Need

AB 1603 Will Establish the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program in Statute; Helps Guarantee Funds are Used Justly and Effectively 

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today applauded Governor Gavin Newsom for signing AB 1603, legislation that will establish the California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) grant program in statute for the first time. AB 1603 codifies the CalVIP program and ensures that CalVIP resources target the communities and people with the highest need. AB 1603 outlines a selection process for awardees that requires the Board of State and Community Corrections to give preference to communities with high rates of violence, while prioritizing applicants intending to use the funds for evidence-based strategies that reduce violence without contributing to incarceration. 

“This year, Governor Newsom and the California legislature proved they were serious about ending gun violence in all its forms by significantly increasing funding for this important program,” said  Krystal LoPilato, a volunteer with the California chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “Now, AB 1603 will ensure that this increased funding has the greatest impact and the greatest potential to save lives.”

More on the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program:

Governor Gavin Newsom and the California legislature included $30 million in funding for the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program (CalVIP) in the 2019-2020 budget signed in June — a $21 million increase from the $9 million allocated in recent years. 

CalVIP supports community-based violence intervention programs that apply a localized approach to address gun violence in California’s hardest-hit neighborhoods. While California is a leader in gun safety laws, CalVIP has been drastically underfunded at around $9 million annually for years. This year, volunteers with the California chapter of Moms Demand Action joined a coalition of more than 30 member organizations — inclusive of mayors’ offices, local violence intervention and prevention groups and gun violence prevention advocates — to call for Gov. Newsom and the California legislature to increase funding for the CalVIP program.