2026 is the year of reckoning for predators.
Headlines are covered with breaking news ranging from the Epstein files, César Chávez sexual abuse allegations, California elder parole laws releasing prolific sexual predators back on the streets, and more.
As someone who has worked in criminal justice policy for over a decade and in politics longer than that, I feel the energy this year is bringing a renewed momentum to elevating the voices of survivors across our region, nation, and world.
This movement feels like it has the potential to last because it is transcending political hypocrisy and exploitation. People are naming names, demanding justice, and fighting to do what is right regardless of political party affiliation. The issue is seeming to finally transcend political dialogue and expediency – and survivors will be better for it.
The # MeToo movement was reinvigorated in California during the takedown of scorned Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. Women around the world felt heard, empowered and prepared to fight the patriarchy that had a chokehold on Hollywood and institutions throughout the world.
Yet, only a year before, California leaders had already prioritized politics over sexual assault survivors. While there was much progress that came from the movement, California leaders had already proved they would thread the political needle of when the # MeToo type of movements would be deployed.
For example, the sad case of Brock Turner took California by storm, prompting calls for very necessary policy changes. The political irony of this movement was that it came during the same year California leaders such as Jerry Brown, Gavin Newsom, and, unofficially, Kamala Harris spearheaded Proposition 57 – a statewide measure that made sex with an unconscious person and many other sex offenses “non-violent” crimes in our state.
The silence of California leadership on behalf of sexual assault survivors during this horrific proposition passage was deafening. Further, and even more telling, the #MeToo movement stayed silent when any potential changes to Prop 57 were presented in the years to come. This reality degraded the movement into a political tool for the California elite to pick and choose which sexual assault victims were worth fighting for.
This year feels different. While the Jeffrey Epstein files are still reading like an attempt to smear Trump rather than an organic pursuit of justice, there are politicians from all sides of the aisle pushing to do right by his victims for the first time in years.
California’s elder parole laws are also hitting the news waves. As the last decade of bad public safety policy decisions is rearing its ugly head, people from every side of the aisle are standing up to make it right. Most notably, our very own Sacramento District Attorney Thien Ho, who is now running for Congress as a Democrat, has been sounding the alarm on the terrifying elderly parole decision to release Gregory Vogelsang, a prolific predator who was sentenced to three life sentences in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
His efforts, joined by our Sacramento County Jim Cooper, also a known Democrat, our very own Assemblyman Josh Hoover, and even Governor Newsom, resulted in a high-profile reconsideration by the board of parole this week. District Attorney Ho, through his fight, is showing us a new era of principles over politics, which will serve us well locally, statewide, and beyond.
Finally, and arguably the most telling, is this week’s announcement of the alleged crimes of renowned labor activist Cesar Chavez. I have to commend our state leadership—they were presented with the most difficult dichotomy: supporting survivors while rebuking a national labor movement leader. As considerations are being discussed to change the name of the downtown Sacramento Cesar Chavez Park, street names, and holiday events – I am seeing a very real change in our state leadership due to the bravery of his victims coming forward.
People from every walk of life and every political affiliation are now seeing that predators know no bounds. They come from every political party, every background, and unfortunately, every movement. Politics, Hollywood, industries, and even religious entities are not immune. We are now in an era where we need to accept two separate truths – where we can agree with a movement or a message, while also holding the messengers accountable.
Our survivors can be heard without falling victim, once again, to the exploitation of political leveraging.
The beauty is, we are at a new start of our state’s legislative year, with many sound policy reforms sitting in front of our legislature to be considered — ranging from elder parole, accountability for sexual predators, addressing legal loopholes, and more.
I look forward to California leaders continuing this week’s momentum by leaning in to this new era for survivors, this upcoming year, and beyond.
Stephanie F. Herrera is a current Folsom resident and contributes commentary to Folsom Times. She has over 15 years of service in local, state and federal public policy sectors.
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