Patch Staff
Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen has endorsed Proposition 35 – Stop Human Trafficking in California.
Slated for the November 2012 ballot, Proposition 35 is an initiative that will fight back against human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of women and children in the state.
Rosen strongly endorsed the measure, saying, “We need Prop 35 in California, an initiative that helps District Attorneys like myself and law enforcement fight human trafficking and sexual exploitation in our state. Santa Clara County is leading the way locally in fighting these crimes, but we need the tougher penalties that Prop 35 puts in place to get human traffickers off the streets and away from preying on women and children on the internet. Join me in voting yes on Prop 35 this November.”
Rosen took office as District Attorney of Santa Clara County on Jan. 3, 2011. He oversees the largest prosecutors office north of Los Angeles, serving a population of about 1.8 million. The District Attorney’s Office has 530 employees, including 182 deputy district attorneys, and prosecutes approximately 40,000 cases each year. Rosen joined the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office in 1995.
With this endorsement, Rosen joins District Attorneys Jan Scully (Sacramento County), Dean Flippo (Monterey County), Nancy O’Malley (Alameda County), Michael Ramos (San Bernardino County), Lisa S. Green (Kern County), and Birgit Fladager (Stanislaus County) in supporting Proposition 35. Additionally, Proposition 35 has been endorsed by dozens of organizations who provide services to and advocate for victims of human trafficking.
About Proposition 35 – Stop Human Trafficking in California:
In California, many vulnerable women and young girls are held against their will and forced to sell their bodies. The victims are often girls as young as 12 who are sexually exploited for the financial gain of human traffickers. They are afraid for their lives and abused – sexually, physically, and mentally.
Human trafficking is said to be one of the fastest growing criminal enterprises in the world – and it is taking place right here in our own backyard. Three cities in California – San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego – are recognized by the FBI as high intensity child sex trafficking areas. In addition, a recent national study by a victims' rights group gave California an "F" grade for its weak laws dealing with child sex trafficking.
Proposition 35, a partnership of California Against Slavery and the Safer California Foundation, will protect children in California by:
- Increasing prison terms for human traffickers.
- Requiring convicted sex traffickers to register as sex offenders.
- Requiring all registered sex offenders to disclose their internet accounts.
- Requiring criminal fines from convicted human traffickers to pay for services to help victims.
Proposition 35 has also been endorsed by organizations representing more than 95,000 rank-and-file California peace officers, advocates for the protection of children, including Marc Klaas and the KlaasKids Foundation, and victims who survived sexual exploitation when they were children. Prop 35 has strong bipartisan support and is endorsed by both major political parties in California.
For comprehensive information on Proposition 35, visit www.VoteYesOn35.com.
