Assembly Bill (AB) was introduced in the California Assembly in May 2025. It was titled “Safer Communities Through Opportunities Act.”
To digress, anytime you read the word “safe” or “safer,” in a bill or proposition (Proposition 47 comes to mind) coming from the California Assembly or Senate, it is usually anything but “safe.”
The bill authorized the court to grant pretrial diversion for hundreds of felonies. So, felonies like: child abuse; corporal injury to child; assault likely to cause great bodily injury; false imprisonment; possession of a firearm by a felon; purchasing sex from a minor who is 16 or 17 years old; second degree burglary; looting; maintaining a drug house; possession of fentanyl, PCP, methamphetamine or heroin for sale; organized retail theft; and, many other felonies would qualify.
So, what does this bill do? If someone were let’s say charged with felony child abuse, this bill would allow a judge to grant that abuser diversion, he or she would be released from custody, he or she would get an out-of-custody program with no supervision, there would be no custodial punishment, no probation, no restitution, no protective order, no justice for the victim, and when the program is completed, the case and charge just gets dismissed.
And the Assembly called that “safer.” This bill would also obviously conflict with the newly enacted Prop. 36, specifically regarding certain repeat drug and theft offenders.
What’s my position: There must be a balance between public safety and rehabilitation/treatment, with public safety always being the priority. Victims must get justice and be afforded a safe environment to just live. Repeat offenders must be held accountable and punished. We must integrate accountability with rehabilitative options. Most of us are for thoughtful diversion programs and rehabilitation. I am.
But many of these crimes are violent, and they shouldn’t be included in this bill. It’s unfair to the victims and it’s unfair to our community at large. Exonerating bail, mandating dismissal of a serious charge, failing to require punishment and an enforceable treatment program or meaningful supervision exposes the public and our children and families to unnecessary risks. It also erodes the rights of victims and survivors. In short, it’s unsafe and misguided.
This takes me to our beautiful city of Santa Clarita, where I live, where my wife is an L.A. County Sheriff’s Department detective, and where we are raising our children. On June 2, this bill came up for a vote in the Assembly.
Pilar Schiavo didn’t talk to or warn any of us in our community about this bill. What did she do when the vote came up? It appears she purposefully abstained. AB 1231 passed the Assembly and then went on to the Senate.
The Senate passed AB 1231 last week and then it went back to the Assembly for one final vote before it would go on to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. Schiavo again failed to talk with or warn all of us in her district about the dangers of this bill to our children and families. And again, Pilar Schiavo, when asked to vote, abstained. The final vote was 34-27 for it to pass, but bills require a majority (at least 40 votes), and so the bill thankfully failed.
Schiavo’s explanation for failing to do her job, which is representing all of us, was: “I did not support AB 1231, along with colleagues across the aisle, because I stand firmly with law enforcement and have constituents who have raised serious concerns about the bill’s impact on public safety.” Huh? If you are against a dangerous bill that will endanger the safety of our children, our families, our community and our deputies, how about just voting “NO?”
We don’t need a politician to represent us in Sacramento. We need a caring person. Public safety has nothing to do with politics. All of us deserve to be safe no matter what your beliefs or political party. Schiavo has a lot to learn.
If you are going to abstain from votes in order to win re-election and play politics with the safety of all of us, including our children, it is time for you to leave, Schiavo.
Jonathan Hatami is a child abuse prosecutor in the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office, and has been a Santa Clarita resident for more than 35 years.