WHEREAS, October is annually recognized as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month; and

WHEREAS, Although progress has been made toward preventing and ending domestic violence and providing support to survivors and their families, important work remains to be done; and

WHEREAS, Domestic violence programs in California provide essential, lifesaving services for survivors, their children, and communities; and

WHEREAS, There is a need to provide education, awareness, and understanding of domestic violence and its causes; and

WHEREAS, There is a need to focus on the individualized needs of domestic violence survivors; and

WHEREAS, Approximately 40 percent of California women experience physical intimate partner violence in their lifetimes; and

WHEREAS, Women between 18 and 24 years of age are significantly more likely to be survivors of physical intimate partner violence than women in other age groups; and

WHEREAS, Domestic violence affects people of all genders, sexual orientations, ages, and racial, ethnic, cultural, social, religious, and economic groups in the United States and here in California; and

WHEREAS, The marginalization of certain groups in society, including undocumented individuals, transgender individuals, and people living with disabilities, increases their vulnerability to domestic violence; and

WHEREAS, Approximately 4 out of every 10 non-Hispanic black women, 4 out of every 10 American Indian or Alaska Native women, and 1 in 2 multiracial non-Hispanic women have been the victim of rape, physical violence, or stalking, or all of those crimes, by an intimate partner in their lifetime. These rates are 30 to 50 percent higher than those experienced by Hispanic women, white non-Hispanic women, and Asian or Pacific non-Hispanic women; and

WHEREAS, According to the American Psychological Association, women with disabilities have a 40 percent greater risk of intimate partner violence than women without disabilities; and

WHEREAS, Fifty-four percent of transgender and gender nonconforming people have experienced domestic violence in their lifetime; and

WHEREAS, Domestic violence is the third leading cause of homelessness among families in the United States; and

WHEREAS, Domestic violence has a significant economic impact on women throughout the country. An estimated 8,000,000 days of paid work are lost each year as the result of intimate partner violence. Domestic violence costs $8.3 billion in expenses annually: a combination of higher medical costs ($5.8 billion) and lost productivity ($2.5 billion); and

WHEREAS, Children exposed to domestic violence can experience long-term consequences, including difficulty at school, substance abuse, behavioral problems in adolescence, and serious adult health problems; and

WHEREAS, Recognizing the need to understand the complexity of violence perpetuated within communities and against communities and the fear of many survivors to report domestic violence to law enforcement is imperative; and

WHEREAS, California law enforcement agencies received 169,362 domestic violence-related calls in 2017; and

WHEREAS, There were 90 domestic violence-related homicides in California in 2017, of which 80 of the fatalities were female and 10 were male. Eight percent of all homicides in 2017 were domestic violence-related; and

WHEREAS, All survivors deserve access to culturally responsive programs and services to increase their safety and self-sufficiency; and

WHEREAS, All communities deserve access to culturally responsive prevention programs and initiatives to improve overall community health and safety by challenging the societal norms that perpetuate violence; and

WHEREAS, The Legislature recognizes the vital role that all Californians can play in preventing and, one day, ending domestic violence; now, therefore, be it