Scott Peters Campaign Calls on Lori Saldaña to Explain Her Refusal to Support Stiffer Penalties for Violent Sexual Offenders

From the Scott Peters for Congress Campaign:

Earlier today, my campaign called on 52nd Congressional District candidate Lori Saldaña to explain to voters why in 2010 she did not vote to protect our children from society's worst predators: violent sexual offenders. Saldaña was the only San Diego legislator who twice failed to vote for Chelsea's Law (AB 1844), which was introduced by Assemblymember Nathan Fletcher in 2010 following the brutal rapes and murders of San Diego teenagers Chelsea King and Amber Dubois. 

Earlier this month, I had the chance to hear Brent King speak; he walked us through the day they lost Chelsea. As a dad, I can't imagine the horror of losing a child this way. Chelsea's Law puts the very worst offenders--those who commit violent sex acts against children--away for good. It's an incredibly important piece of legislation that deserved everyone's support.

This law was so needed, and so celebrated when it passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, that very few noticed that only the only San Diego legislator who didn’t support it was Lori Saldaña.

In a recent talk at Point Loma Nazarene University, Fletcher called Saldaña an obstructionist and said she "didn't have any constructive suggestions on how to make it better. She just said, well, I just want to be against it." Here is a video of his remarks.  

If she disagreed with the law, she should have voted against it, or worked to make it better, along with Assemblymember Fletcher, Democratic Senator Mark Leno and the other legislators who stood with the King family and worked around the clock to craft good legislation.

But she didn't; she just didn’t vote, and turned her back on our kids’ safety. The voters need to hear why.

Key elements of Chelsea’s Law/AB 1844 include:

• Increased prison sentences, including life without parole, for the worst offenders of violent, criminal acts against children, with terms varying depending upon the age of the victim. 

• Increased parole terms for offenders who target children under the age of 14. 

• Bans registered offenders from entering parks where children congregate without written permission from a parole officer, if the person is on parole, or from the chief administrative official of the park.

• Creates a system for assessing paroled sexual predators so those who pose the greatest risk of re-offending can be matched with the highest levels of supervision and surveillance.

The full press release from my Campaign can be found here.