Failure by state to renew $30 million in funding for human trafficking services puts California victims at risk, warned Assemblymember González, Mira Sorvino, and advocates
LOS ANGELES — Assemblymember Mark González (D-Los Angeles) was joined by Mira Sorvino, trafficking survivors, and advocates to call on the state to renew $30 million in funding for the Human Trafficking Victim Assistance Program. Funding for the program will expire this year unless California’s Governor and Legislature act to reauthorize its renewal in the 2025 Budget Act.
“California has a responsibility, not just to name the problem of human trafficking, but to fund the real solutions,” said Assemblymember Mark González. “We cannot do that without investing in the services that survivors rely on every single day: safe housing, legal advocacy, trauma care, job support, and more. The Human Trafficking Victim Assistance Program is working. It’s lifting up survivors. It’s holding together a fragile but vital safety net. But that safety net is at risk – and we cannot afford to let it unravel.”
The Human Trafficking Victim Assistance Program funds life-saving services for human trafficking victims, including access housing, legal support, therapy, immigration support, and job training.
“The Human Trafficking Victim Assistance Program is the only state program dedicated to serving trafficking survivors in California since 2016. Last year, it connected 5,000 survivors to lifesaving services like safe housing and legal aid, but this safety net is now at risk,” said Kay Buck, Chief Executive Officer of the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST). “Without these funds, survivors will have nowhere else to go. We’re urging the Governor and the Legislature to reauthorize $30 million over the next three years in the final budget.”
Funding from the program currently supports a network of 31 service providers across the state.
“This money is literally the difference between life and death in many cases. When we do not have the funding for these 31 organizations, we do not give trafficking victims a path toward safety,” said Mira Sorvino, actress and human rights activist. “This funding is crucial, it is not optional. If California doesn’t reauthorize this $30 million, we are saying YES to human trafficking and NO to survivors.”
Survivors of trafficking in Los Angeles and the state face increasingly hostile conditions, including escalating anti-immigrant policies, natural disasters like the Los Angeles wildfires, and uncertainty around federal funding streams. These overlapping crises deepen vulnerabilities and put more Californians at risk of exploitation.
“Survivors like me need long-term support to heal and move forward. This budget request is more than just funding – it’s a lifeline,” said Lyresh Magee, a survivor of human trafficking who received services from CAST.
Watch the live stream here.
