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"slug": "former-benicia-elementary-teacher-found-guilty-of-sexually-abusing-his-students",
"title": "‘Justice Was Served’: Former Benicia Elementary Teacher Found Guilty of Sexually Abusing His Students",
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"headTitle": "‘Justice Was Served’: Former Benicia Elementary Teacher Found Guilty of Sexually Abusing His Students | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Editor’s Note: This story includes details of alleged sexual misconduct against minors.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A jury on Thursday found a former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/benicia\">Benicia\u003c/a> teacher guilty of sexually abusing four students at Robert Semple Elementary School, bringing to a close a criminal case that rocked the waterfront community and highlighted statewide gaps in educator vetting. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matthew Shelton, 44, faced 12 felony counts of lewd acts with a child. He was convicted of 11 of those counts. The jury declared a mistrial for the remaining count. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This was not the first time Shelton had been on trial for sexually abusing elementary students. Nearly two decades ago, Shelton stood trial over similar allegations that he sexually abused students at Phillips Edison Elementary School, a charter school in Napa. The jury acquitted him in 2008 after deliberating for just 20 minutes. The Benicia Unified School District hired him months later. Shelton then taught at the West Contra Costa Unified School District before returning to Benicia in 2015. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the victims of the alleged abuse in Napa, who testified in Shelton’s trial this month, said the verdict felt like a long time coming. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Justice was served. We’re finally here. Almost 20 years later,” she told KQED. This news organization does not name victims of alleged abuse without their consent.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The woman, now in her 20s, said she testified on behalf of the girls in Benicia — and to make sure Shelton did not escape justice a second time.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“It brought me back to being that third-grader and not being believed,” she said, adding that testifying as an adult felt different. “I felt like I had a voice this time.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The woman was among seven former students from two school districts, ranging in ages from teens to adults in their late 20s, who took the stand over three weeks to testify against Shelton. They alleged that between 2007 and late 2022, he touched their butts, their crotch area, or that he made them touch his penis. Most of the abuse occurred in his classroom, including while other students were present. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101867\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Matthew Shelton holds hands with his wife Brandy Shelton as he walks into the Solano County Law and Justice Center for his court hearing in Fairfield on Sept. 28, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Shelton was acquitted in 2008, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing — the state agency charged with determining who is fit to teach in California public schools — considered whether to discipline him, ultimately issuing a private admonishment. Such punishments, which are rare, are hidden from the public and must be expunged by the state and employers within three years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While making the case to the state for why he should be allowed to continue teaching, Shelton said he was willing to “put this event behind him” for future students who could benefit from his educational experience. He told the state panel of volunteers who reviewed his case that he changed his teaching practices, putting neon orange tape on the floor by his desk to create a physical barrier students were not allowed to cross, according to audio from the review played for the jury. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The state allowed him to keep his license, and Shelton worked hard to ingratiate himself with Benicia parents and school administrators so future victims would not be believed, Shapiro said. Shapiro said when girls first reported inappropriate touching by Shelton to the Robert Semple Elementary principal, Christina Moore, in December 2022, they did not think their principal believed them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the trial, prosecutors played footage showing she told an officer the girls in Shelton’s class were 10 years old and hormonal, and that there was “a lot of emotion” in the classroom. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moore was put on leave the day after the verdict. Reached by phone, she declined to comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“[Shelton] thought that if he were valued by the school district, even if those students and victims did come forward, they likely would not make their way to the police department and certainly would not have the strength to make it into court,” Shapiro said. “The defendant was wrong.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shelton’s defense attorney, Amanda Bevins, declined to comment on the verdict on Thursday. She had argued in her closing statement on Tuesday that multiple girls making allegations did not mean the claims were true.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Repetition is not corroboration,” Bevins said. “The argument assumes the accounts developed independently. The evidence shows the opposite.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>She told the jury that the Benicia victims’ allegations became more detailed and egregious over time, beginning with claims of hugs and pinches on the arm that eventually morphed into accusations of sexual abuse. The girls’ memories, she said, had become “contaminated” by outside influences, from classmates and parents to attorneys posting ads online seeking victims of Shelton to represent in civil lawsuits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shelton acknowledged that he hugged students at Robert Semple Elementary School, and Bevins noted the school had no policy against touching students. She said no other students in Shelton’s classroom independently corroborated the girls’ claims that he touched their butts.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“If the prosecution’s theory is true, and Shelton was touching girls’ bottoms every day, multiple times a day, in front of the classroom, where is the corroboration? Where is the immediate outcry?” Bevins said. “It’s not there.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said another one of the girls’ claims that Shelton reached in the back seat of the car he was driving — then touched her crotch while he smiled — was either impossible or nearly impossible. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101868\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Solano County Law and Justice Center in Fairfield on Sept. 28, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two of the girls who accused Shelton of sexually abusing them at Phillips Edison Elementary School in Napa testified again at this trial. Bevins described the students as obstructive during their testimonies. One answered several of the defense attorney’s questions by saying she could not remember. Bevins said the other student appeared “angry” and “out for vengeance.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The former Napa student alleged during the trial that Shelton touched her crotch and made her touch his penis when she was in the third grade. Shapiro asked her to describe his demeanor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said Shelton would smile. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Like he’s doing now,” she said from the witness stand. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an interview with KQED after the verdict, the former student said she could feel him looking at her “deep within her soul” and his expression brought her back to being a third-grader in his classroom all over again.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She is still dealing with the trauma, she said, and struggles to trust male teachers around her own daughter. Sending her daughter to third-grade was the hardest, she said. But she said the guilty verdict closes a painful chapter for her. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She now works for an organization that advocates for victims of domestic violence and assault. “Being the voice for others is the whole purpose I’m put on this earth for.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the criminal trial is over, Benicia Unified still faces three lawsuits alleging the district failed to protect its students when administrators hired Shelton in 2008. During the trial, the prosecutor presented evidence that appeared to show the state had notified the school district that it privately admonished Shelton. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“They really dropped the ball,” said the mother of one of the girls suing Benicia Unified, who also testified at the trial. KQED is not naming her to protect her daughter’s identity. “They allowed someone like this inside of our school system. Somebody who was supposed to be a trusted figure.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a written statement, the Benicia Unified superintendent, Chris Calabrese, said the district’s focus is on the well-being and safety of its students.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We are committed to maintaining strong hiring and screening practices, clear reporting procedures, staff training, and a school culture where students feel safe and heard,” Calabrese said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the mom said the issue extends beyond the district. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Shelton agreed to resign from Benicia Unified in 2023 following complaints he touched students inappropriately, he was hired as an assistant principal at Helms Middle School in West Contra Costa Unified. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the job application, Shelton listed as his supervisor a former teaching colleague and identified her as a principal, which she was not. Shelton acknowledged to the jury he lied and that he expected the teacher to provide a favorable reference. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Why didn’t they protect the children there?” the mother said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A spokesperson for West Contra Costa Unified said the district conducts reference checks when hiring and information during that process is “carefully vetted.” The district spokesperson said officials there placed Shelton on administrative leave in August 2023 after receiving an anonymous complaint.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since 2025, California public school administrators have been required to ask every single previous employing school whether teaching candidates were reported to the state for credible or substantiated reports of egregious misconduct. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097322/california-teacher-misconduct-bill-administrator-discipline-al-muratsuchi\">new law\u003c/a>, which goes into effect next year and was prompted by a \u003ca href=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/california-fired-teacher-sexual-harassment\">KQED-ProPublica investigation\u003c/a>, clarifies administrators who fail to do so may be subject to discipline by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But some school administrators say contacting every former employing school and getting their responses leaves room for error, since prospective teachers can omit information, or lie. Two California bills proposed this year would have created a searchable database to allow hiring schools to determine whether prospective teachers had been reported to the state after they were fired or resigned over claims of misconduct. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093249/california-teacher-misconduct-database-bill-failed-al-muratsuchi\">both killed\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shelton is scheduled for sentencing in December. He faces life in prison.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A jury on Thursday found a former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/benicia\">Benicia\u003c/a> teacher guilty of sexually abusing four students at Robert Semple Elementary School, bringing to a close a criminal case that rocked the waterfront community and highlighted statewide gaps in educator vetting. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Matthew Shelton, 44, faced 12 felony counts of lewd acts with a child. He was convicted of 11 of those counts. The jury declared a mistrial for the remaining count. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This was not the first time Shelton had been on trial for sexually abusing elementary students. Nearly two decades ago, Shelton stood trial over similar allegations that he sexually abused students at Phillips Edison Elementary School, a charter school in Napa. The jury acquitted him in 2008 after deliberating for just 20 minutes. The Benicia Unified School District hired him months later. Shelton then taught at the West Contra Costa Unified School District before returning to Benicia in 2015. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>This was not the first time Shelton had been on trial for sexually abusing elementary students. Nearly two decades ago, Shelton stood trial over similar allegations that he sexually abused students at Phillips Edison Elementary School, a charter school in Napa. The jury acquitted him in 2008 after deliberating for just 20 minutes. The Benicia Unified School District hired him months later. Shelton then taught at the West Contra Costa Unified School District before returning to Benicia in 2015. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One of the victims of the alleged abuse in Napa, who testified in Shelton’s trial this month, said the verdict felt like a long time coming. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Justice was served. We’re finally here. Almost 20 years later,” she told KQED. This news organization does not name victims of alleged abuse without their consent.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Justice was served. We’re finally here. Almost 20 years later,” she told KQED. This news organization does not name victims of alleged abuse without their consent.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The woman, now in her 20s, said she testified on behalf of the girls in Benicia — and to make sure Shelton did not escape justice a second time.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“It brought me back to being that third-grader and not being believed,” she said, adding that testifying as an adult felt different. “I felt like I had a voice this time.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The woman, now in her 20s, said she testified on behalf of the girls in Benicia — and to make sure Shelton did not escape justice a second time.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“It brought me back to being that third-grader and not being believed,” she said, adding that testifying as an adult felt different. “I felt like I had a voice this time.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The woman was among seven former students from two school districts, ranging in ages from teens to adults in their late 20s, who took the stand over three weeks to testify against Shelton. They alleged that between 2007 and late 2022, he touched their butts, their crotch area, or that he made them touch his penis. Most of the abuse occurred in his classroom, including while other students were present. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The woman was among seven former students from two school districts, ranging in ages from teens to adults in their late 20s, who took the stand over three weeks to testify against Shelton. They alleged that between 2007 and late 2022, he touched their butts, their crotch area, or that he made them touch his penis. Most of the abuse occurred in his classroom, including while other students were present. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101867\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Matthew Shelton holds hands with his wife Brandy Shelton as he walks into the Solano County Law and Justice Center for his court hearing in Fairfield on Sept. 28, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After Shelton was acquitted in 2008, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing — the state agency charged with determining who is fit to teach in California public schools — considered whether to discipline him, ultimately issuing a private admonishment. Such punishments, which are rare, are hidden from the public and must be expunged by the state and employers within three years. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>After Shelton was acquitted in 2008, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing — the state agency charged with determining who is fit to teach in California public schools — considered whether to discipline him, ultimately issuing a private admonishment. Such punishments, which are rare, are hidden from the public and must be expunged by the state and employers within three years. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While making the case to the state for why he should be allowed to continue teaching, Shelton said he was willing to “put this event behind him” for future students who could benefit from his educational experience. He told the state panel of volunteers who reviewed his case that he changed his teaching practices, putting neon orange tape on the floor by his desk to create a physical barrier students were not allowed to cross, according to audio from the review played for the jury. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While making the case to the state for why he should be allowed to continue teaching, Shelton said he was willing to “put this event behind him” for future students who could benefit from his educational experience. He told the state panel of volunteers who reviewed his case that he changed his teaching practices, putting neon orange tape on the floor by his desk to create a physical barrier students were not allowed to cross, according to audio from the review played for the jury. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The state allowed him to keep his license, and Shelton worked hard to ingratiate himself with Benicia parents and school administrators so future victims would not be believed, Shapiro said. Shapiro said when girls first reported inappropriate touching by Shelton to the Robert Semple Elementary principal, Christina Moore, in December 2022, they did not think their principal believed them.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The state allowed him to keep his license, and Shelton worked hard to ingratiate himself with Benicia parents and school administrators so future victims would not be believed, Shapiro said. Shapiro said when girls first reported inappropriate touching by Shelton to the Robert Semple Elementary principal, Christina Moore, in December 2022, they did not think their principal believed them.\u003c/p>\n"
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"\n\u003cp>During the trial, prosecutors played footage showing she told an officer the girls in Shelton’s class were 10 years old and hormonal, and that there was “a lot of emotion” in the classroom. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Moore was put on leave the day after the verdict. Reached by phone, she declined to comment. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“[Shelton] thought that if he were valued by the school district, even if those students and victims did come forward, they likely would not make their way to the police department and certainly would not have the strength to make it into court,” Shapiro said. “The defendant was wrong.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Shelton’s defense attorney, Amanda Bevins, declined to comment on the verdict on Thursday. She had argued in her closing statement on Tuesday that multiple girls making allegations did not mean the claims were true.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Repetition is not corroboration,” Bevins said. “The argument assumes the accounts developed independently. The evidence shows the opposite.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>She told the jury that the Benicia victims’ allegations became more detailed and egregious over time, beginning with claims of hugs and pinches on the arm that eventually morphed into accusations of sexual abuse. The girls’ memories, she said, had become “contaminated” by outside influences, from classmates and parents to attorneys posting ads online seeking victims of Shelton to represent in civil lawsuits. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Shelton acknowledged that he hugged students at Robert Semple Elementary School, and Bevins noted the school had no policy against touching students. She said no other students in Shelton’s classroom independently corroborated the girls’ claims that he touched their butts.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“If the prosecution’s theory is true, and Shelton was touching girls’ bottoms every day, multiple times a day, in front of the classroom, where is the corroboration? Where is the immediate outcry?” Bevins said. “It’s not there.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Shelton acknowledged that he hugged students at Robert Semple Elementary School, and Bevins noted the school had no policy against touching students. She said no other students in Shelton’s classroom independently corroborated the girls’ claims that he touched their butts.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“If the prosecution’s theory is true, and Shelton was touching girls’ bottoms every day, multiple times a day, in front of the classroom, where is the corroboration? Where is the immediate outcry?” Bevins said. “It’s not there.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She said another one of the girls’ claims that Shelton reached in the back seat of the car he was driving — then touched her crotch while he smiled — was either impossible or nearly impossible. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She said another one of the girls’ claims that Shelton reached in the back seat of the car he was driving — then touched her crotch while he smiled — was either impossible or nearly impossible. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Two of the girls who accused Shelton of sexually abusing them at Phillips Edison Elementary School in Napa testified again at this trial. Bevins described the students as obstructive during their testimonies. One answered several of the defense attorney’s questions by saying she could not remember. Bevins said the other student appeared “angry” and “out for vengeance.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Two of the girls who accused Shelton of sexually abusing them at Phillips Edison Elementary School in Napa testified again at this trial. Bevins described the students as obstructive during their testimonies. One answered several of the defense attorney’s questions by saying she could not remember. Bevins said the other student appeared “angry” and “out for vengeance.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The former Napa student alleged during the trial that Shelton touched her crotch and made her touch his penis when she was in the third grade. Shapiro asked her to describe his demeanor.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Like he’s doing now,” she said from the witness stand. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In an interview with KQED after the verdict, the former student said she could feel him looking at her “deep within her soul” and his expression brought her back to being a third-grader in his classroom all over again.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In an interview with KQED after the verdict, the former student said she could feel him looking at her “deep within her soul” and his expression brought her back to being a third-grader in his classroom all over again.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She is still dealing with the trauma, she said, and struggles to trust male teachers around her own daughter. Sending her daughter to third-grade was the hardest, she said. But she said the guilty verdict closes a painful chapter for her. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She is still dealing with the trauma, she said, and struggles to trust male teachers around her own daughter. Sending her daughter to third-grade was the hardest, she said. But she said the guilty verdict closes a painful chapter for her. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She now works for an organization that advocates for victims of domestic violence and assault. “Being the voice for others is the whole purpose I’m put on this earth for.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While the criminal trial is over, Benicia Unified still faces three lawsuits alleging the district failed to protect its students when administrators hired Shelton in 2008. During the trial, the prosecutor presented evidence that appeared to show the state had notified the school district that it privately admonished Shelton. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While the criminal trial is over, Benicia Unified still faces three lawsuits alleging the district failed to protect its students when administrators hired Shelton in 2008. During the trial, the prosecutor presented evidence that appeared to show the state had notified the school district that it privately admonished Shelton. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“They really dropped the ball,” said the mother of one of the girls suing Benicia Unified, who also testified at the trial. KQED is not naming her to protect her daughter’s identity. “They allowed someone like this inside of our school system. Somebody who was supposed to be a trusted figure.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“They really dropped the ball,” said the mother of one of the girls suing Benicia Unified, who also testified at the trial. KQED is not naming her to protect her daughter’s identity. “They allowed someone like this inside of our school system. Somebody who was supposed to be a trusted figure.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a written statement, the Benicia Unified superintendent, Chris Calabrese, said the district’s focus is on the well-being and safety of its students.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We are committed to maintaining strong hiring and screening practices, clear reporting procedures, staff training, and a school culture where students feel safe and heard,” Calabrese said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the mom said the issue extends beyond the district. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After Shelton agreed to resign from Benicia Unified in 2023 following complaints he touched students inappropriately, he was hired as an assistant principal at Helms Middle School in West Contra Costa Unified. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>After Shelton agreed to resign from Benicia Unified in 2023 following complaints he touched students inappropriately, he was hired as an assistant principal at Helms Middle School in West Contra Costa Unified. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On the job application, Shelton listed as his supervisor a former teaching colleague and identified her as a principal, which she was not. Shelton acknowledged to the jury he lied and that he expected the teacher to provide a favorable reference. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On the job application, Shelton listed as his supervisor a former teaching colleague and identified her as a principal, which she was not. Shelton acknowledged to the jury he lied and that he expected the teacher to provide a favorable reference. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Why didn’t they protect the children there?” the mother said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for West Contra Costa Unified said the district conducts reference checks when hiring and information during that process is “carefully vetted.” The district spokesperson said officials there placed Shelton on administrative leave in August 2023 after receiving an anonymous complaint.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for West Contra Costa Unified said the district conducts reference checks when hiring and information during that process is “carefully vetted.” The district spokesperson said officials there placed Shelton on administrative leave in August 2023 after receiving an anonymous complaint.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Since 2025, California public school administrators have been required to ask every single previous employing school whether teaching candidates were reported to the state for credible or substantiated reports of egregious misconduct. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097322/california-teacher-misconduct-bill-administrator-discipline-al-muratsuchi\">new law\u003c/a>, which goes into effect next year and was prompted by a \u003ca href=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/california-fired-teacher-sexual-harassment\">KQED-ProPublica investigation\u003c/a>, clarifies administrators who fail to do so may be subject to discipline by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Since 2025, California public school administrators have been required to ask every single previous employing school whether teaching candidates were reported to the state for credible or substantiated reports of egregious misconduct. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097322/california-teacher-misconduct-bill-administrator-discipline-al-muratsuchi\">new law\u003c/a>, which goes into effect next year and was prompted by a \u003ca href=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/california-fired-teacher-sexual-harassment\">KQED-ProPublica investigation\u003c/a>, clarifies administrators who fail to do so may be subject to discipline by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But some school administrators say contacting every former employing school and getting their responses leaves room for error, since prospective teachers can omit information, or lie. Two California bills proposed this year would have created a searchable database to allow hiring schools to determine whether prospective teachers had been reported to the state after they were fired or resigned over claims of misconduct. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But some school administrators say contacting every former employing school and getting their responses leaves room for error, since prospective teachers can omit information, or lie. Two California bills proposed this year would have created a searchable database to allow hiring schools to determine whether prospective teachers had been reported to the state after they were fired or resigned over claims of misconduct. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>They were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093249/california-teacher-misconduct-database-bill-failed-al-muratsuchi\">both killed\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>They were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093249/california-teacher-misconduct-database-bill-failed-al-muratsuchi\">both killed\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Shelton is scheduled for sentencing in December. He faces life in prison.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A Solano County jury found Matthew Shelton guilty of sexually abusing Benicia students. He was acquitted of similar allegations in Napa.\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Editor’s Note: This story includes details of alleged sexual misconduct against minors.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A jury on Thursday found a former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/benicia\">Benicia\u003c/a> teacher guilty of sexually abusing four students at Robert Semple Elementary School, bringing to a close a criminal case that rocked the waterfront community and highlighted statewide gaps in educator vetting. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matthew Shelton, 44, faced 12 felony counts of lewd acts with a child. He was convicted of 11 of those counts. The jury declared a mistrial for the remaining count. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This was not the first time Shelton had been on trial for sexually abusing elementary students. Nearly two decades ago, Shelton stood trial over similar allegations that he sexually abused students at Phillips Edison Elementary School, a charter school in Napa. The jury acquitted him in 2008 after deliberating for just 20 minutes. The Benicia Unified School District hired him months later. Shelton then taught at the West Contra Costa Unified School District before returning to Benicia in 2015. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the victims of the alleged abuse in Napa, who testified in Shelton’s trial this month, said the verdict felt like a long time coming. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Justice was served. We’re finally here. Almost 20 years later,” she told KQED. This news organization does not name victims of alleged abuse without their consent.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The woman, now in her 20s, said she testified on behalf of the girls in Benicia — and to make sure Shelton did not escape justice a second time.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“It brought me back to being that third-grader and not being believed,” she said, adding that testifying as an adult felt different. “I felt like I had a voice this time.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The woman was among seven former students from two school districts, ranging in ages from teens to adults in their late 20s, who took the stand over three weeks to testify against Shelton. They alleged that between 2007 and late 2022, he touched their butts, their crotch area, or that he made them touch his penis. Most of the abuse occurred in his classroom, including while other students were present. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101867\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Matthew Shelton holds hands with his wife Brandy Shelton as he walks into the Solano County Law and Justice Center for his court hearing in Fairfield on Sept. 28, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Shelton was acquitted in 2008, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing — the state agency charged with determining who is fit to teach in California public schools — considered whether to discipline him, ultimately issuing a private admonishment. Such punishments, which are rare, are hidden from the public and must be expunged by the state and employers within three years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While making the case to the state for why he should be allowed to continue teaching, Shelton said he was willing to “put this event behind him” for future students who could benefit from his educational experience. He told the state panel of volunteers who reviewed his case that he changed his teaching practices, putting neon orange tape on the floor by his desk to create a physical barrier students were not allowed to cross, according to audio from the review played for the jury. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The state allowed him to keep his license, and Shelton worked hard to ingratiate himself with Benicia parents and school administrators so future victims would not be believed, Shapiro said. Shapiro said when girls first reported inappropriate touching by Shelton to the Robert Semple Elementary principal, Christina Moore, in December 2022, they did not think their principal believed them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the trial, prosecutors played footage showing she told an officer the girls in Shelton’s class were 10 years old and hormonal, and that there was “a lot of emotion” in the classroom. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moore was put on leave the day after the verdict. Reached by phone, she declined to comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“[Shelton] thought that if he were valued by the school district, even if those students and victims did come forward, they likely would not make their way to the police department and certainly would not have the strength to make it into court,” Shapiro said. “The defendant was wrong.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shelton’s defense attorney, Amanda Bevins, declined to comment on the verdict on Thursday. She had argued in her closing statement on Tuesday that multiple girls making allegations did not mean the claims were true.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Repetition is not corroboration,” Bevins said. “The argument assumes the accounts developed independently. The evidence shows the opposite.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>She told the jury that the Benicia victims’ allegations became more detailed and egregious over time, beginning with claims of hugs and pinches on the arm that eventually morphed into accusations of sexual abuse. The girls’ memories, she said, had become “contaminated” by outside influences, from classmates and parents to attorneys posting ads online seeking victims of Shelton to represent in civil lawsuits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shelton acknowledged that he hugged students at Robert Semple Elementary School, and Bevins noted the school had no policy against touching students. She said no other students in Shelton’s classroom independently corroborated the girls’ claims that he touched their butts.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“If the prosecution’s theory is true, and Shelton was touching girls’ bottoms every day, multiple times a day, in front of the classroom, where is the corroboration? Where is the immediate outcry?” Bevins said. “It’s not there.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said another one of the girls’ claims that Shelton reached in the back seat of the car he was driving — then touched her crotch while he smiled — was either impossible or nearly impossible. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101868\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Solano County Law and Justice Center in Fairfield on Sept. 28, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two of the girls who accused Shelton of sexually abusing them at Phillips Edison Elementary School in Napa testified again at this trial. Bevins described the students as obstructive during their testimonies. One answered several of the defense attorney’s questions by saying she could not remember. Bevins said the other student appeared “angry” and “out for vengeance.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The former Napa student alleged during the trial that Shelton touched her crotch and made her touch his penis when she was in the third grade. Shapiro asked her to describe his demeanor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said Shelton would smile. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Like he’s doing now,” she said from the witness stand. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an interview with KQED after the verdict, the former student said she could feel him looking at her “deep within her soul” and his expression brought her back to being a third-grader in his classroom all over again.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She is still dealing with the trauma, she said, and struggles to trust male teachers around her own daughter. Sending her daughter to third-grade was the hardest, she said. But she said the guilty verdict closes a painful chapter for her. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She now works for an organization that advocates for victims of domestic violence and assault. “Being the voice for others is the whole purpose I’m put on this earth for.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the criminal trial is over, Benicia Unified still faces three lawsuits alleging the district failed to protect its students when administrators hired Shelton in 2008. During the trial, the prosecutor presented evidence that appeared to show the state had notified the school district that it privately admonished Shelton. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“They really dropped the ball,” said the mother of one of the girls suing Benicia Unified, who also testified at the trial. KQED is not naming her to protect her daughter’s identity. “They allowed someone like this inside of our school system. Somebody who was supposed to be a trusted figure.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a written statement, the Benicia Unified superintendent, Chris Calabrese, said the district’s focus is on the well-being and safety of its students.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We are committed to maintaining strong hiring and screening practices, clear reporting procedures, staff training, and a school culture where students feel safe and heard,” Calabrese said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the mom said the issue extends beyond the district. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Shelton agreed to resign from Benicia Unified in 2023 following complaints he touched students inappropriately, he was hired as an assistant principal at Helms Middle School in West Contra Costa Unified. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the job application, Shelton listed as his supervisor a former teaching colleague and identified her as a principal, which she was not. Shelton acknowledged to the jury he lied and that he expected the teacher to provide a favorable reference. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Why didn’t they protect the children there?” the mother said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A spokesperson for West Contra Costa Unified said the district conducts reference checks when hiring and information during that process is “carefully vetted.” The district spokesperson said officials there placed Shelton on administrative leave in August 2023 after receiving an anonymous complaint.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since 2025, California public school administrators have been required to ask every single previous employing school whether teaching candidates were reported to the state for credible or substantiated reports of egregious misconduct. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097322/california-teacher-misconduct-bill-administrator-discipline-al-muratsuchi\">new law\u003c/a>, which goes into effect next year and was prompted by a \u003ca href=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/california-fired-teacher-sexual-harassment\">KQED-ProPublica investigation\u003c/a>, clarifies administrators who fail to do so may be subject to discipline by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But some school administrators say contacting every former employing school and getting their responses leaves room for error, since prospective teachers can omit information, or lie. Two California bills proposed this year would have created a searchable database to allow hiring schools to determine whether prospective teachers had been reported to the state after they were fired or resigned over claims of misconduct. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093249/california-teacher-misconduct-database-bill-failed-al-muratsuchi\">both killed\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shelton is scheduled for sentencing in December. He faces life in prison.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "put-them-down-with-gas-kqed-investigation-finds-abuse-and-retaliation-at-chowchilla-prison",
"title": "‘Put Them Down With Gas’: KQED Investigation Finds Abuse and Retaliation at Chowchilla Prison",
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"headTitle": "‘Put Them Down With Gas’: KQED Investigation Finds Abuse and Retaliation at Chowchilla Prison | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Hear more of the story on the podcast \u003ca href=\"https://snapjudgment.org/we-are-jane-doe/\">‘We Are Jane Doe,\u003c/a>’ from KQED’s Snap Studios.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Aliksandria Prout was at home the evening of Aug. 2, 2024, when her phone rang. It was her former cellmate at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/central-california-womens-facility\">Central California Women’s Facility\u003c/a>. Catrina Cameron was nearly incoherent over the prison phone line. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“She told me she couldn’t see outta one eye,” Prout said. Cameron told Prout that correctional officers had sprayed her and dozens of other women with tear gas and pepper spray. “Our other cellmate had gotten beat up by correctional staff.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prout could barely grasp the enormity of the incident. As the public would later learn, correctional officers had removed 159 women from a CCWF housing unit, confined them for more than four hours in a dining hall without food, water or medication, and then unleashed streams of pepper spray and chemical blast grenades on them when tensions escalated. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Later, as the prisoners sat outside on the hot, dusty yard with their hands zip-tied behind their backs, officers again used tear gas and pepper grenades on them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1213\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Screenshot_DiningHall-deb186ea.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104593\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Screenshot_DiningHall-deb186ea.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Screenshot_DiningHall-deb186ea-160x97.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Screenshot_DiningHall-deb186ea-1536x932.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Surveillance footage obtained by KQED through a public records request shows officers throwing chemical blast grenades at incarcerated women in the dining hall at the Central California Women’s Facility on Aug. 2, 2024. (Courtesy of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>A retired prison administrator who reviewed footage of the incident told KQED: “It looks like they’re lining ’em up for the firing squad.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Women suffered injuries including stroke, blindness and seizures. “I didn’t know what they were doing to us or why, but I needed help, and I need somebody out there to know,” Cameron later recalled. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On the phone with her friend, Prout felt sick. The 33-year-old nursing student and mother of three had been out of prison for nearly two years, but she hadn’t been able to leave it behind. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In just a couple of months, Prout was set to testify against the now-infamous former correctional officer, Gregory Rodriguez, who’d been charged with sexually assaulting more than a dozen women at the facility in Chowchilla, about 35 miles from Fresno. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And now, her close friend and former cellmate had been attacked by officers in the chow hall. She couldn’t help but think her efforts to expose Rodriguez were connected to what had just happened to Cameron and more than 150 women in her old unit.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-04-BL-5587a320.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104581\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-04-BL-5587a320.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-04-BL-5587a320-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-04-BL-5587a320-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Aliksandria Prout sits in her home office, surrounded by legal paperwork, on Aug. 19, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Prout’s concerns were well-founded, according to a two-year KQED investigation into “Operation Breakdown,” as the incident was called in internal documents.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Interviews with more than a dozen women, a KQED analysis of six years’ worth of sexual assault complaints, trial transcripts, court filings, leaked internal affairs interviews and hundreds of disciplinary documents revealed a pattern of retaliation against incarcerated women who reported assault, failure to investigate those assaults and the dysfunctional accountability system that allowed staff sexual exploitation of women to flourish.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A recent U.S. Department of Justice investigation reached a similar conclusion, finding an “unbroken pattern” of sexual abuse and retaliation in California’s women’s prisons dating back more than two decades. CCWF is one of just two women’s penitentiaries in the state and is one of the largest women’s prisons in the world, with a population of more than 2,000 women, nonbinary and trans people held inside.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12104586\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-51-BL-2bb5aa03.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104586\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-51-BL-2bb5aa03.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-51-BL-2bb5aa03-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-51-BL-2bb5aa03-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rape crisis center signs hang in a housing unit at the Central California Women’s Facility on June 30, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12104629\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-120-BL-5d00dae8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104629\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-120-BL-5d00dae8.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-120-BL-5d00dae8-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-120-BL-5d00dae8-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Resources hang on the wall at the housing unit. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the wake of the DOJ’s report, and as KQED neared publication of this investigation, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100922/warden-of-californias-largest-womens-prison-reassigned-amid-scrutiny-over-sexual-abuse\">the warden at CCWF, Anissa De La Cruz, was demoted and transferred\u003c/a>, and multiple officers were put under investigation for sexual abuse. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) said the agency cannot comment on personnel decisions or the ongoing investigation. It said the agency is “fully committed to protecting victims of sexual assault.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CDCR Press Secretary Terri Hardy said in an email that the department conducted its own investigation into the events of Aug. 2, investigating 95 employees and disciplining 34 for their conduct, including firing three for excessive force and dishonesty. Initially, the department moved to discipline 41 staff members, but that number dropped as correctional officers filed appeals, some of which are still pending. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr />\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/wZ89a/5/\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CDCR said the case was the largest corrective action stemming from a single incident in its history. Yet, key questions about the operation’s connection to a rising tide of sexual assault complaints remain unanswered. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A KQED analysis of six years of \u003ca href=\"https://www.prearesourcecenter.org/about/prison-rape-elimination-act\">Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)\u003c/a> data obtained from CDCR showed that the rate of sexual misconduct complaints against staff at CCWF increased by about 1,800% from 2022 to 2023. CDCR did not answer questions about this data.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prout’s experience illuminates a pervasive culture of sexual abuse at CCWF, helps explain why women suddenly started coming forward in 2023, and reveals what the officers charged with keeping people safe in custody did in response.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ali’s story\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In May 2022, Prout had been at CCWF for just a few days when correctional officer Gregory Rodriguez stopped her as she walked to a medical appointment. He asked her to pull down her N95 mask so he could verify her identity.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“He said, ‘You have beautiful lips and beautiful eyes,’” Prout told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Three days later, an officer gave Prout a paper pass, known as a ducat, allowing her to move through the prison. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They told me I had an attorney visit,” she said. An officer escorted her to the Board of Parole Hearings room, where such visits are usually held.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-01-BL-3762f796.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104579\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-01-BL-3762f796.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-01-BL-3762f796-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-01-BL-3762f796-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Aliksandria Prout at her home. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>But there was no attorney visit. Instead, she saw Rodriguez. This is the first time she has spoken to the media about what happened in that room. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rodriguez came close and tried to kiss her. He lifted her shirt and then turned her around on a chair beneath a window. Prout remembers staring at the officer’s boot, propped against the left side of the green upholstered chair. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What really upset me was he didn’t use protection,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When it was over, Prout said, Rodriguez warned her that if she told anyone, she could face disciplinary action, which could mean more time in prison. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1140\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Ducat-05202022-ee786799.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104526\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Ducat-05202022-ee786799.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Ducat-05202022-ee786799-160x91.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Ducat-05202022-ee786799-1536x876.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A pass issued for a fraudulent attorney visit on May 20, 2022, is among the evidence Aliksandria Prout saved following her sexual assault. (Courtesy of Aliksandria Prout)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>KQED heard similar stories from other women at the prison. Eight women said they feared disciplinary write-ups, repeated cell searches and other retaliation if they reported sexual assault by staff. In a statement, CDCR said it is committed to protecting victims of sexual assault and that “sexual abuse, harassment and retaliation against incarcerated people is unacceptable.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the time, Prout stayed silent, but she made sure to keep track of the multiple times Rodriguez called her back to that room. When she was paroled after just a few months in prison, Prout began contacting attorneys. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She found out that CDCR’s Office of Internal Affairs was already investigating Rodriguez. They ultimately identified 22 potential victims, including Prout, and worked with the Madera County District Attorney’s Office to arrest the former officer in May of 2023. The case, in which Prout testified as a \u003ca href=\"https://snapjudgment.org/we-are-jane-doe/\">Jane Doe\u003c/a>, attracted national attention. Rodriguez was convicted on 64 counts of sexual abuse, including rape and sexual battery. He was sentenced to 224 years in prison.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In an email to KQED, a prison spokesperson wrote that Rodriguez’s sentence “reaffirms CDCR’s own internal investigation” and that the department “condemns any staff member — especially a peace officer who is entrusted to enforce the law — who violates their oath and public trust.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/CCWFFootage_05202022-70fb2fc8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104522\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/CCWFFootage_05202022-70fb2fc8.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/CCWFFootage_05202022-70fb2fc8-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/CCWFFootage_05202022-70fb2fc8-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A screenshot of an internal affairs investigation report obtained by KQED through a public records request from an investigation led by Special Agent Dustin Baker. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>The department also said that then-Warden Michael Pallares was transferred to Pleasant Valley State Prison, where he was made associate warden.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, documents recently obtained by KQED reveal troubling new details about that investigation. The internal affairs report showed there was a six-month window in which investigators and CDCR leadership were notified of Rodriguez’s misconduct and failed to act. During that period, he assaulted at least six women, including Prout, numerous times. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Before Prout even arrived at CCWF, a woman had already told investigators that Rodriguez summoned her to the Board of Parole Hearings room for fake attorney visits and sexually assaulted her on three occasions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Still, Rodriguez remained at his job until Aug. 17, 2022, when he was finally reassigned to the mailroom. He retired shortly after that. CDCR did not answer questions about why it took so long to stop Rodriguez’s abuse.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-05-BL-646d2faf.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104582\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-05-BL-646d2faf.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-05-BL-646d2faf-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-05-BL-646d2faf-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Aliksandria Prout holds documents related to her case at her home. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Rodriguez had been flagged before. All the way back in 2014, someone had reported potential relations between Rodriguez and a young woman identified in the trial transcripts as Nicole Doe. An investigation was done at the time, but the allegations against Rodriguez were dismissed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nicole Doe was sent to solitary confinement for more than six months and then transferred to another prison.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was treated like I was the problem,” Nicole Doe said at trial. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2019, a female co-worker reported Rodriguez for sexual harassment. Rodriguez tried to kiss her and get her to go into the staff restroom at work, this woman told investigators. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’ll be quick, I’ll be quick,” she recalled Rodriguez saying, according to internal documents.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-62-BL-aad30f85.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104588\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-62-BL-aad30f85.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-62-BL-aad30f85-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-62-BL-aad30f85-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A sign hangs above a doorway to a housing unit at the Central California Women’s Facility on June 30, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Rodriguez was reprimanded and told not to do it again, according to trial testimony. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The internal affairs report appeared to show that no other officers were disciplined in connection with Rodriguez’s years of criminal abuse.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prout said other officers must have known. They were often responsible for issuing ducats like the ones she received. The police of the prison, Investigative Services Unit officers, had an office right across the hall from the room where Rodriguez repeatedly called women in order to assault them. Prout, concerned she might be pregnant, had also gone to the prison clinic after that first assault.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They told me that if I wanted a pregnancy or STD test,” Prout testified at trial, “I had to admit to engaging in risky behavior, and that if I did that, it would add more time onto my sentence.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ripple effects\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rodriguez’s 2023 arrest also drew the attention of state lawmakers, who convened a \u003ca href=\"https://womenscaucus.legislature.ca.gov/node/434\">special hearing on sexual abuse\u003c/a> inside California’s women’s prisons. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11786495/metoo-behind-bars-new-records-shed-light-on-sexual-abuse-inside-state-womens-prisons\">allegations of sexual abuse by officers have persisted for years\u003c/a>, the Rodriguez case, along with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958308/dublin-womens-prison-faces-class-action-lawsuit-over-sexual-abuse-scandal\">wide-ranging scandal of abuse at the federal prison\u003c/a> in Dublin, California, brought renewed urgency to the issue.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It was a real pivotal moment,” said Amika Mota, executive director of the prison advocacy nonprofit Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition, who spoke at that hearing. “I feel like it’s kind of when Pandora’s Box opened.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-108-BL-253d6f4d.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104589\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-108-BL-253d6f4d.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-108-BL-253d6f4d-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-108-BL-253d6f4d-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A fitness facility at the Central California Women’s Facility on June 30, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>The Legislature allocated funds to create a sexual-abuse response and prevention working group. As part of that, CCWF began allowing incarcerated people to gather inside the prison gym for town halls organized by Sister Warriors and other advocacy groups.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Advocates stood watch at the doors of the gym to ensure correctional officers did not enter.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ In the 30 years that I had been there, never had the prison allowed such a large group of us to gather with guests and without staff present,” said Elizabeth Lozano, one of the incarcerated women who was there. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For the first time, Lozano spoke about the terror and violation she felt when being groped by a correctional officer. “There’s things that happen where it’s out of your control,” she told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In October of 2023, CDCR agreed to pay Prout $1.2 million to settle a civil suit she’d filed. Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed against CDCR since Rodriguez’s arrest, alleging sexual abuse by him and dozens of officers. The cases became so numerous they were consolidated into a single coordinated proceeding that is still moving through the Sacramento Superior Court.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As civil claims and Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) complaints began to rise, five women, including Antoinette Yancey, who served on the prison’s inmate advisory council, said in interviews with KQED or in legal filings that they were warned that the complaints needed to stop. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12104583\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-112-BL-e5d10b8a.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104583\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-112-BL-e5d10b8a.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-112-BL-e5d10b8a-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-112-BL-e5d10b8a-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rape crisis center and Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) informational signs hang in a housing unit at the Central California Women’s Facility on June 30, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12104618\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-123-BL-7f4a99ab.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104618\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-123-BL-7f4a99ab.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-123-BL-7f4a99ab-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-123-BL-7f4a99ab-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Incarcerated women walk through a yard on June 30, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During a smaller search about a month before Operation Breakdown, Yancey said that Sgt. Isidro Arroyo confronted her, saying, “The PREA, the staff assaults, the complaints and all the 602s [prison grievances] all of that stuff needs to stop.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If the complaints do not stop, then I’m going to lock you guys down, take all your privileges, and this is gonna continue until the complaints stop,” Yancey recalled Arroyo saying.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yancey said she told him this was neither legal nor fair and refused to discourage women from filing sexual-abuse complaints. She also said she brought up this incident with Arroyo during a regular inmate advisory council meeting with leadership of the prison.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CDCR declined to make Arroyo available for an interview and did not respond to questions about this incident. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘These bitches need to know’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the days leading up to Operation Breakdown, then-Warden Anissa De La Cruz was not at the prison, so Chief Deputy Warden Cynthia Rojas was in charge.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Aug. 1, 2024, acting Capt. Carlos Mendoza and Associate Warden Stephanie Torres came to Rojas about problems with prisoners smoking and being “disruptive” in a housing area called D Yard, according to internal affairs interviews that were leaked on YouTube and later taken down. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We need to gain control of that fucking unit,” Rojas said, according to one of those leaked tapes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-132-BL-1167e155.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104631\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-132-BL-1167e155.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-132-BL-1167e155-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-132-BL-1167e155-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Incarcerated women walk through a Receiving and Release (R&R) yard at the Central California Women’s Facility on June 30, 2026. The R&R yard is used to process incarcerated people entering and leaving the facility. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Rojas and her staff planned a massive search-and-seizure operation to look for contraband and enforce prison property limits for the entire unit. Under CDCR regulations, each incarcerated person’s state-issued and approved personal belongings must fit within 6 cubic feet of space — about the size of a mini-fridge.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Torres’ name was redacted in the investigation report, but KQED was able to identify her by comparing her statements to leaked internal affairs interviews and details about her role in the prison. She said the chief deputy warden gave her and Mendoza about a four-and-a-half-hour window to plan a search that would normally take days. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Torres and Mendoza later told internal affairs investigators that they “questioned the reasoning and urgency” for the search, according to the report. The two senior staff members said that Rojas told them, “these bitches need to know who’s in control,” and that De La Cruz had directed her to “do what I know how to do.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mendoza sent an email to De La Cruz, Rojas, Torres and other prison leaders late that Thursday afternoon, laying out the basics, including breaking the prisoners down to 6 cubic feet, using K-9 and searching the building.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Operation Breakdown was set for the next day.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Fun, fun, fun, baby’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Aug. 2, Torres described a “skeleton crew of managerial staff” on site. Prison officials had to bring in officers who were still in training, according to the report. Two trainees said it was their first day working inside a prison. And despite initiating and planning Operation Breakdown, Rojas was also not at work that day. But when the acting captain of D Yard called her around midday, she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Boss, we just went code three,” Mendoza said, according to Rojas’ leaked interview with internal affairs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What the fuck? What do you mean we went code three?” Rojas said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-78-BL-d639420e.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104591\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-78-BL-d639420e.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-78-BL-d639420e-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-78-BL-d639420e-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A cafeteria at the Central California Women’s Facility on June 30, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>The 159 incarcerated women on D Yard had been taken out of their cells and crowded into the dining hall first thing that morning. As the morning wore on, the scope of the search became apparent, according to a dozen women who were there that day. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They watched through the windows of the chow hall as their pillows, shoes, clothing, TVs and even some mattresses were taken or thrown away.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“People been here for 20 years,” said Wisdom Muhammad, who is out of prison now. “You throwing away they sentimental things that they have. You feel me? Like stuff that’s unreplaceable, and all that stuff is just hot trash.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Around 12:20 p.m., one of the people being held in the dining hall had a seizure. An alarm sounded, and officers filed into the dining hall in a skirmish line carrying MK-46 pepper sprayers and chemical grenades, surveillance footage and internal records showed. Things quickly escalated.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After more than four hours in the sweltering Central Valley heat without food, water or medication, the people being held in the dining hall were frustrated, according to at least a dozen women who were there. They shouted at the officers. They banged on the tables and windows.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yancey said she pointed to Arroyo and then to herself, trying to signal that she wanted to speak with him. He did not acknowledge her.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mendoza handed Arroyo a chemical blast grenade and instructed him to “put ’em down with the gas,” according to internal disciplinary documents obtained by KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mendoza was recorded on body camera directing officers to “go gas” and placing chemical grenades in the hands of subordinates, according to disciplinary documents. He later told them he “took the initiative to be the response supervisor” at the dining hall.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The scrimmage line unleashed chemical blast grenades and pepper spray on the crowd of incarcerated people, sending them scrambling toward the back of the room, surveillance video reviewed by KQED showed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to a leaked internal affairs interview, correctional officer Jordan R. Chavira told another officer that he had entered the dining hall and “started dumping it, dude,” referring to chemical agents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIU0P9TO2-w&t=37s\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One by one, the women’s hands were zip-tied behind their backs and eventually were walked outside to the yard, surveillance footage showed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yancey assumed the officers were going to start letting them go back into their housing unit. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Instead, as the incarcerated people sat under the baking sun in 90-degree weather, the officers formed a half circle around them, according to surveillance footage.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One woman, hands zip-tied behind her back, got up and took four steps to sit by another woman. Just then, the officers started throwing grenades filled with tear gas or pepper spray at the entire group. At least 15 blast grenades were deployed, according to KQED’s analysis of the disciplinary documents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As the assault died down, multiple women were carried off the field on stretchers. According to leaked internal affairs tapes, Chavira was captured on his body-worn camera approaching another officer and saying, “Fun, fun, fun, baby.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1268\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Screenshot_OutsideDiningHall-244ce2c7.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104609\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Screenshot_OutsideDiningHall-244ce2c7.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Screenshot_OutsideDiningHall-244ce2c7-160x101.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Screenshot_OutsideDiningHall-244ce2c7-1536x974.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Surveillance footage obtained by KQED through a public records request shows an incarcerated woman secured to a stretcher outside the dining hall at the Central California Women’s Facility on Aug. 2, 2024. (Courtesy of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Chavira told investigators he made those remarks in “the heat of the moment” and that he was being sarcastic.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mendoza and Chavira were charged with inexcusable neglect of duty, dishonesty, willful disobedience and excessive force; both were fired. Arroyo received a 10% salary reduction for seven pay periods and has returned to work at CCWF.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>KQED was unable to reach Mendoza. Multiple attempts to reach Chavira were unsuccessful.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“To me, if you can openly spray people as if they’re rats or roaches, like they’re not human, you completely disregard their humanity,” said Lozano, who was there on Aug. 2. “You’re sadistic. You’re an abuser.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Two investigations, different questions\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thirteen women, including Catrina Cameron and Antionette Yancey, filed a suit against the state for their injuries during the Aug. 2 incident, alleging the incident was tied to reports of sexual assault. CDCR admitted no fault, but paid the group $1.9 million to settle the case. A separate class action lawsuit is still pending.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CDCR’s internal investigation focused on the conduct of individual employees during the operation: who gave orders, who followed them and whether the force they used complied with department policy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But newly disclosed documents obtained by KQED reveal that the operation was plagued by staffing shortages, lack of planning and oversight failures. Vital questions about why this operation was rushed out were never answered. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-130-BL-89511a0e.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104612\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-130-BL-89511a0e.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-130-BL-89511a0e-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-130-BL-89511a0e-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Officers escort an incarcerated woman wearing a spit hood through a yard at the Central California Women’s Facility on June 30, 2026 (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“I still don’t understand that,” Torres told internal affairs. “I wish to understand it, and in some ways, I don’t wish to understand it. It doesn’t make sense.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CDCR Administrator Angela Kent is retired now, but at the time she served as the associate director of Female Offender Programs and Services. In her 27 years in law enforcement, she had never seen anything like the use of force on Aug. 2, she told KQED. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I absolutely felt that every officer, supervisor and manager involved should be fired,” Kent said. At the time, she urged the department to release the body-worn camera footage along with a statement, “immediately, in line with the industry standard.” As of publication, CDCR still has not released the body-worn camera footage.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Chief Deputy Warden Rojas, who’d approved the operation but wasn’t there to oversee it, was not disciplined, according to documents obtained by KQED. In a leaked interview, she was questioned about the statement that Torres and Mendoza told investigators about. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Did you make the statement, ‘These bitches need to be reminded who’s in charge,’ or words to that effect?” the investigator said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Not that I recall,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rojas was later promoted and is now acting warden at the second-largest men’s prison in the state, the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad, which currently holds about 4,000 people in custody, according to CDCR’s website. CDCR declined to make Rojas available for an interview.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the documents obtained by KQED and the leaked internal affairs tapes, CDCR did not determine why the operation was launched or whether it was connected to the growing number of sexual-abuse complaints.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There is no doubt in my mind that if you start to empower women that are incarcerated and you start to give credibility to their voice that there’s gonna be tremendous resistance,” Kent said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A month after the Aug. 2 incident, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a broad civil rights investigation into sexual abuse and retaliation at California’s women’s prisons. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Federal investigators examined the incident within the context of rising reports of sexual misconduct, allegations that staff punished women for speaking up and what the department described as longstanding failures to protect them. \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1457771/dl\">The department released its findings last month\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Women were not being protected,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Young told KQED. “It was the cycle that’s continuing to happen.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In response, CDCR said it takes every allegation seriously and remains committed to accountability and safety. The agency pointed to federal Prison Rape Elimination Act audits that found both women’s prisons met all 45 standards evaluated.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Those audits measure whether a facility has policies and practices designed to comply with PREA; they do not determine whether abuse occurred in every reported case.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-113-BL-feaf958a.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104594\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-113-BL-feaf958a.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-113-BL-feaf958a-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-113-BL-feaf958a-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A mural covers the side of a fitness facility at the Central California Women’s Facility on June 30, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>KQED’s analysis of PREA complaint data obtained from CDCR showed that in 2025, the year following the Aug. 2 incident, the rate of complaints being filed against staff at CCWF fell by about 75%. CDCR did not answer questions about this data. There are likely many reasons for this sudden decline, but multiple people at the prison said they no longer felt safe to file complaints.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One incarcerated woman, who was a victim of Rodriguez’s and spoke to KQED on the condition of anonymity because she is afraid for her safety, said if she had to do it over again, she would not report Rodriguez. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>KQED’s analysis of PREA complaints found another trend: As complaints rose in 2023 and 2024, the department appeared unable to keep up. As of the most recent data, more than 2,000 complaints across California’s state prisons had not been adjudicated. CDCR did not answer questions about this data. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For many of the women who remain incarcerated at CCWF, Operation Breakdown has left lasting scars. Cameron said she has not set foot in the dining hall since Aug. 2 and that she still has not regained sight in one of her eyes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yancey said she still sees officers who were involved in the operation regularly. “They work in this building. They’re still antagonistic towards us.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When asked whether the operation had succeeded in frightening women into silence, Cameron said it may have deterred many, but not everyone.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Hopefully, the more of us who start to speak, the more will follow,” she said. “What happens in the dark always comes to light.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Anna Sussman contributed reporting to this story. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Jeremy Sanchez Rue, associate professor of practice for UC Berkeley Journalism School, was the data editor for this series. AI tools were used to assist with the data analysis for this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was produced with support from \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/californianewsroom\">The California Newsroom\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a collaboration of public media outlets throughout the state, with NPR as its national partner.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Hear more of the story on the podcast \u003ca href=\"https://snapjudgment.org/we-are-jane-doe/\">‘We Are Jane Doe,\u003c/a>’ from KQED’s Snap Studios.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Aliksandria Prout was at home the evening of Aug. 2, 2024, when her phone rang. It was her former cellmate at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/central-california-womens-facility\">Central California Women’s Facility\u003c/a>. Catrina Cameron was nearly incoherent over the prison phone line. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Aliksandria Prout was at home the evening of Aug. 2, 2024, when her phone rang. It was her former cellmate at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/central-california-womens-facility\">Central California Women’s Facility\u003c/a>. Catrina Cameron was nearly incoherent over the prison phone line. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“She told me she couldn’t see outta one eye,” Prout said. Cameron told Prout that correctional officers had sprayed her and dozens of other women with tear gas and pepper spray. “Our other cellmate had gotten beat up by correctional staff.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“She told me she couldn’t see outta one eye,” Prout said. Cameron told Prout that correctional officers had sprayed her and dozens of other women with tear gas and pepper spray. “Our other cellmate had gotten beat up by correctional staff.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Prout could barely grasp the enormity of the incident. As the public would later learn, correctional officers had removed 159 women from a CCWF housing unit, confined them for more than four hours in a dining hall without food, water or medication, and then unleashed streams of pepper spray and chemical blast grenades on them when tensions escalated. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Prout could barely grasp the enormity of the incident. As the public would later learn, correctional officers had removed 159 women from a CCWF housing unit, confined them for more than four hours in a dining hall without food, water or medication, and then unleashed streams of pepper spray and chemical blast grenades on them when tensions escalated. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Later, as the prisoners sat outside on the hot, dusty yard with their hands zip-tied behind their backs, officers again used tear gas and pepper grenades on them.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Later, as the prisoners sat outside on the hot, dusty yard with their hands zip-tied behind their backs, officers again used tear gas and pepper grenades on them.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Screenshot_DiningHall-deb186ea.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104593\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Screenshot_DiningHall-deb186ea.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Screenshot_DiningHall-deb186ea-160x97.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Screenshot_DiningHall-deb186ea-1536x932.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Surveillance footage obtained by KQED through a public records request shows officers throwing chemical blast grenades at incarcerated women in the dining hall at the Central California Women’s Facility on Aug. 2, 2024. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Screenshot_DiningHall-deb186ea.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104593\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Surveillance footage obtained by KQED through a public records request shows officers throwing chemical blast grenades at incarcerated women in the dining hall at the Central California Women’s Facility on Aug. 2, 2024. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"\n\u003cp>A retired prison administrator who reviewed footage of the incident told KQED: “It looks like they’re lining ’em up for the firing squad.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Women suffered injuries including stroke, blindness and seizures. “I didn’t know what they were doing to us or why, but I needed help, and I need somebody out there to know,” Cameron later recalled. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Women suffered injuries including stroke, blindness and seizures. “I didn’t know what they were doing to us or why, but I needed help, and I need somebody out there to know,” Cameron later recalled. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On the phone with her friend, Prout felt sick. The 33-year-old nursing student and mother of three had been out of prison for nearly two years, but she hadn’t been able to leave it behind. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On the phone with her friend, Prout felt sick. The 33-year-old nursing student and mother of three had been out of prison for nearly two years, but she hadn’t been able to leave it behind. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In just a couple of months, Prout was set to testify against the now-infamous former correctional officer, Gregory Rodriguez, who’d been charged with sexually assaulting more than a dozen women at the facility in Chowchilla, about 35 miles from Fresno. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In just a couple of months, Prout was set to testify against the now-infamous former correctional officer, Gregory Rodriguez, who’d been charged with sexually assaulting more than a dozen women at the facility in Chowchilla, about 35 miles from Fresno. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And now, her close friend and former cellmate had been attacked by officers in the chow hall. She couldn’t help but think her efforts to expose Rodriguez were connected to what had just happened to Cameron and more than 150 women in her old unit.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And now, her close friend and former cellmate had been attacked by officers in the chow hall. She couldn’t help but think her efforts to expose Rodriguez were connected to what had just happened to Cameron and more than 150 women in her old unit.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-04-BL-5587a320.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104581\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-04-BL-5587a320.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-04-BL-5587a320-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-04-BL-5587a320-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Aliksandria Prout sits in her home office, surrounded by legal paperwork, on Aug. 19, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-04-BL-5587a320.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104581\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Aliksandria Prout sits in her home office, surrounded by legal paperwork, on Aug. 19, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Prout’s concerns were well-founded, according to a two-year KQED investigation into “Operation Breakdown,” as the incident was called in internal documents.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Interviews with more than a dozen women, a KQED analysis of six years’ worth of sexual assault complaints, trial transcripts, court filings, leaked internal affairs interviews and hundreds of disciplinary documents revealed a pattern of retaliation against incarcerated women who reported assault, failure to investigate those assaults and the dysfunctional accountability system that allowed staff sexual exploitation of women to flourish.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Interviews with more than a dozen women, a KQED analysis of six years’ worth of sexual assault complaints, trial transcripts, court filings, leaked internal affairs interviews and hundreds of disciplinary documents revealed a pattern of retaliation against incarcerated women who reported assault, failure to investigate those assaults and the dysfunctional accountability system that allowed staff sexual exploitation of women to flourish.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A recent U.S. Department of Justice investigation reached a similar conclusion, finding an “unbroken pattern” of sexual abuse and retaliation in California’s women’s prisons dating back more than two decades. CCWF is one of just two women’s penitentiaries in the state and is one of the largest women’s prisons in the world, with a population of more than 2,000 women, nonbinary and trans people held inside.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A recent U.S. Department of Justice investigation reached a similar conclusion, finding an “unbroken pattern” of sexual abuse and retaliation in California’s women’s prisons dating back more than two decades. CCWF is one of just two women’s penitentiaries in the state and is one of the largest women’s prisons in the world, with a population of more than 2,000 women, nonbinary and trans people held inside.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the wake of the DOJ’s report, and as KQED neared publication of this investigation, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100922/warden-of-californias-largest-womens-prison-reassigned-amid-scrutiny-over-sexual-abuse\">the warden at CCWF, Anissa De La Cruz, was demoted and transferred\u003c/a>, and multiple officers were put under investigation for sexual abuse. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) said the agency cannot comment on personnel decisions or the ongoing investigation. It said the agency is “fully committed to protecting victims of sexual assault.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>CDCR Press Secretary Terri Hardy said in an email that the department conducted its own investigation into the events of Aug. 2, investigating 95 employees and disciplining 34 for their conduct, including firing three for excessive force and dishonesty. Initially, the department moved to discipline 41 staff members, but that number dropped as correctional officers filed appeals, some of which are still pending. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>CDCR Press Secretary Terri Hardy said in an email that the department conducted its own investigation into the events of Aug. 2, investigating 95 employees and disciplining 34 for their conduct, including firing three for excessive force and dishonesty. Initially, the department moved to discipline 41 staff members, but that number dropped as correctional officers filed appeals, some of which are still pending. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>CDCR said the case was the largest corrective action stemming from a single incident in its history. Yet, key questions about the operation’s connection to a rising tide of sexual assault complaints remain unanswered. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>CDCR said the case was the largest corrective action stemming from a single incident in its history. Yet, key questions about the operation’s connection to a rising tide of sexual assault complaints remain unanswered. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A KQED analysis of six years of \u003ca href=\"https://www.prearesourcecenter.org/about/prison-rape-elimination-act\">Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)\u003c/a> data obtained from CDCR showed that the rate of sexual misconduct complaints against staff at CCWF increased by about 1,800% from 2022 to 2023. CDCR did not answer questions about this data.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A KQED analysis of six years of \u003ca href=\"https://www.prearesourcecenter.org/about/prison-rape-elimination-act\">Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)\u003c/a> data obtained from CDCR showed that the rate of sexual misconduct complaints against staff at CCWF increased by about 1,800% from 2022 to 2023. CDCR did not answer questions about this data.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Prout’s experience illuminates a pervasive culture of sexual abuse at CCWF, helps explain why women suddenly started coming forward in 2023, and reveals what the officers charged with keeping people safe in custody did in response.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Prout’s experience illuminates a pervasive culture of sexual abuse at CCWF, helps explain why women suddenly started coming forward in 2023, and reveals what the officers charged with keeping people safe in custody did in response.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In May 2022, Prout had been at CCWF for just a few days when correctional officer Gregory Rodriguez stopped her as she walked to a medical appointment. He asked her to pull down her N95 mask so he could verify her identity.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In May 2022, Prout had been at CCWF for just a few days when correctional officer Gregory Rodriguez stopped her as she walked to a medical appointment. He asked her to pull down her N95 mask so he could verify her identity.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“He said, ‘You have beautiful lips and beautiful eyes,’” Prout told KQED.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“He said, ‘You have beautiful lips and beautiful eyes,’” Prout told KQED.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Three days later, an officer gave Prout a paper pass, known as a ducat, allowing her to move through the prison. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“They told me I had an attorney visit,” she said. An officer escorted her to the Board of Parole Hearings room, where such visits are usually held.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-01-BL-3762f796.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104579\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-01-BL-3762f796.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-01-BL-3762f796-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-01-BL-3762f796-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Aliksandria Prout at her home.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-01-BL-3762f796.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104579\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Aliksandria Prout at her home.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But there was no attorney visit. Instead, she saw Rodriguez. This is the first time she has spoken to the media about what happened in that room. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Rodriguez came close and tried to kiss her. He lifted her shirt and then turned her around on a chair beneath a window. Prout remembers staring at the officer’s boot, propped against the left side of the green upholstered chair. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Rodriguez came close and tried to kiss her. He lifted her shirt and then turned her around on a chair beneath a window. Prout remembers staring at the officer’s boot, propped against the left side of the green upholstered chair. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“What really upset me was he didn’t use protection,” she said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“What really upset me was he didn’t use protection,” she said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When it was over, Prout said, Rodriguez warned her that if she told anyone, she could face disciplinary action, which could mean more time in prison. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>When it was over, Prout said, Rodriguez warned her that if she told anyone, she could face disciplinary action, which could mean more time in prison. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Ducat-05202022-ee786799.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104526\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Ducat-05202022-ee786799.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Ducat-05202022-ee786799-160x91.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Ducat-05202022-ee786799-1536x876.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A pass issued for a fraudulent attorney visit on May 20, 2022, is among the evidence Aliksandria Prout saved following her sexual assault.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of Aliksandria Prout)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Ducat-05202022-ee786799.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104526\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A pass issued for a fraudulent attorney visit on May 20, 2022, is among the evidence Aliksandria Prout saved following her sexual assault.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of Aliksandria Prout)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>KQED heard similar stories from other women at the prison. Eight women said they feared disciplinary write-ups, repeated cell searches and other retaliation if they reported sexual assault by staff. In a statement, CDCR said it is committed to protecting victims of sexual assault and that “sexual abuse, harassment and retaliation against incarcerated people is unacceptable.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>KQED heard similar stories from other women at the prison. Eight women said they feared disciplinary write-ups, repeated cell searches and other retaliation if they reported sexual assault by staff. In a statement, CDCR said it is committed to protecting victims of sexual assault and that “sexual abuse, harassment and retaliation against incarcerated people is unacceptable.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At the time, Prout stayed silent, but she made sure to keep track of the multiple times Rodriguez called her back to that room. When she was paroled after just a few months in prison, Prout began contacting attorneys. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>At the time, Prout stayed silent, but she made sure to keep track of the multiple times Rodriguez called her back to that room. When she was paroled after just a few months in prison, Prout began contacting attorneys. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She found out that CDCR’s Office of Internal Affairs was already investigating Rodriguez. They ultimately identified 22 potential victims, including Prout, and worked with the Madera County District Attorney’s Office to arrest the former officer in May of 2023. The case, in which Prout testified as a \u003ca href=\"https://snapjudgment.org/we-are-jane-doe/\">Jane Doe\u003c/a>, attracted national attention. Rodriguez was convicted on 64 counts of sexual abuse, including rape and sexual battery. He was sentenced to 224 years in prison.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She found out that CDCR’s Office of Internal Affairs was already investigating Rodriguez. They ultimately identified 22 potential victims, including Prout, and worked with the Madera County District Attorney’s Office to arrest the former officer in May of 2023. The case, in which Prout testified as a \u003ca href=\"https://snapjudgment.org/we-are-jane-doe/\">Jane Doe\u003c/a>, attracted national attention. Rodriguez was convicted on 64 counts of sexual abuse, including rape and sexual battery. He was sentenced to 224 years in prison.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In an email to KQED, a prison spokesperson wrote that Rodriguez’s sentence “reaffirms CDCR’s own internal investigation” and that the department “condemns any staff member — especially a peace officer who is entrusted to enforce the law — who violates their oath and public trust.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In an email to KQED, a prison spokesperson wrote that Rodriguez’s sentence “reaffirms CDCR’s own internal investigation” and that the department “condemns any staff member — especially a peace officer who is entrusted to enforce the law — who violates their oath and public trust.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/CCWFFootage_05202022-70fb2fc8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104522\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/CCWFFootage_05202022-70fb2fc8.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/CCWFFootage_05202022-70fb2fc8-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/CCWFFootage_05202022-70fb2fc8-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A screenshot of an internal affairs investigation report obtained by KQED through a public records request from an investigation led by Special Agent Dustin Baker.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/CCWFFootage_05202022-70fb2fc8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104522\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A screenshot of an internal affairs investigation report obtained by KQED through a public records request from an investigation led by Special Agent Dustin Baker.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The department also said that then-Warden Michael Pallares was transferred to Pleasant Valley State Prison, where he was made associate warden.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>However, documents recently obtained by KQED reveal troubling new details about that investigation. The internal affairs report showed there was a six-month window in which investigators and CDCR leadership were notified of Rodriguez’s misconduct and failed to act. During that period, he assaulted at least six women, including Prout, numerous times. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>However, documents recently obtained by KQED reveal troubling new details about that investigation. The internal affairs report showed there was a six-month window in which investigators and CDCR leadership were notified of Rodriguez’s misconduct and failed to act. During that period, he assaulted at least six women, including Prout, numerous times. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Before Prout even arrived at CCWF, a woman had already told investigators that Rodriguez summoned her to the Board of Parole Hearings room for fake attorney visits and sexually assaulted her on three occasions. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Before Prout even arrived at CCWF, a woman had already told investigators that Rodriguez summoned her to the Board of Parole Hearings room for fake attorney visits and sexually assaulted her on three occasions. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Still, Rodriguez remained at his job until Aug. 17, 2022, when he was finally reassigned to the mailroom. He retired shortly after that. CDCR did not answer questions about why it took so long to stop Rodriguez’s abuse.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Still, Rodriguez remained at his job until Aug. 17, 2022, when he was finally reassigned to the mailroom. He retired shortly after that. CDCR did not answer questions about why it took so long to stop Rodriguez’s abuse.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-05-BL-646d2faf.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104582\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-05-BL-646d2faf.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-05-BL-646d2faf-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-05-BL-646d2faf-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Aliksandria Prout holds documents related to her case at her home.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-05-BL-646d2faf.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104582\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Aliksandria Prout holds documents related to her case at her home.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Rodriguez had been flagged before. All the way back in 2014, someone had reported potential relations between Rodriguez and a young woman identified in the trial transcripts as Nicole Doe. An investigation was done at the time, but the allegations against Rodriguez were dismissed. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Rodriguez had been flagged before. All the way back in 2014, someone had reported potential relations between Rodriguez and a young woman identified in the trial transcripts as Nicole Doe. An investigation was done at the time, but the allegations against Rodriguez were dismissed. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Nicole Doe was sent to solitary confinement for more than six months and then transferred to another prison.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Nicole Doe was sent to solitary confinement for more than six months and then transferred to another prison.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I was treated like I was the problem,” Nicole Doe said at trial. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 2019, a female co-worker reported Rodriguez for sexual harassment. Rodriguez tried to kiss her and get her to go into the staff restroom at work, this woman told investigators. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 2019, a female co-worker reported Rodriguez for sexual harassment. Rodriguez tried to kiss her and get her to go into the staff restroom at work, this woman told investigators. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’ll be quick, I’ll be quick,” she recalled Rodriguez saying, according to internal documents.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I’ll be quick, I’ll be quick,” she recalled Rodriguez saying, according to internal documents.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-62-BL-aad30f85.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104588\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-62-BL-aad30f85.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-62-BL-aad30f85-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-62-BL-aad30f85-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A sign hangs above a doorway to a housing unit at the Central California Women’s Facility on June 30, 2026. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-62-BL-aad30f85.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104588\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A sign hangs above a doorway to a housing unit at the Central California Women’s Facility on June 30, 2026. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Rodriguez was reprimanded and told not to do it again, according to trial testimony. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Rodriguez was reprimanded and told not to do it again, according to trial testimony. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The internal affairs report appeared to show that no other officers were disciplined in connection with Rodriguez’s years of criminal abuse.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The internal affairs report appeared to show that no other officers were disciplined in connection with Rodriguez’s years of criminal abuse.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Prout said other officers must have known. They were often responsible for issuing ducats like the ones she received. The police of the prison, Investigative Services Unit officers, had an office right across the hall from the room where Rodriguez repeatedly called women in order to assault them. Prout, concerned she might be pregnant, had also gone to the prison clinic after that first assault.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Prout said other officers must have known. They were often responsible for issuing ducats like the ones she received. The police of the prison, Investigative Services Unit officers, had an office right across the hall from the room where Rodriguez repeatedly called women in order to assault them. Prout, concerned she might be pregnant, had also gone to the prison clinic after that first assault.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“They told me that if I wanted a pregnancy or STD test,” Prout testified at trial, “I had to admit to engaging in risky behavior, and that if I did that, it would add more time onto my sentence.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“They told me that if I wanted a pregnancy or STD test,” Prout testified at trial, “I had to admit to engaging in risky behavior, and that if I did that, it would add more time onto my sentence.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Rodriguez’s 2023 arrest also drew the attention of state lawmakers, who convened a \u003ca href=\"https://womenscaucus.legislature.ca.gov/node/434\">special hearing on sexual abuse\u003c/a> inside California’s women’s prisons. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Rodriguez’s 2023 arrest also drew the attention of state lawmakers, who convened a \u003ca href=\"https://womenscaucus.legislature.ca.gov/node/434\">special hearing on sexual abuse\u003c/a> inside California’s women’s prisons. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11786495/metoo-behind-bars-new-records-shed-light-on-sexual-abuse-inside-state-womens-prisons\">allegations of sexual abuse by officers have persisted for years\u003c/a>, the Rodriguez case, along with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958308/dublin-womens-prison-faces-class-action-lawsuit-over-sexual-abuse-scandal\">wide-ranging scandal of abuse at the federal prison\u003c/a> in Dublin, California, brought renewed urgency to the issue.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11786495/metoo-behind-bars-new-records-shed-light-on-sexual-abuse-inside-state-womens-prisons\">allegations of sexual abuse by officers have persisted for years\u003c/a>, the Rodriguez case, along with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958308/dublin-womens-prison-faces-class-action-lawsuit-over-sexual-abuse-scandal\">wide-ranging scandal of abuse at the federal prison\u003c/a> in Dublin, California, brought renewed urgency to the issue.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It was a real pivotal moment,” said Amika Mota, executive director of the prison advocacy nonprofit Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition, who spoke at that hearing. “I feel like it’s kind of when Pandora’s Box opened.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It was a real pivotal moment,” said Amika Mota, executive director of the prison advocacy nonprofit Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition, who spoke at that hearing. “I feel like it’s kind of when Pandora’s Box opened.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-108-BL-253d6f4d.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104589\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-108-BL-253d6f4d.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-108-BL-253d6f4d-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-108-BL-253d6f4d-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A fitness facility at the Central California Women’s Facility on June 30, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-108-BL-253d6f4d.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104589\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A fitness facility at the Central California Women’s Facility on June 30, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Legislature allocated funds to create a sexual-abuse response and prevention working group. As part of that, CCWF began allowing incarcerated people to gather inside the prison gym for town halls organized by Sister Warriors and other advocacy groups.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Legislature allocated funds to create a sexual-abuse response and prevention working group. As part of that, CCWF began allowing incarcerated people to gather inside the prison gym for town halls organized by Sister Warriors and other advocacy groups.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Advocates stood watch at the doors of the gym to ensure correctional officers did not enter.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ In the 30 years that I had been there, never had the prison allowed such a large group of us to gather with guests and without staff present,” said Elizabeth Lozano, one of the incarcerated women who was there. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“ In the 30 years that I had been there, never had the prison allowed such a large group of us to gather with guests and without staff present,” said Elizabeth Lozano, one of the incarcerated women who was there. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For the first time, Lozano spoke about the terror and violation she felt when being groped by a correctional officer. “There’s things that happen where it’s out of your control,” she told KQED.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>For the first time, Lozano spoke about the terror and violation she felt when being groped by a correctional officer. “There’s things that happen where it’s out of your control,” she told KQED.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In October of 2023, CDCR agreed to pay Prout $1.2 million to settle a civil suit she’d filed. Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed against CDCR since Rodriguez’s arrest, alleging sexual abuse by him and dozens of officers. The cases became so numerous they were consolidated into a single coordinated proceeding that is still moving through the Sacramento Superior Court.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In October of 2023, CDCR agreed to pay Prout $1.2 million to settle a civil suit she’d filed. Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed against CDCR since Rodriguez’s arrest, alleging sexual abuse by him and dozens of officers. The cases became so numerous they were consolidated into a single coordinated proceeding that is still moving through the Sacramento Superior Court.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As civil claims and Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) complaints began to rise, five women, including Antoinette Yancey, who served on the prison’s inmate advisory council, said in interviews with KQED or in legal filings that they were warned that the complaints needed to stop. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>As civil claims and Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) complaints began to rise, five women, including Antoinette Yancey, who served on the prison’s inmate advisory council, said in interviews with KQED or in legal filings that they were warned that the complaints needed to stop. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-112-BL-e5d10b8a.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104583\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rape crisis center and Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) informational signs hang in a housing unit at the Central California Women’s Facility on June 30, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-112-BL-e5d10b8a.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104583\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rape crisis center and Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) informational signs hang in a housing unit at the Central California Women’s Facility on June 30, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-123-BL-7f4a99ab.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104618\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Incarcerated women walk through a yard on June 30, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-123-BL-7f4a99ab.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104618\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Incarcerated women walk through a yard on June 30, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During a smaller search about a month before Operation Breakdown, Yancey said that Sgt. Isidro Arroyo confronted her, saying, “The PREA, the staff assaults, the complaints and all the 602s [prison grievances] all of that stuff needs to stop.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>During a smaller search about a month before Operation Breakdown, Yancey said that Sgt. Isidro Arroyo confronted her, saying, “The PREA, the staff assaults, the complaints and all the 602s [prison grievances] all of that stuff needs to stop.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If the complaints do not stop, then I’m going to lock you guys down, take all your privileges, and this is gonna continue until the complaints stop,” Yancey recalled Arroyo saying.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“If the complaints do not stop, then I’m going to lock you guys down, take all your privileges, and this is gonna continue until the complaints stop,” Yancey recalled Arroyo saying.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yancey said she told him this was neither legal nor fair and refused to discourage women from filing sexual-abuse complaints. She also said she brought up this incident with Arroyo during a regular inmate advisory council meeting with leadership of the prison.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Yancey said she told him this was neither legal nor fair and refused to discourage women from filing sexual-abuse complaints. She also said she brought up this incident with Arroyo during a regular inmate advisory council meeting with leadership of the prison.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>CDCR declined to make Arroyo available for an interview and did not respond to questions about this incident. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>CDCR declined to make Arroyo available for an interview and did not respond to questions about this incident. \u003c/p>\n"
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"attrs": {
"text": "‘These bitches need to know’",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘These bitches need to know’\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the days leading up to Operation Breakdown, then-Warden Anissa De La Cruz was not at the prison, so Chief Deputy Warden Cynthia Rojas was in charge.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In the days leading up to Operation Breakdown, then-Warden Anissa De La Cruz was not at the prison, so Chief Deputy Warden Cynthia Rojas was in charge.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On Aug. 1, 2024, acting Capt. Carlos Mendoza and Associate Warden Stephanie Torres came to Rojas about problems with prisoners smoking and being “disruptive” in a housing area called D Yard, according to internal affairs interviews that were leaked on YouTube and later taken down. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On Aug. 1, 2024, acting Capt. Carlos Mendoza and Associate Warden Stephanie Torres came to Rojas about problems with prisoners smoking and being “disruptive” in a housing area called D Yard, according to internal affairs interviews that were leaked on YouTube and later taken down. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We need to gain control of that fucking unit,” Rojas said, according to one of those leaked tapes.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Torres’ name was redacted in the investigation report, but KQED was able to identify her by comparing her statements to leaked internal affairs interviews and details about her role in the prison. She said the chief deputy warden gave her and Mendoza about a four-and-a-half-hour window to plan a search that would normally take days. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Torres and Mendoza later told internal affairs investigators that they “questioned the reasoning and urgency” for the search, according to the report. The two senior staff members said that Rojas told them, “these bitches need to know who’s in control,” and that De La Cruz had directed her to “do what I know how to do.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mendoza sent an email to De La Cruz, Rojas, Torres and other prison leaders late that Thursday afternoon, laying out the basics, including breaking the prisoners down to 6 cubic feet, using K-9 and searching the building.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Operation Breakdown was set for the next day.\u003c/p>\n",
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"text": "‘Fun, fun, fun, baby’",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On Aug. 2, Torres described a “skeleton crew of managerial staff” on site. Prison officials had to bring in officers who were still in training, according to the report. Two trainees said it was their first day working inside a prison. And despite initiating and planning Operation Breakdown, Rojas was also not at work that day. But when the acting captain of D Yard called her around midday, she said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Boss, we just went code three,” Mendoza said, according to Rojas’ leaked interview with internal affairs.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The 159 incarcerated women on D Yard had been taken out of their cells and crowded into the dining hall first thing that morning. As the morning wore on, the scope of the search became apparent, according to a dozen women who were there that day. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“People been here for 20 years,” said Wisdom Muhammad, who is out of prison now. “You throwing away they sentimental things that they have. You feel me? Like stuff that’s unreplaceable, and all that stuff is just hot trash.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“People been here for 20 years,” said Wisdom Muhammad, who is out of prison now. “You throwing away they sentimental things that they have. You feel me? Like stuff that’s unreplaceable, and all that stuff is just hot trash.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Around 12:20 p.m., one of the people being held in the dining hall had a seizure. An alarm sounded, and officers filed into the dining hall in a skirmish line carrying MK-46 pepper sprayers and chemical grenades, surveillance footage and internal records showed. Things quickly escalated.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After more than four hours in the sweltering Central Valley heat without food, water or medication, the people being held in the dining hall were frustrated, according to at least a dozen women who were there. They shouted at the officers. They banged on the tables and windows.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yancey said she pointed to Arroyo and then to herself, trying to signal that she wanted to speak with him. He did not acknowledge her.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mendoza handed Arroyo a chemical blast grenade and instructed him to “put ’em down with the gas,” according to internal disciplinary documents obtained by KQED.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mendoza was recorded on body camera directing officers to “go gas” and placing chemical grenades in the hands of subordinates, according to disciplinary documents. He later told them he “took the initiative to be the response supervisor” at the dining hall.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Mendoza was recorded on body camera directing officers to “go gas” and placing chemical grenades in the hands of subordinates, according to disciplinary documents. He later told them he “took the initiative to be the response supervisor” at the dining hall.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The scrimmage line unleashed chemical blast grenades and pepper spray on the crowd of incarcerated people, sending them scrambling toward the back of the room, surveillance video reviewed by KQED showed.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>According to a leaked internal affairs interview, correctional officer Jordan R. Chavira told another officer that he had entered the dining hall and “started dumping it, dude,” referring to chemical agents. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One by one, the women’s hands were zip-tied behind their backs and eventually were walked outside to the yard, surveillance footage showed.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yancey assumed the officers were going to start letting them go back into their housing unit. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Instead, as the incarcerated people sat under the baking sun in 90-degree weather, the officers formed a half circle around them, according to surveillance footage.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One woman, hands zip-tied behind her back, got up and took four steps to sit by another woman. Just then, the officers started throwing grenades filled with tear gas or pepper spray at the entire group. At least 15 blast grenades were deployed, according to KQED’s analysis of the disciplinary documents. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>One woman, hands zip-tied behind her back, got up and took four steps to sit by another woman. Just then, the officers started throwing grenades filled with tear gas or pepper spray at the entire group. At least 15 blast grenades were deployed, according to KQED’s analysis of the disciplinary documents. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As the assault died down, multiple women were carried off the field on stretchers. According to leaked internal affairs tapes, Chavira was captured on his body-worn camera approaching another officer and saying, “Fun, fun, fun, baby.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Screenshot_OutsideDiningHall-244ce2c7.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104609\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Screenshot_OutsideDiningHall-244ce2c7.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Screenshot_OutsideDiningHall-244ce2c7-160x101.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Screenshot_OutsideDiningHall-244ce2c7-1536x974.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Surveillance footage obtained by KQED through a public records request shows an incarcerated woman secured to a stretcher outside the dining hall at the Central California Women’s Facility on Aug. 2, 2024.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mendoza and Chavira were charged with inexcusable neglect of duty, dishonesty, willful disobedience and excessive force; both were fired. Arroyo received a 10% salary reduction for seven pay periods and has returned to work at CCWF.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“To me, if you can openly spray people as if they’re rats or roaches, like they’re not human, you completely disregard their humanity,” said Lozano, who was there on Aug. 2. “You’re sadistic. You’re an abuser.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Thirteen women, including Catrina Cameron and Antionette Yancey, filed a suit against the state for their injuries during the Aug. 2 incident, alleging the incident was tied to reports of sexual assault. CDCR admitted no fault, but paid the group $1.9 million to settle the case. A separate class action lawsuit is still pending.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Thirteen women, including Catrina Cameron and Antionette Yancey, filed a suit against the state for their injuries during the Aug. 2 incident, alleging the incident was tied to reports of sexual assault. CDCR admitted no fault, but paid the group $1.9 million to settle the case. A separate class action lawsuit is still pending.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>CDCR’s internal investigation focused on the conduct of individual employees during the operation: who gave orders, who followed them and whether the force they used complied with department policy.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But newly disclosed documents obtained by KQED reveal that the operation was plagued by staffing shortages, lack of planning and oversight failures. Vital questions about why this operation was rushed out were never answered. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I still don’t understand that,” Torres told internal affairs. “I wish to understand it, and in some ways, I don’t wish to understand it. It doesn’t make sense.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>CDCR Administrator Angela Kent is retired now, but at the time she served as the associate director of Female Offender Programs and Services. In her 27 years in law enforcement, she had never seen anything like the use of force on Aug. 2, she told KQED. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I absolutely felt that every officer, supervisor and manager involved should be fired,” Kent said. At the time, she urged the department to release the body-worn camera footage along with a statement, “immediately, in line with the industry standard.” As of publication, CDCR still has not released the body-worn camera footage.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Chief Deputy Warden Rojas, who’d approved the operation but wasn’t there to oversee it, was not disciplined, according to documents obtained by KQED. In a leaked interview, she was questioned about the statement that Torres and Mendoza told investigators about. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Chief Deputy Warden Rojas, who’d approved the operation but wasn’t there to oversee it, was not disciplined, according to documents obtained by KQED. In a leaked interview, she was questioned about the statement that Torres and Mendoza told investigators about. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Did you make the statement, ‘These bitches need to be reminded who’s in charge,’ or words to that effect?” the investigator said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Not that I recall,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Rojas was later promoted and is now acting warden at the second-largest men’s prison in the state, the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad, which currently holds about 4,000 people in custody, according to CDCR’s website. CDCR declined to make Rojas available for an interview.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Rojas was later promoted and is now acting warden at the second-largest men’s prison in the state, the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad, which currently holds about 4,000 people in custody, according to CDCR’s website. CDCR declined to make Rojas available for an interview.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the documents obtained by KQED and the leaked internal affairs tapes, CDCR did not determine why the operation was launched or whether it was connected to the growing number of sexual-abuse complaints.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There is no doubt in my mind that if you start to empower women that are incarcerated and you start to give credibility to their voice that there’s gonna be tremendous resistance,” Kent said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A month after the Aug. 2 incident, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a broad civil rights investigation into sexual abuse and retaliation at California’s women’s prisons. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Federal investigators examined the incident within the context of rising reports of sexual misconduct, allegations that staff punished women for speaking up and what the department described as longstanding failures to protect them. \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1457771/dl\">The department released its findings last month\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Federal investigators examined the incident within the context of rising reports of sexual misconduct, allegations that staff punished women for speaking up and what the department described as longstanding failures to protect them. \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1457771/dl\">The department released its findings last month\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Women were not being protected,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Young told KQED. “It was the cycle that’s continuing to happen.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In response, CDCR said it takes every allegation seriously and remains committed to accountability and safety. The agency pointed to federal Prison Rape Elimination Act audits that found both women’s prisons met all 45 standards evaluated.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In response, CDCR said it takes every allegation seriously and remains committed to accountability and safety. The agency pointed to federal Prison Rape Elimination Act audits that found both women’s prisons met all 45 standards evaluated.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Those audits measure whether a facility has policies and practices designed to comply with PREA; they do not determine whether abuse occurred in every reported case.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>KQED’s analysis of PREA complaint data obtained from CDCR showed that in 2025, the year following the Aug. 2 incident, the rate of complaints being filed against staff at CCWF fell by about 75%. CDCR did not answer questions about this data. There are likely many reasons for this sudden decline, but multiple people at the prison said they no longer felt safe to file complaints.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>KQED’s analysis of PREA complaint data obtained from CDCR showed that in 2025, the year following the Aug. 2 incident, the rate of complaints being filed against staff at CCWF fell by about 75%. CDCR did not answer questions about this data. There are likely many reasons for this sudden decline, but multiple people at the prison said they no longer felt safe to file complaints.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One incarcerated woman, who was a victim of Rodriguez’s and spoke to KQED on the condition of anonymity because she is afraid for her safety, said if she had to do it over again, she would not report Rodriguez. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>One incarcerated woman, who was a victim of Rodriguez’s and spoke to KQED on the condition of anonymity because she is afraid for her safety, said if she had to do it over again, she would not report Rodriguez. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>KQED’s analysis of PREA complaints found another trend: As complaints rose in 2023 and 2024, the department appeared unable to keep up. As of the most recent data, more than 2,000 complaints across California’s state prisons had not been adjudicated. CDCR did not answer questions about this data. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>KQED’s analysis of PREA complaints found another trend: As complaints rose in 2023 and 2024, the department appeared unable to keep up. As of the most recent data, more than 2,000 complaints across California’s state prisons had not been adjudicated. CDCR did not answer questions about this data. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For many of the women who remain incarcerated at CCWF, Operation Breakdown has left lasting scars. Cameron said she has not set foot in the dining hall since Aug. 2 and that she still has not regained sight in one of her eyes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>For many of the women who remain incarcerated at CCWF, Operation Breakdown has left lasting scars. Cameron said she has not set foot in the dining hall since Aug. 2 and that she still has not regained sight in one of her eyes. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yancey said she still sees officers who were involved in the operation regularly. “They work in this building. They’re still antagonistic towards us.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When asked whether the operation had succeeded in frightening women into silence, Cameron said it may have deterred many, but not everyone.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Hopefully, the more of us who start to speak, the more will follow,” she said. “What happens in the dark always comes to light.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Hopefully, the more of us who start to speak, the more will follow,” she said. “What happens in the dark always comes to light.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Anna Sussman contributed reporting to this story. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Jeremy Sanchez Rue, associate professor of practice for UC Berkeley Journalism School, was the data editor for this series. AI tools were used to assist with the data analysis for this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Jeremy Sanchez Rue, associate professor of practice for UC Berkeley Journalism School, was the data editor for this series. AI tools were used to assist with the data analysis for this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was produced with support from \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/californianewsroom\">The California Newsroom\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a collaboration of public media outlets throughout the state, with NPR as its national partner.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "More than a dozen current and formerly incarcerated women spoke to KQED about a pattern of sexual abuse and retaliation that persists at the largest women’s prison in California.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Hear more of the story on the podcast \u003ca href=\"https://snapjudgment.org/we-are-jane-doe/\">‘We Are Jane Doe,\u003c/a>’ from KQED’s Snap Studios.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Aliksandria Prout was at home the evening of Aug. 2, 2024, when her phone rang. It was her former cellmate at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/central-california-womens-facility\">Central California Women’s Facility\u003c/a>. Catrina Cameron was nearly incoherent over the prison phone line. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“She told me she couldn’t see outta one eye,” Prout said. Cameron told Prout that correctional officers had sprayed her and dozens of other women with tear gas and pepper spray. “Our other cellmate had gotten beat up by correctional staff.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prout could barely grasp the enormity of the incident. As the public would later learn, correctional officers had removed 159 women from a CCWF housing unit, confined them for more than four hours in a dining hall without food, water or medication, and then unleashed streams of pepper spray and chemical blast grenades on them when tensions escalated. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Later, as the prisoners sat outside on the hot, dusty yard with their hands zip-tied behind their backs, officers again used tear gas and pepper grenades on them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1213\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Screenshot_DiningHall-deb186ea.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104593\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Screenshot_DiningHall-deb186ea.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Screenshot_DiningHall-deb186ea-160x97.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Screenshot_DiningHall-deb186ea-1536x932.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Surveillance footage obtained by KQED through a public records request shows officers throwing chemical blast grenades at incarcerated women in the dining hall at the Central California Women’s Facility on Aug. 2, 2024. (Courtesy of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>A retired prison administrator who reviewed footage of the incident told KQED: “It looks like they’re lining ’em up for the firing squad.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Women suffered injuries including stroke, blindness and seizures. “I didn’t know what they were doing to us or why, but I needed help, and I need somebody out there to know,” Cameron later recalled. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On the phone with her friend, Prout felt sick. The 33-year-old nursing student and mother of three had been out of prison for nearly two years, but she hadn’t been able to leave it behind. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In just a couple of months, Prout was set to testify against the now-infamous former correctional officer, Gregory Rodriguez, who’d been charged with sexually assaulting more than a dozen women at the facility in Chowchilla, about 35 miles from Fresno. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And now, her close friend and former cellmate had been attacked by officers in the chow hall. She couldn’t help but think her efforts to expose Rodriguez were connected to what had just happened to Cameron and more than 150 women in her old unit.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-04-BL-5587a320.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104581\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-04-BL-5587a320.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-04-BL-5587a320-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-04-BL-5587a320-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Aliksandria Prout sits in her home office, surrounded by legal paperwork, on Aug. 19, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Prout’s concerns were well-founded, according to a two-year KQED investigation into “Operation Breakdown,” as the incident was called in internal documents.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Interviews with more than a dozen women, a KQED analysis of six years’ worth of sexual assault complaints, trial transcripts, court filings, leaked internal affairs interviews and hundreds of disciplinary documents revealed a pattern of retaliation against incarcerated women who reported assault, failure to investigate those assaults and the dysfunctional accountability system that allowed staff sexual exploitation of women to flourish.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A recent U.S. Department of Justice investigation reached a similar conclusion, finding an “unbroken pattern” of sexual abuse and retaliation in California’s women’s prisons dating back more than two decades. CCWF is one of just two women’s penitentiaries in the state and is one of the largest women’s prisons in the world, with a population of more than 2,000 women, nonbinary and trans people held inside.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12104586\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-51-BL-2bb5aa03.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104586\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-51-BL-2bb5aa03.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-51-BL-2bb5aa03-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-51-BL-2bb5aa03-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rape crisis center signs hang in a housing unit at the Central California Women’s Facility on June 30, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12104629\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-120-BL-5d00dae8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104629\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-120-BL-5d00dae8.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-120-BL-5d00dae8-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-120-BL-5d00dae8-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Resources hang on the wall at the housing unit. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the wake of the DOJ’s report, and as KQED neared publication of this investigation, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100922/warden-of-californias-largest-womens-prison-reassigned-amid-scrutiny-over-sexual-abuse\">the warden at CCWF, Anissa De La Cruz, was demoted and transferred\u003c/a>, and multiple officers were put under investigation for sexual abuse. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) said the agency cannot comment on personnel decisions or the ongoing investigation. It said the agency is “fully committed to protecting victims of sexual assault.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CDCR Press Secretary Terri Hardy said in an email that the department conducted its own investigation into the events of Aug. 2, investigating 95 employees and disciplining 34 for their conduct, including firing three for excessive force and dishonesty. Initially, the department moved to discipline 41 staff members, but that number dropped as correctional officers filed appeals, some of which are still pending. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr />\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/wZ89a/5/\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CDCR said the case was the largest corrective action stemming from a single incident in its history. Yet, key questions about the operation’s connection to a rising tide of sexual assault complaints remain unanswered. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A KQED analysis of six years of \u003ca href=\"https://www.prearesourcecenter.org/about/prison-rape-elimination-act\">Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)\u003c/a> data obtained from CDCR showed that the rate of sexual misconduct complaints against staff at CCWF increased by about 1,800% from 2022 to 2023. CDCR did not answer questions about this data.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prout’s experience illuminates a pervasive culture of sexual abuse at CCWF, helps explain why women suddenly started coming forward in 2023, and reveals what the officers charged with keeping people safe in custody did in response.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ali’s story\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In May 2022, Prout had been at CCWF for just a few days when correctional officer Gregory Rodriguez stopped her as she walked to a medical appointment. He asked her to pull down her N95 mask so he could verify her identity.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“He said, ‘You have beautiful lips and beautiful eyes,’” Prout told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Three days later, an officer gave Prout a paper pass, known as a ducat, allowing her to move through the prison. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They told me I had an attorney visit,” she said. An officer escorted her to the Board of Parole Hearings room, where such visits are usually held.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-01-BL-3762f796.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104579\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-01-BL-3762f796.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-01-BL-3762f796-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-01-BL-3762f796-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Aliksandria Prout at her home. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>But there was no attorney visit. Instead, she saw Rodriguez. This is the first time she has spoken to the media about what happened in that room. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rodriguez came close and tried to kiss her. He lifted her shirt and then turned her around on a chair beneath a window. Prout remembers staring at the officer’s boot, propped against the left side of the green upholstered chair. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What really upset me was he didn’t use protection,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When it was over, Prout said, Rodriguez warned her that if she told anyone, she could face disciplinary action, which could mean more time in prison. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1140\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Ducat-05202022-ee786799.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104526\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Ducat-05202022-ee786799.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Ducat-05202022-ee786799-160x91.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Ducat-05202022-ee786799-1536x876.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A pass issued for a fraudulent attorney visit on May 20, 2022, is among the evidence Aliksandria Prout saved following her sexual assault. (Courtesy of Aliksandria Prout)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>KQED heard similar stories from other women at the prison. Eight women said they feared disciplinary write-ups, repeated cell searches and other retaliation if they reported sexual assault by staff. In a statement, CDCR said it is committed to protecting victims of sexual assault and that “sexual abuse, harassment and retaliation against incarcerated people is unacceptable.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the time, Prout stayed silent, but she made sure to keep track of the multiple times Rodriguez called her back to that room. When she was paroled after just a few months in prison, Prout began contacting attorneys. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She found out that CDCR’s Office of Internal Affairs was already investigating Rodriguez. They ultimately identified 22 potential victims, including Prout, and worked with the Madera County District Attorney’s Office to arrest the former officer in May of 2023. The case, in which Prout testified as a \u003ca href=\"https://snapjudgment.org/we-are-jane-doe/\">Jane Doe\u003c/a>, attracted national attention. Rodriguez was convicted on 64 counts of sexual abuse, including rape and sexual battery. He was sentenced to 224 years in prison.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In an email to KQED, a prison spokesperson wrote that Rodriguez’s sentence “reaffirms CDCR’s own internal investigation” and that the department “condemns any staff member — especially a peace officer who is entrusted to enforce the law — who violates their oath and public trust.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/CCWFFootage_05202022-70fb2fc8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104522\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/CCWFFootage_05202022-70fb2fc8.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/CCWFFootage_05202022-70fb2fc8-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/CCWFFootage_05202022-70fb2fc8-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A screenshot of an internal affairs investigation report obtained by KQED through a public records request from an investigation led by Special Agent Dustin Baker. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>The department also said that then-Warden Michael Pallares was transferred to Pleasant Valley State Prison, where he was made associate warden.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, documents recently obtained by KQED reveal troubling new details about that investigation. The internal affairs report showed there was a six-month window in which investigators and CDCR leadership were notified of Rodriguez’s misconduct and failed to act. During that period, he assaulted at least six women, including Prout, numerous times. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Before Prout even arrived at CCWF, a woman had already told investigators that Rodriguez summoned her to the Board of Parole Hearings room for fake attorney visits and sexually assaulted her on three occasions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Still, Rodriguez remained at his job until Aug. 17, 2022, when he was finally reassigned to the mailroom. He retired shortly after that. CDCR did not answer questions about why it took so long to stop Rodriguez’s abuse.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-05-BL-646d2faf.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104582\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-05-BL-646d2faf.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-05-BL-646d2faf-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260819-CCWFPortraits-05-BL-646d2faf-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Aliksandria Prout holds documents related to her case at her home. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Rodriguez had been flagged before. All the way back in 2014, someone had reported potential relations between Rodriguez and a young woman identified in the trial transcripts as Nicole Doe. An investigation was done at the time, but the allegations against Rodriguez were dismissed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nicole Doe was sent to solitary confinement for more than six months and then transferred to another prison.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was treated like I was the problem,” Nicole Doe said at trial. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2019, a female co-worker reported Rodriguez for sexual harassment. Rodriguez tried to kiss her and get her to go into the staff restroom at work, this woman told investigators. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’ll be quick, I’ll be quick,” she recalled Rodriguez saying, according to internal documents.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-62-BL-aad30f85.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104588\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-62-BL-aad30f85.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-62-BL-aad30f85-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-62-BL-aad30f85-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A sign hangs above a doorway to a housing unit at the Central California Women’s Facility on June 30, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Rodriguez was reprimanded and told not to do it again, according to trial testimony. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The internal affairs report appeared to show that no other officers were disciplined in connection with Rodriguez’s years of criminal abuse.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prout said other officers must have known. They were often responsible for issuing ducats like the ones she received. The police of the prison, Investigative Services Unit officers, had an office right across the hall from the room where Rodriguez repeatedly called women in order to assault them. Prout, concerned she might be pregnant, had also gone to the prison clinic after that first assault.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They told me that if I wanted a pregnancy or STD test,” Prout testified at trial, “I had to admit to engaging in risky behavior, and that if I did that, it would add more time onto my sentence.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ripple effects\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rodriguez’s 2023 arrest also drew the attention of state lawmakers, who convened a \u003ca href=\"https://womenscaucus.legislature.ca.gov/node/434\">special hearing on sexual abuse\u003c/a> inside California’s women’s prisons. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11786495/metoo-behind-bars-new-records-shed-light-on-sexual-abuse-inside-state-womens-prisons\">allegations of sexual abuse by officers have persisted for years\u003c/a>, the Rodriguez case, along with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958308/dublin-womens-prison-faces-class-action-lawsuit-over-sexual-abuse-scandal\">wide-ranging scandal of abuse at the federal prison\u003c/a> in Dublin, California, brought renewed urgency to the issue.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It was a real pivotal moment,” said Amika Mota, executive director of the prison advocacy nonprofit Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition, who spoke at that hearing. “I feel like it’s kind of when Pandora’s Box opened.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-108-BL-253d6f4d.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104589\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-108-BL-253d6f4d.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-108-BL-253d6f4d-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-108-BL-253d6f4d-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A fitness facility at the Central California Women’s Facility on June 30, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>The Legislature allocated funds to create a sexual-abuse response and prevention working group. As part of that, CCWF began allowing incarcerated people to gather inside the prison gym for town halls organized by Sister Warriors and other advocacy groups.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Advocates stood watch at the doors of the gym to ensure correctional officers did not enter.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ In the 30 years that I had been there, never had the prison allowed such a large group of us to gather with guests and without staff present,” said Elizabeth Lozano, one of the incarcerated women who was there. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For the first time, Lozano spoke about the terror and violation she felt when being groped by a correctional officer. “There’s things that happen where it’s out of your control,” she told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In October of 2023, CDCR agreed to pay Prout $1.2 million to settle a civil suit she’d filed. Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed against CDCR since Rodriguez’s arrest, alleging sexual abuse by him and dozens of officers. The cases became so numerous they were consolidated into a single coordinated proceeding that is still moving through the Sacramento Superior Court.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As civil claims and Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) complaints began to rise, five women, including Antoinette Yancey, who served on the prison’s inmate advisory council, said in interviews with KQED or in legal filings that they were warned that the complaints needed to stop. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12104583\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-112-BL-e5d10b8a.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104583\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-112-BL-e5d10b8a.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-112-BL-e5d10b8a-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-112-BL-e5d10b8a-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rape crisis center and Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) informational signs hang in a housing unit at the Central California Women’s Facility on June 30, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12104618\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-123-BL-7f4a99ab.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104618\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-123-BL-7f4a99ab.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-123-BL-7f4a99ab-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-123-BL-7f4a99ab-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Incarcerated women walk through a yard on June 30, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During a smaller search about a month before Operation Breakdown, Yancey said that Sgt. Isidro Arroyo confronted her, saying, “The PREA, the staff assaults, the complaints and all the 602s [prison grievances] all of that stuff needs to stop.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If the complaints do not stop, then I’m going to lock you guys down, take all your privileges, and this is gonna continue until the complaints stop,” Yancey recalled Arroyo saying.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yancey said she told him this was neither legal nor fair and refused to discourage women from filing sexual-abuse complaints. She also said she brought up this incident with Arroyo during a regular inmate advisory council meeting with leadership of the prison.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CDCR declined to make Arroyo available for an interview and did not respond to questions about this incident. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘These bitches need to know’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the days leading up to Operation Breakdown, then-Warden Anissa De La Cruz was not at the prison, so Chief Deputy Warden Cynthia Rojas was in charge.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Aug. 1, 2024, acting Capt. Carlos Mendoza and Associate Warden Stephanie Torres came to Rojas about problems with prisoners smoking and being “disruptive” in a housing area called D Yard, according to internal affairs interviews that were leaked on YouTube and later taken down. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We need to gain control of that fucking unit,” Rojas said, according to one of those leaked tapes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-132-BL-1167e155.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104631\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-132-BL-1167e155.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-132-BL-1167e155-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-132-BL-1167e155-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Incarcerated women walk through a Receiving and Release (R&R) yard at the Central California Women’s Facility on June 30, 2026. The R&R yard is used to process incarcerated people entering and leaving the facility. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Rojas and her staff planned a massive search-and-seizure operation to look for contraband and enforce prison property limits for the entire unit. Under CDCR regulations, each incarcerated person’s state-issued and approved personal belongings must fit within 6 cubic feet of space — about the size of a mini-fridge.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Torres’ name was redacted in the investigation report, but KQED was able to identify her by comparing her statements to leaked internal affairs interviews and details about her role in the prison. She said the chief deputy warden gave her and Mendoza about a four-and-a-half-hour window to plan a search that would normally take days. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Torres and Mendoza later told internal affairs investigators that they “questioned the reasoning and urgency” for the search, according to the report. The two senior staff members said that Rojas told them, “these bitches need to know who’s in control,” and that De La Cruz had directed her to “do what I know how to do.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mendoza sent an email to De La Cruz, Rojas, Torres and other prison leaders late that Thursday afternoon, laying out the basics, including breaking the prisoners down to 6 cubic feet, using K-9 and searching the building.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Operation Breakdown was set for the next day.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Fun, fun, fun, baby’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Aug. 2, Torres described a “skeleton crew of managerial staff” on site. Prison officials had to bring in officers who were still in training, according to the report. Two trainees said it was their first day working inside a prison. And despite initiating and planning Operation Breakdown, Rojas was also not at work that day. But when the acting captain of D Yard called her around midday, she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Boss, we just went code three,” Mendoza said, according to Rojas’ leaked interview with internal affairs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What the fuck? What do you mean we went code three?” Rojas said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-78-BL-d639420e.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104591\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-78-BL-d639420e.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-78-BL-d639420e-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-78-BL-d639420e-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A cafeteria at the Central California Women’s Facility on June 30, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>The 159 incarcerated women on D Yard had been taken out of their cells and crowded into the dining hall first thing that morning. As the morning wore on, the scope of the search became apparent, according to a dozen women who were there that day. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They watched through the windows of the chow hall as their pillows, shoes, clothing, TVs and even some mattresses were taken or thrown away.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“People been here for 20 years,” said Wisdom Muhammad, who is out of prison now. “You throwing away they sentimental things that they have. You feel me? Like stuff that’s unreplaceable, and all that stuff is just hot trash.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Around 12:20 p.m., one of the people being held in the dining hall had a seizure. An alarm sounded, and officers filed into the dining hall in a skirmish line carrying MK-46 pepper sprayers and chemical grenades, surveillance footage and internal records showed. Things quickly escalated.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After more than four hours in the sweltering Central Valley heat without food, water or medication, the people being held in the dining hall were frustrated, according to at least a dozen women who were there. They shouted at the officers. They banged on the tables and windows.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yancey said she pointed to Arroyo and then to herself, trying to signal that she wanted to speak with him. He did not acknowledge her.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mendoza handed Arroyo a chemical blast grenade and instructed him to “put ’em down with the gas,” according to internal disciplinary documents obtained by KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mendoza was recorded on body camera directing officers to “go gas” and placing chemical grenades in the hands of subordinates, according to disciplinary documents. He later told them he “took the initiative to be the response supervisor” at the dining hall.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The scrimmage line unleashed chemical blast grenades and pepper spray on the crowd of incarcerated people, sending them scrambling toward the back of the room, surveillance video reviewed by KQED showed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to a leaked internal affairs interview, correctional officer Jordan R. Chavira told another officer that he had entered the dining hall and “started dumping it, dude,” referring to chemical agents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/pIU0P9TO2-w'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/pIU0P9TO2-w'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One by one, the women’s hands were zip-tied behind their backs and eventually were walked outside to the yard, surveillance footage showed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yancey assumed the officers were going to start letting them go back into their housing unit. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Instead, as the incarcerated people sat under the baking sun in 90-degree weather, the officers formed a half circle around them, according to surveillance footage.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One woman, hands zip-tied behind her back, got up and took four steps to sit by another woman. Just then, the officers started throwing grenades filled with tear gas or pepper spray at the entire group. At least 15 blast grenades were deployed, according to KQED’s analysis of the disciplinary documents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As the assault died down, multiple women were carried off the field on stretchers. According to leaked internal affairs tapes, Chavira was captured on his body-worn camera approaching another officer and saying, “Fun, fun, fun, baby.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1268\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Screenshot_OutsideDiningHall-244ce2c7.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104609\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Screenshot_OutsideDiningHall-244ce2c7.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Screenshot_OutsideDiningHall-244ce2c7-160x101.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Screenshot_OutsideDiningHall-244ce2c7-1536x974.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Surveillance footage obtained by KQED through a public records request shows an incarcerated woman secured to a stretcher outside the dining hall at the Central California Women’s Facility on Aug. 2, 2024. (Courtesy of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Chavira told investigators he made those remarks in “the heat of the moment” and that he was being sarcastic.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mendoza and Chavira were charged with inexcusable neglect of duty, dishonesty, willful disobedience and excessive force; both were fired. Arroyo received a 10% salary reduction for seven pay periods and has returned to work at CCWF.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>KQED was unable to reach Mendoza. Multiple attempts to reach Chavira were unsuccessful.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“To me, if you can openly spray people as if they’re rats or roaches, like they’re not human, you completely disregard their humanity,” said Lozano, who was there on Aug. 2. “You’re sadistic. You’re an abuser.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Two investigations, different questions\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thirteen women, including Catrina Cameron and Antionette Yancey, filed a suit against the state for their injuries during the Aug. 2 incident, alleging the incident was tied to reports of sexual assault. CDCR admitted no fault, but paid the group $1.9 million to settle the case. A separate class action lawsuit is still pending.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CDCR’s internal investigation focused on the conduct of individual employees during the operation: who gave orders, who followed them and whether the force they used complied with department policy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But newly disclosed documents obtained by KQED reveal that the operation was plagued by staffing shortages, lack of planning and oversight failures. Vital questions about why this operation was rushed out were never answered. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-130-BL-89511a0e.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104612\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-130-BL-89511a0e.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-130-BL-89511a0e-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-130-BL-89511a0e-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Officers escort an incarcerated woman wearing a spit hood through a yard at the Central California Women’s Facility on June 30, 2026 (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“I still don’t understand that,” Torres told internal affairs. “I wish to understand it, and in some ways, I don’t wish to understand it. It doesn’t make sense.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CDCR Administrator Angela Kent is retired now, but at the time she served as the associate director of Female Offender Programs and Services. In her 27 years in law enforcement, she had never seen anything like the use of force on Aug. 2, she told KQED. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I absolutely felt that every officer, supervisor and manager involved should be fired,” Kent said. At the time, she urged the department to release the body-worn camera footage along with a statement, “immediately, in line with the industry standard.” As of publication, CDCR still has not released the body-worn camera footage.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Chief Deputy Warden Rojas, who’d approved the operation but wasn’t there to oversee it, was not disciplined, according to documents obtained by KQED. In a leaked interview, she was questioned about the statement that Torres and Mendoza told investigators about. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Did you make the statement, ‘These bitches need to be reminded who’s in charge,’ or words to that effect?” the investigator said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Not that I recall,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rojas was later promoted and is now acting warden at the second-largest men’s prison in the state, the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad, which currently holds about 4,000 people in custody, according to CDCR’s website. CDCR declined to make Rojas available for an interview.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the documents obtained by KQED and the leaked internal affairs tapes, CDCR did not determine why the operation was launched or whether it was connected to the growing number of sexual-abuse complaints.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There is no doubt in my mind that if you start to empower women that are incarcerated and you start to give credibility to their voice that there’s gonna be tremendous resistance,” Kent said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A month after the Aug. 2 incident, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a broad civil rights investigation into sexual abuse and retaliation at California’s women’s prisons. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Federal investigators examined the incident within the context of rising reports of sexual misconduct, allegations that staff punished women for speaking up and what the department described as longstanding failures to protect them. \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1457771/dl\">The department released its findings last month\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Women were not being protected,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Young told KQED. “It was the cycle that’s continuing to happen.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In response, CDCR said it takes every allegation seriously and remains committed to accountability and safety. The agency pointed to federal Prison Rape Elimination Act audits that found both women’s prisons met all 45 standards evaluated.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Those audits measure whether a facility has policies and practices designed to comply with PREA; they do not determine whether abuse occurred in every reported case.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-113-BL-feaf958a.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104594\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-113-BL-feaf958a.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-113-BL-feaf958a-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260630-CCWFTour-113-BL-feaf958a-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A mural covers the side of a fitness facility at the Central California Women’s Facility on June 30, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>KQED’s analysis of PREA complaint data obtained from CDCR showed that in 2025, the year following the Aug. 2 incident, the rate of complaints being filed against staff at CCWF fell by about 75%. CDCR did not answer questions about this data. There are likely many reasons for this sudden decline, but multiple people at the prison said they no longer felt safe to file complaints.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One incarcerated woman, who was a victim of Rodriguez’s and spoke to KQED on the condition of anonymity because she is afraid for her safety, said if she had to do it over again, she would not report Rodriguez. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>KQED’s analysis of PREA complaints found another trend: As complaints rose in 2023 and 2024, the department appeared unable to keep up. As of the most recent data, more than 2,000 complaints across California’s state prisons had not been adjudicated. CDCR did not answer questions about this data. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For many of the women who remain incarcerated at CCWF, Operation Breakdown has left lasting scars. Cameron said she has not set foot in the dining hall since Aug. 2 and that she still has not regained sight in one of her eyes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yancey said she still sees officers who were involved in the operation regularly. “They work in this building. They’re still antagonistic towards us.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When asked whether the operation had succeeded in frightening women into silence, Cameron said it may have deterred many, but not everyone.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Hopefully, the more of us who start to speak, the more will follow,” she said. “What happens in the dark always comes to light.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Anna Sussman contributed reporting to this story. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Jeremy Sanchez Rue, associate professor of practice for UC Berkeley Journalism School, was the data editor for this series. AI tools were used to assist with the data analysis for this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was produced with support from \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/californianewsroom\">The California Newsroom\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a collaboration of public media outlets throughout the state, with NPR as its national partner.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "a-bay-area-teacher-was-acquitted-of-sexual-abuse-hes-on-trial-again-for-new-allegations",
"title": "A Bay Area Teacher Was Acquitted of Sexual Abuse. He’s on Trial Again for New Allegations",
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"headTitle": "A Bay Area Teacher Was Acquitted of Sexual Abuse. He’s on Trial Again for New Allegations | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s Note: This story includes details of alleged sexual misconduct against minors. \u003c/em>\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003c/strong>For the second time in his teaching career, a former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area\u003c/a> elementary teacher is on trial over allegations that he sexually abused his students.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Matthew Shelton, 44, faces 12 felony counts of lewd acts on four children during his tenure at the Benicia Unified School District. Prosecutors say the alleged abuse took place between 2018 and 2022 at Robert Semple Elementary School, where he was a fifth-grade teacher, and during a field trip with students in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the trial is also putting a spotlight on Shelton’s tumultuous first year teaching in 2007, when students at Phillips Edison Elementary School in Napa accused him of similar allegations. And it comes as Benicia Unified faces three lawsuits from students who allege the district failed to protect them by hiring Shelton, despite the abuse allegations in Napa.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Shelton, then 25 years old, was a popular third-grade teacher at the Napa school when he was accused of inappropriately touching four students. He was criminally charged, and three students testified against him during a six-day trial in 2008. Jurors deliberated for just 20 minutes before finding him not guilty. Benicia Unified hired him six months later.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During opening statements at a Fairfield courthouse on Monday, prosecutor Barry Shapiro argued that Shelton’s pattern of abuse continued at his new school. He told the jury that Shelton went on to touch Benicia elementary students on the buttocks or vaginal area, and that he had a student touch his penis, just as the students in Napa alleged nearly two decades ago.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-11-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101865\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-11-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Robert Semple Elementary School in Benicia on Sept. 28, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Shapiro said adults trust teachers to keep their children safe. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This case is about a teacher who violated that trust consistently over the span of 15 years at two schools in multiple grades,” Shapiro said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Shapiro painted Shelton as a sophisticated actor who had both the “knowledge and opportunity” to isolate girls and get away with the abuse, even in a classroom with other students present. Shelton instructed his Benicia students to applaud when adults entered his classroom, Shapiro said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But one day in December 2022, Shapiro said the students were distracted and failed to clap. A teacher walked in and saw Shelton by his desk, holding hands with another student and “swaying back and forth.” The next day, several students complained to Principal Christina Moore that he made them uncomfortable by placing his hands on a classmate’s thigh, pinching a student’s arm, and moving his hand down to the pockets of a student’s pants.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Moore contacted the school’s resource officer and Benicia Unified put Shelton on leave. Months later students disclosed more serious allegations to Benicia police.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Defense attorney Amanda Bevins denies any sexual motivation on Shelton’s part. She described him as a husband, father and dedicated educator who devoted his entire career to teaching, even after being wrongfully accused nearly two decades prior. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bevins said that in the 2007 case, a group of disgruntled friends made allegations against Shelton to their principal. Flash forward to 2022, she said another friend group at Robert Semple Elementary School — upset that Shelton singled out one of the girls and made her cry — complained to their principal about Shelton. Nearly two decades apart, the two friend groups both concocted claims against him, she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bevins asked the jury to pay attention to how the allegations changed over time and were influenced by schoolyard gossip, employee break room chatter, media coverage, repeated interviews by police and lawyers and civil lawsuits.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The seriousness of the accusations does not tell us whether they are true,” Bevins said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She said Shelton was acquitted in Napa and he did not abuse his students in Benicia. “Nothing plus nothing is nothing,” Bevins said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘I didn’t deserve that’ \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But details of Shelton’s short tenure teaching in Napa continue to reverberate in this trial. Former students who testified against Shelton in 2008, his former Napa teaching colleagues, and the detective who investigated the case were on a recent list of potential witnesses. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After opening statements, one of the students who testified against Shelton during the Napa trial, now in her late 20s, took the stand again to face her former social studies teacher. She told the jury that in 2007, she saw Shelton touch one of her classmates on the crotch and another on the butt during class. KQED does not generally name victims of alleged abuse without their consent. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>With her voice occasionally breaking, she testified that Shelton had also touched her butt after she went to his desk to ask a question. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101868\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Solano County Law and Justice Center in Fairfield on Sept. 28, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was extremely shocked. I was confused. I wasn’t sure whether or not it was OK,” the former student said. “I had never been touched like that before.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Another alleged victim in the Napa case told KQED in a recent interview that Shelton was well-liked and touched students by playing games with them, picking girls up and pretending to be Superman.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When she was interviewed by police in 2007, the student alleged that Shelton moved her hands across her “private spot” or made her touch his groin.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But she said the same educators who comforted her, hugged her and told her she was safe later defended Shelton during the trial, testifying that the girls who accused him were lying. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When it was her turn to testify, she recalled sweating and shaking “not realizing the trauma that was coming up then.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She said she was just a kid holding a teddy bear in a courtroom filled with adults, including Shelton. She became confused by the attorney’s deluge of questions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It was all basically to prove that I was wrong,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She said she can still remember the expression on Shelton’s face. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The smirk,” the former student said. “He was getting satisfaction from us getting confused.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After Shelton was acquitted in 2008, the state’s teacher licensing agency reviewed the allegations against him in Napa to determine whether he should be allowed to continue working in California public schools, according to records from Napa Valley Unified. In addition to the criminal case, the agency also reviewed allegations from other students who said Shelton touched them on the stomach, rubbed their fingers and patted girls’ heads “like a dog.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nine people provided “very favorable” letters on Shelton’s behalf, including his defense attorney, former assistant principal and other third grade teachers, according to the agency’s investigative report. A teacher said one of the alleged victims “does a lot of lying” and that Shelton is “very kind-hearted.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the time, Shelton cited as evidence an evaluation from a psychologist who said: “This young man very clearly does not exhibit those personality traits or demographic factors that empirical research has shown to be present in most child molesters.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Shelton told the teacher licensing agency he was looking forward to continuing his career as an educator. His credential was reinstated in 2008, and months later Benicia Unified hired him. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A parent of one of the alleged victims in Benicia told KQED that it was “disgusting” that the state gave Shelton back his teaching credential. KQED is not naming the parent to protect the identity of her daughter.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Why are we hiring people that have those types of allegations?” the mother said. “He needs to be away from kids.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She said her daughter, now a teenager, is still afraid of being taught by male teachers because of what happened to her. “There were plenty of times over the last three years where she has broken down, cried and said, ‘I didn’t deserve that.’”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-13_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101989\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-13_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-13_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-13_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Robert Semple Elementary School in Benicia on Sept. 28, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Benicia Unified Superintendent Chris Calabrese declined to comment on Shelton’s hiring. Shelton resigned from Benicia Unified in 2023 after allegations surfaced that he touched students inappropriately. He was subsequently hired by the West Contra Costa Unified School District as an assistant principal. The district put him on leave when a parent of one of the victims informed the district he was under investigation by police.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>A spokesperson for West Contra Costa Unified said in a written statement that his credentials were valid when they hired him. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Shelton sued Napa Valley Unified and Benicia Unified in 2024 to stop the districts from releasing records of complaints against him, arguing doing so would impede his right to an impartial jury. The First Amendment Coalition \u003ca href=\"https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/case/shelton-v-napa-valley-unified-school-district/\">intervened\u003c/a> on behalf of this reporter and both districts released the records.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Since 2025, California law has required all public schools to check with every previous employing school to see if prospective teaching candidates had ever been reported to the state for credible or substantiated complaints of egregious misconduct.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097322/california-teacher-misconduct-bill-administrator-discipline-al-muratsuchi\">this month,\u003c/a> prompted by reporting by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12082980/california-fired-teacher-sexual-harassment\">KQED and \u003cem>ProPublica\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, clarifying that the teacher licensing agency may discipline educators who do not share their full employment histories and administrators who do not thoroughly vet applicants. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Matthew Shelton, 44, faces 12 felony counts of lewd acts on four children during his tenure at the Benicia Unified School District. Prosecutors say the alleged abuse took place between 2018 and 2022 at Robert Semple Elementary School, where he was a fifth-grade teacher, and during a field trip with students in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Matthew Shelton, 44, faces 12 felony counts of lewd acts on four children during his tenure at the Benicia Unified School District. Prosecutors say the alleged abuse took place between 2018 and 2022 at Robert Semple Elementary School, where he was a fifth-grade teacher, and during a field trip with students in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the trial is also putting a spotlight on Shelton’s tumultuous first year teaching in 2007, when students at Phillips Edison Elementary School in Napa accused him of similar allegations. And it comes as Benicia Unified faces three lawsuits from students who allege the district failed to protect them by hiring Shelton, despite the abuse allegations in Napa.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But the trial is also putting a spotlight on Shelton’s tumultuous first year teaching in 2007, when students at Phillips Edison Elementary School in Napa accused him of similar allegations. And it comes as Benicia Unified faces three lawsuits from students who allege the district failed to protect them by hiring Shelton, despite the abuse allegations in Napa.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Shelton, then 25 years old, was a popular third-grade teacher at the Napa school when he was accused of inappropriately touching four students. He was criminally charged, and three students testified against him during a six-day trial in 2008. Jurors deliberated for just 20 minutes before finding him not guilty. Benicia Unified hired him six months later.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Shelton, then 25 years old, was a popular third-grade teacher at the Napa school when he was accused of inappropriately touching four students. He was criminally charged, and three students testified against him during a six-day trial in 2008. Jurors deliberated for just 20 minutes before finding him not guilty. Benicia Unified hired him six months later.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During opening statements at a Fairfield courthouse on Monday, prosecutor Barry Shapiro argued that Shelton’s pattern of abuse continued at his new school. He told the jury that Shelton went on to touch Benicia elementary students on the buttocks or vaginal area, and that he had a student touch his penis, just as the students in Napa alleged nearly two decades ago.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>During opening statements at a Fairfield courthouse on Monday, prosecutor Barry Shapiro argued that Shelton’s pattern of abuse continued at his new school. He told the jury that Shelton went on to touch Benicia elementary students on the buttocks or vaginal area, and that he had a student touch his penis, just as the students in Napa alleged nearly two decades ago.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-11-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101865\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-11-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Robert Semple Elementary School in Benicia on Sept. 28, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This case is about a teacher who violated that trust consistently over the span of 15 years at two schools in multiple grades,” Shapiro said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Shapiro painted Shelton as a sophisticated actor who had both the “knowledge and opportunity” to isolate girls and get away with the abuse, even in a classroom with other students present. Shelton instructed his Benicia students to applaud when adults entered his classroom, Shapiro said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But one day in December 2022, Shapiro said the students were distracted and failed to clap. A teacher walked in and saw Shelton by his desk, holding hands with another student and “swaying back and forth.” The next day, several students complained to Principal Christina Moore that he made them uncomfortable by placing his hands on a classmate’s thigh, pinching a student’s arm, and moving his hand down to the pockets of a student’s pants.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But one day in December 2022, Shapiro said the students were distracted and failed to clap. A teacher walked in and saw Shelton by his desk, holding hands with another student and “swaying back and forth.” The next day, several students complained to Principal Christina Moore that he made them uncomfortable by placing his hands on a classmate’s thigh, pinching a student’s arm, and moving his hand down to the pockets of a student’s pants.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Moore contacted the school’s resource officer and Benicia Unified put Shelton on leave. Months later students disclosed more serious allegations to Benicia police.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Defense attorney Amanda Bevins denies any sexual motivation on Shelton’s part. She described him as a husband, father and dedicated educator who devoted his entire career to teaching, even after being wrongfully accused nearly two decades prior. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bevins said that in the 2007 case, a group of disgruntled friends made allegations against Shelton to their principal. Flash forward to 2022, she said another friend group at Robert Semple Elementary School — upset that Shelton singled out one of the girls and made her cry — complained to their principal about Shelton. Nearly two decades apart, the two friend groups both concocted claims against him, she said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Bevins said that in the 2007 case, a group of disgruntled friends made allegations against Shelton to their principal. Flash forward to 2022, she said another friend group at Robert Semple Elementary School — upset that Shelton singled out one of the girls and made her cry — complained to their principal about Shelton. Nearly two decades apart, the two friend groups both concocted claims against him, she said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She said Shelton was acquitted in Napa and he did not abuse his students in Benicia. “Nothing plus nothing is nothing,” Bevins said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She said Shelton was acquitted in Napa and he did not abuse his students in Benicia. “Nothing plus nothing is nothing,” Bevins said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But details of Shelton’s short tenure teaching in Napa continue to reverberate in this trial. Former students who testified against Shelton in 2008, his former Napa teaching colleagues, and the detective who investigated the case were on a recent list of potential witnesses. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I was extremely shocked. I was confused. I wasn’t sure whether or not it was OK,” the former student said. “I had never been touched like that before.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When she was interviewed by police in 2007, the student alleged that Shelton moved her hands across her “private spot” or made her touch his groin.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But she said the same educators who comforted her, hugged her and told her she was safe later defended Shelton during the trial, testifying that the girls who accused him were lying. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The smirk,” the former student said. “He was getting satisfaction from us getting confused.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After Shelton was acquitted in 2008, the state’s teacher licensing agency reviewed the allegations against him in Napa to determine whether he should be allowed to continue working in California public schools, according to records from Napa Valley Unified. In addition to the criminal case, the agency also reviewed allegations from other students who said Shelton touched them on the stomach, rubbed their fingers and patted girls’ heads “like a dog.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Nine people provided “very favorable” letters on Shelton’s behalf, including his defense attorney, former assistant principal and other third grade teachers, according to the agency’s investigative report. A teacher said one of the alleged victims “does a lot of lying” and that Shelton is “very kind-hearted.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Nine people provided “very favorable” letters on Shelton’s behalf, including his defense attorney, former assistant principal and other third grade teachers, according to the agency’s investigative report. A teacher said one of the alleged victims “does a lot of lying” and that Shelton is “very kind-hearted.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At the time, Shelton cited as evidence an evaluation from a psychologist who said: “This young man very clearly does not exhibit those personality traits or demographic factors that empirical research has shown to be present in most child molesters.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Shelton told the teacher licensing agency he was looking forward to continuing his career as an educator. His credential was reinstated in 2008, and months later Benicia Unified hired him. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Shelton told the teacher licensing agency he was looking forward to continuing his career as an educator. His credential was reinstated in 2008, and months later Benicia Unified hired him. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A parent of one of the alleged victims in Benicia told KQED that it was “disgusting” that the state gave Shelton back his teaching credential. KQED is not naming the parent to protect the identity of her daughter.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A parent of one of the alleged victims in Benicia told KQED that it was “disgusting” that the state gave Shelton back his teaching credential. KQED is not naming the parent to protect the identity of her daughter.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Why are we hiring people that have those types of allegations?” the mother said. “He needs to be away from kids.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She said her daughter, now a teenager, is still afraid of being taught by male teachers because of what happened to her. “There were plenty of times over the last three years where she has broken down, cried and said, ‘I didn’t deserve that.’”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Benicia Unified Superintendent Chris Calabrese declined to comment on Shelton’s hiring. Shelton resigned from Benicia Unified in 2023 after allegations surfaced that he touched students inappropriately. He was subsequently hired by the West Contra Costa Unified School District as an assistant principal. The district put him on leave when a parent of one of the victims informed the district he was under investigation by police.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>A spokesperson for West Contra Costa Unified said in a written statement that his credentials were valid when they hired him. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Benicia Unified Superintendent Chris Calabrese declined to comment on Shelton’s hiring. Shelton resigned from Benicia Unified in 2023 after allegations surfaced that he touched students inappropriately. He was subsequently hired by the West Contra Costa Unified School District as an assistant principal. The district put him on leave when a parent of one of the victims informed the district he was under investigation by police.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>A spokesperson for West Contra Costa Unified said in a written statement that his credentials were valid when they hired him. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Shelton sued Napa Valley Unified and Benicia Unified in 2024 to stop the districts from releasing records of complaints against him, arguing doing so would impede his right to an impartial jury. The First Amendment Coalition \u003ca href=\"https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/case/shelton-v-napa-valley-unified-school-district/\">intervened\u003c/a> on behalf of this reporter and both districts released the records.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Since 2025, California law has required all public schools to check with every previous employing school to see if prospective teaching candidates had ever been reported to the state for credible or substantiated complaints of egregious misconduct.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097322/california-teacher-misconduct-bill-administrator-discipline-al-muratsuchi\">this month,\u003c/a> prompted by reporting by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12082980/california-fired-teacher-sexual-harassment\">KQED and \u003cem>ProPublica\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, clarifying that the teacher licensing agency may discipline educators who do not share their full employment histories and administrators who do not thoroughly vet applicants. \u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Former Benicia elementary teacher Matthew Shelton has pleaded not guilty, for the second time in his teaching career, to allegations that he sexually abused his students. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s Note: This story includes details of alleged sexual misconduct against minors. \u003c/em>\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003c/strong>For the second time in his teaching career, a former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area\u003c/a> elementary teacher is on trial over allegations that he sexually abused his students.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Matthew Shelton, 44, faces 12 felony counts of lewd acts on four children during his tenure at the Benicia Unified School District. Prosecutors say the alleged abuse took place between 2018 and 2022 at Robert Semple Elementary School, where he was a fifth-grade teacher, and during a field trip with students in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the trial is also putting a spotlight on Shelton’s tumultuous first year teaching in 2007, when students at Phillips Edison Elementary School in Napa accused him of similar allegations. And it comes as Benicia Unified faces three lawsuits from students who allege the district failed to protect them by hiring Shelton, despite the abuse allegations in Napa.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Shelton, then 25 years old, was a popular third-grade teacher at the Napa school when he was accused of inappropriately touching four students. He was criminally charged, and three students testified against him during a six-day trial in 2008. Jurors deliberated for just 20 minutes before finding him not guilty. Benicia Unified hired him six months later.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During opening statements at a Fairfield courthouse on Monday, prosecutor Barry Shapiro argued that Shelton’s pattern of abuse continued at his new school. He told the jury that Shelton went on to touch Benicia elementary students on the buttocks or vaginal area, and that he had a student touch his penis, just as the students in Napa alleged nearly two decades ago.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-11-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101865\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-11-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Robert Semple Elementary School in Benicia on Sept. 28, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Shapiro said adults trust teachers to keep their children safe. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This case is about a teacher who violated that trust consistently over the span of 15 years at two schools in multiple grades,” Shapiro said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Shapiro painted Shelton as a sophisticated actor who had both the “knowledge and opportunity” to isolate girls and get away with the abuse, even in a classroom with other students present. Shelton instructed his Benicia students to applaud when adults entered his classroom, Shapiro said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But one day in December 2022, Shapiro said the students were distracted and failed to clap. A teacher walked in and saw Shelton by his desk, holding hands with another student and “swaying back and forth.” The next day, several students complained to Principal Christina Moore that he made them uncomfortable by placing his hands on a classmate’s thigh, pinching a student’s arm, and moving his hand down to the pockets of a student’s pants.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Moore contacted the school’s resource officer and Benicia Unified put Shelton on leave. Months later students disclosed more serious allegations to Benicia police.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Defense attorney Amanda Bevins denies any sexual motivation on Shelton’s part. She described him as a husband, father and dedicated educator who devoted his entire career to teaching, even after being wrongfully accused nearly two decades prior. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bevins said that in the 2007 case, a group of disgruntled friends made allegations against Shelton to their principal. Flash forward to 2022, she said another friend group at Robert Semple Elementary School — upset that Shelton singled out one of the girls and made her cry — complained to their principal about Shelton. Nearly two decades apart, the two friend groups both concocted claims against him, she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bevins asked the jury to pay attention to how the allegations changed over time and were influenced by schoolyard gossip, employee break room chatter, media coverage, repeated interviews by police and lawyers and civil lawsuits.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The seriousness of the accusations does not tell us whether they are true,” Bevins said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She said Shelton was acquitted in Napa and he did not abuse his students in Benicia. “Nothing plus nothing is nothing,” Bevins said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘I didn’t deserve that’ \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But details of Shelton’s short tenure teaching in Napa continue to reverberate in this trial. Former students who testified against Shelton in 2008, his former Napa teaching colleagues, and the detective who investigated the case were on a recent list of potential witnesses. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After opening statements, one of the students who testified against Shelton during the Napa trial, now in her late 20s, took the stand again to face her former social studies teacher. She told the jury that in 2007, she saw Shelton touch one of her classmates on the crotch and another on the butt during class. KQED does not generally name victims of alleged abuse without their consent. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>With her voice occasionally breaking, she testified that Shelton had also touched her butt after she went to his desk to ask a question. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101868\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Solano County Law and Justice Center in Fairfield on Sept. 28, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was extremely shocked. I was confused. I wasn’t sure whether or not it was OK,” the former student said. “I had never been touched like that before.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Another alleged victim in the Napa case told KQED in a recent interview that Shelton was well-liked and touched students by playing games with them, picking girls up and pretending to be Superman.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When she was interviewed by police in 2007, the student alleged that Shelton moved her hands across her “private spot” or made her touch his groin.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But she said the same educators who comforted her, hugged her and told her she was safe later defended Shelton during the trial, testifying that the girls who accused him were lying. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When it was her turn to testify, she recalled sweating and shaking “not realizing the trauma that was coming up then.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She said she was just a kid holding a teddy bear in a courtroom filled with adults, including Shelton. She became confused by the attorney’s deluge of questions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It was all basically to prove that I was wrong,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She said she can still remember the expression on Shelton’s face. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The smirk,” the former student said. “He was getting satisfaction from us getting confused.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After Shelton was acquitted in 2008, the state’s teacher licensing agency reviewed the allegations against him in Napa to determine whether he should be allowed to continue working in California public schools, according to records from Napa Valley Unified. In addition to the criminal case, the agency also reviewed allegations from other students who said Shelton touched them on the stomach, rubbed their fingers and patted girls’ heads “like a dog.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nine people provided “very favorable” letters on Shelton’s behalf, including his defense attorney, former assistant principal and other third grade teachers, according to the agency’s investigative report. A teacher said one of the alleged victims “does a lot of lying” and that Shelton is “very kind-hearted.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the time, Shelton cited as evidence an evaluation from a psychologist who said: “This young man very clearly does not exhibit those personality traits or demographic factors that empirical research has shown to be present in most child molesters.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Shelton told the teacher licensing agency he was looking forward to continuing his career as an educator. His credential was reinstated in 2008, and months later Benicia Unified hired him. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A parent of one of the alleged victims in Benicia told KQED that it was “disgusting” that the state gave Shelton back his teaching credential. KQED is not naming the parent to protect the identity of her daughter.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Why are we hiring people that have those types of allegations?” the mother said. “He needs to be away from kids.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She said her daughter, now a teenager, is still afraid of being taught by male teachers because of what happened to her. “There were plenty of times over the last three years where she has broken down, cried and said, ‘I didn’t deserve that.’”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-13_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101989\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-13_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-13_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-13_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Robert Semple Elementary School in Benicia on Sept. 28, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Benicia Unified Superintendent Chris Calabrese declined to comment on Shelton’s hiring. Shelton resigned from Benicia Unified in 2023 after allegations surfaced that he touched students inappropriately. He was subsequently hired by the West Contra Costa Unified School District as an assistant principal. The district put him on leave when a parent of one of the victims informed the district he was under investigation by police.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>A spokesperson for West Contra Costa Unified said in a written statement that his credentials were valid when they hired him. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Shelton sued Napa Valley Unified and Benicia Unified in 2024 to stop the districts from releasing records of complaints against him, arguing doing so would impede his right to an impartial jury. The First Amendment Coalition \u003ca href=\"https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/case/shelton-v-napa-valley-unified-school-district/\">intervened\u003c/a> on behalf of this reporter and both districts released the records.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Since 2025, California law has required all public schools to check with every previous employing school to see if prospective teaching candidates had ever been reported to the state for credible or substantiated complaints of egregious misconduct.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097322/california-teacher-misconduct-bill-administrator-discipline-al-muratsuchi\">this month,\u003c/a> prompted by reporting by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12082980/california-fired-teacher-sexual-harassment\">KQED and \u003cem>ProPublica\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, clarifying that the teacher licensing agency may discipline educators who do not share their full employment histories and administrators who do not thoroughly vet applicants. \u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Here are the morning’s top stories on Tuesday, September 29, 2026\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>Back in August 2024, a mass use-of-force incident left dozens of women injured and traumatized at the women’s prison in Chowchilla. The incident led to an investigation into abuse at one of the largest women’s prisons. \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Governor Gavin Newsom has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101563/newsom-vetoes-bill-to-fund-immigration-attorneys-in-rural-california\">vetoed a bill aimed at strengthening the pipeline of new immigration lawyers\u003c/a>, to serve rural parts of California – where there are many immigrants, but few attorneys. \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>New research on Valley fever shows that the fungal disease, endemic to parts of Central and Southern California, is not just coming from dust particles in rural areas.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://snapjudgment.org/episode/we-are-jane-doe-e2-operation-breakdown/\">Widespread abuse alleged at Central California Women’s Facility\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Alexandria Prout is also known as Jane Doe #1. Back in 2022, she was sent to the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla. She was stopped on the way to a medical appointment by a correctional officer. “He said – you have beautiful lips and beautiful eyes. You’re so beautiful,” Prout said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A few days later, Prout was told she had an attorney’s visit. When she arrived at the hearing room, there was no visit. There were also no cameras. But that officer, Gregory Rodriguez, was there. “He showed me his office next door. He said, there’s also no cameras in this room,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Then Rodriguez sexually assaulted her. Afterwards, Prout said he warned her if she reported him, she could get a write up and spend more time in prison. “I’m like – I can do one of two things. Fight him and pray that his superiors and fellow correctional officers are gonna believe me, a convicted felon, or I can just compartmentalize,” she said. Prout collected evidence and took note of the cameras in the prison. When she was released in August 2022 she started calling lawyers. It turned out the state was already investigating Rodriguez. They would go on to identify 22 potential victims.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Amika Mota is executive director of a prison advocacy nonprofit. As part of a broader effort deal with sexual abuse in the state’s women’s facilities, her group was tapped by the legislature to hold meetings where incarcerated people could talk privately about their experiences. “The arrest of Officer Rodriguez in 2023 was a real pivotal moment. I feel like it’s kind of when Pandora’s Box opened,” Mota said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hundreds of women started filing complaints and civil claims against Rodriguez and other officers. By the summer of 2024, Prout was preparing to testify against Rodriguez in his criminal trial, when something big happened. She got a call from her former cellmate, Catrina Cameron, who was still inside. She told Prout she couldn’t see out of one eye. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12004368/like-a-war-zone-prison-officers-used-unprecedented-force-in-august-attack-incarcerated-women-say\">Officers had used pepper spray and tear gas on her and more than 150 women\u003c/a> in the dining hall.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prout says the call made her wonder if it had anything to do with her coming forward, and whether it was retaliation for speaking out.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101563/newsom-vetoes-bill-to-fund-immigration-attorneys-in-rural-california\">Newsom vetoes bill to support immigration attorneys in rural California\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that would have fortified a pipeline of new \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/immigration\">immigration\u003c/a> lawyers to work in rural parts of California that are home to many immigrants but few attorneys equipped to help them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The bill, \u003ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB1194/id/3456227\">SB 1194\u003c/a>, authored by Central Valley Sen. Anna Caballero, would have codified an existing legal fellowship pilot program placing newly minted lawyers at immigrant-serving community organizations in underserved regions such as the Central Valley, Inland Empire and Central Coast, and pairing them with experienced immigration lawyers from urban areas who provide intensive training and mentorship.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The legislature sent it to the governor’s desk at a time when the Trump administration has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097313/northern-california-ice-arrests-surged-this-summer\">ramped up immigration arrests\u003c/a> in the state and across the country to new levels as part of the president’s mass deportation campaign.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since 2019, the pilot program has received about $2.5 million a year, and the current budget provides $7.5 million — three years worth of funding — so the program is expected to continue operating for now. But advocates say SB 1194 would have made it permanent and ensured the funding builds capacity in rural and underserved areas, which the budget language does not.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In his veto message on Sunday evening, Newsom said he shared Caballero’s commitment “to ensure California maintains the capacity to provide legal representation for vulnerable immigrant communities as arrests and detentions rise.” But he said that’s taken care of by the budget, which includes a total of nearly $150 million for immigration services, including the $7.5 million and another $34 million for nonprofit organizations to provide legal aid. “As such, this bill, which creates an unfunded program on top of this work, is duplicative and unnecessary,” Newsom wrote.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New study shows Valley fever might not just be a rural problem \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>New research on Valley fever shows that the fungal disease, endemic to parts of Central and Southern California, is not just coming from dust particles in rural areas.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/articles/spotlight/research/oil-and-gas-well-construction-may-increase-valley-fever-risk\">study from UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health\u003c/a> shows that the development of new oil and gas wells in Kern County was associated with an increased risk of Valley fever. Lead author Lisa Couper is a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley. “Our study identifies a previously unrecognized adverse health outcome of oil and gas development. It also identifies a novel source of exposure risk for individuals in surrounding communities,” she said. “We hope this research will guide decision-making surrounding energy development in California. Further, we hope this research will support awareness of measures to minimize Valley fever risk, including wetting soil prior to disturbance to reduce dust, avoiding dusty areas when possible, and, when unavoidable, keeping windows closed and/or wearing a properly-fitting N95 respirator.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Researchers have found Valley fever in the burrows of rodents living along the banks of waterways. The burrows that were studied were along two rivers that cross Bakersfield and Coalinga. That puts Valley fever in a previously unknown place: in urban areas.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Alexandria Prout is also known as Jane Doe #1. Back in 2022, she was sent to the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla. She was stopped on the way to a medical appointment by a correctional officer. “He said – you have beautiful lips and beautiful eyes. You’re so beautiful,” Prout said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A few days later, Prout was told she had an attorney’s visit. When she arrived at the hearing room, there was no visit. There were also no cameras. But that officer, Gregory Rodriguez, was there. “He showed me his office next door. He said, there’s also no cameras in this room,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A few days later, Prout was told she had an attorney’s visit. When she arrived at the hearing room, there was no visit. There were also no cameras. But that officer, Gregory Rodriguez, was there. “He showed me his office next door. He said, there’s also no cameras in this room,” she said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Then Rodriguez sexually assaulted her. Afterwards, Prout said he warned her if she reported him, she could get a write up and spend more time in prison. “I’m like – I can do one of two things. Fight him and pray that his superiors and fellow correctional officers are gonna believe me, a convicted felon, or I can just compartmentalize,” she said. Prout collected evidence and took note of the cameras in the prison. When she was released in August 2022 she started calling lawyers. It turned out the state was already investigating Rodriguez. They would go on to identify 22 potential victims.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Then Rodriguez sexually assaulted her. Afterwards, Prout said he warned her if she reported him, she could get a write up and spend more time in prison. “I’m like – I can do one of two things. Fight him and pray that his superiors and fellow correctional officers are gonna believe me, a convicted felon, or I can just compartmentalize,” she said. Prout collected evidence and took note of the cameras in the prison. When she was released in August 2022 she started calling lawyers. It turned out the state was already investigating Rodriguez. They would go on to identify 22 potential victims.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Amika Mota is executive director of a prison advocacy nonprofit. As part of a broader effort deal with sexual abuse in the state’s women’s facilities, her group was tapped by the legislature to hold meetings where incarcerated people could talk privately about their experiences. “The arrest of Officer Rodriguez in 2023 was a real pivotal moment. I feel like it’s kind of when Pandora’s Box opened,” Mota said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Amika Mota is executive director of a prison advocacy nonprofit. As part of a broader effort deal with sexual abuse in the state’s women’s facilities, her group was tapped by the legislature to hold meetings where incarcerated people could talk privately about their experiences. “The arrest of Officer Rodriguez in 2023 was a real pivotal moment. I feel like it’s kind of when Pandora’s Box opened,” Mota said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hundreds of women started filing complaints and civil claims against Rodriguez and other officers. By the summer of 2024, Prout was preparing to testify against Rodriguez in his criminal trial, when something big happened. She got a call from her former cellmate, Catrina Cameron, who was still inside. She told Prout she couldn’t see out of one eye. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12004368/like-a-war-zone-prison-officers-used-unprecedented-force-in-august-attack-incarcerated-women-say\">Officers had used pepper spray and tear gas on her and more than 150 women\u003c/a> in the dining hall.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Hundreds of women started filing complaints and civil claims against Rodriguez and other officers. By the summer of 2024, Prout was preparing to testify against Rodriguez in his criminal trial, when something big happened. She got a call from her former cellmate, Catrina Cameron, who was still inside. She told Prout she couldn’t see out of one eye. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12004368/like-a-war-zone-prison-officers-used-unprecedented-force-in-august-attack-incarcerated-women-say\">Officers had used pepper spray and tear gas on her and more than 150 women\u003c/a> in the dining hall.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Prout says the call made her wonder if it had anything to do with her coming forward, and whether it was retaliation for speaking out.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101563/newsom-vetoes-bill-to-fund-immigration-attorneys-in-rural-california\">Newsom vetoes bill to support immigration attorneys in rural California\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101563/newsom-vetoes-bill-to-fund-immigration-attorneys-in-rural-california\">Newsom vetoes bill to support immigration attorneys in rural California\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that would have fortified a pipeline of new \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/immigration\">immigration\u003c/a> lawyers to work in rural parts of California that are home to many immigrants but few attorneys equipped to help them. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that would have fortified a pipeline of new \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/immigration\">immigration\u003c/a> lawyers to work in rural parts of California that are home to many immigrants but few attorneys equipped to help them. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The bill, \u003ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB1194/id/3456227\">SB 1194\u003c/a>, authored by Central Valley Sen. Anna Caballero, would have codified an existing legal fellowship pilot program placing newly minted lawyers at immigrant-serving community organizations in underserved regions such as the Central Valley, Inland Empire and Central Coast, and pairing them with experienced immigration lawyers from urban areas who provide intensive training and mentorship.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The bill, \u003ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB1194/id/3456227\">SB 1194\u003c/a>, authored by Central Valley Sen. Anna Caballero, would have codified an existing legal fellowship pilot program placing newly minted lawyers at immigrant-serving community organizations in underserved regions such as the Central Valley, Inland Empire and Central Coast, and pairing them with experienced immigration lawyers from urban areas who provide intensive training and mentorship.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The legislature sent it to the governor’s desk at a time when the Trump administration has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097313/northern-california-ice-arrests-surged-this-summer\">ramped up immigration arrests\u003c/a> in the state and across the country to new levels as part of the president’s mass deportation campaign.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The legislature sent it to the governor’s desk at a time when the Trump administration has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097313/northern-california-ice-arrests-surged-this-summer\">ramped up immigration arrests\u003c/a> in the state and across the country to new levels as part of the president’s mass deportation campaign.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Since 2019, the pilot program has received about $2.5 million a year, and the current budget provides $7.5 million — three years worth of funding — so the program is expected to continue operating for now. But advocates say SB 1194 would have made it permanent and ensured the funding builds capacity in rural and underserved areas, which the budget language does not.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Since 2019, the pilot program has received about $2.5 million a year, and the current budget provides $7.5 million — three years worth of funding — so the program is expected to continue operating for now. But advocates say SB 1194 would have made it permanent and ensured the funding builds capacity in rural and underserved areas, which the budget language does not.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In his veto message on Sunday evening, Newsom said he shared Caballero’s commitment “to ensure California maintains the capacity to provide legal representation for vulnerable immigrant communities as arrests and detentions rise.” But he said that’s taken care of by the budget, which includes a total of nearly $150 million for immigration services, including the $7.5 million and another $34 million for nonprofit organizations to provide legal aid. “As such, this bill, which creates an unfunded program on top of this work, is duplicative and unnecessary,” Newsom wrote.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In his veto message on Sunday evening, Newsom said he shared Caballero’s commitment “to ensure California maintains the capacity to provide legal representation for vulnerable immigrant communities as arrests and detentions rise.” But he said that’s taken care of by the budget, which includes a total of nearly $150 million for immigration services, including the $7.5 million and another $34 million for nonprofit organizations to provide legal aid. “As such, this bill, which creates an unfunded program on top of this work, is duplicative and unnecessary,” Newsom wrote.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New study shows Valley fever might not just be a rural problem \u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>New research on Valley fever shows that the fungal disease, endemic to parts of Central and Southern California, is not just coming from dust particles in rural areas.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/articles/spotlight/research/oil-and-gas-well-construction-may-increase-valley-fever-risk\">study from UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health\u003c/a> shows that the development of new oil and gas wells in Kern County was associated with an increased risk of Valley fever. Lead author Lisa Couper is a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley. “Our study identifies a previously unrecognized adverse health outcome of oil and gas development. It also identifies a novel source of exposure risk for individuals in surrounding communities,” she said. “We hope this research will guide decision-making surrounding energy development in California. Further, we hope this research will support awareness of measures to minimize Valley fever risk, including wetting soil prior to disturbance to reduce dust, avoiding dusty areas when possible, and, when unavoidable, keeping windows closed and/or wearing a properly-fitting N95 respirator.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/articles/spotlight/research/oil-and-gas-well-construction-may-increase-valley-fever-risk\">study from UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health\u003c/a> shows that the development of new oil and gas wells in Kern County was associated with an increased risk of Valley fever. Lead author Lisa Couper is a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley. “Our study identifies a previously unrecognized adverse health outcome of oil and gas development. It also identifies a novel source of exposure risk for individuals in surrounding communities,” she said. “We hope this research will guide decision-making surrounding energy development in California. Further, we hope this research will support awareness of measures to minimize Valley fever risk, including wetting soil prior to disturbance to reduce dust, avoiding dusty areas when possible, and, when unavoidable, keeping windows closed and/or wearing a properly-fitting N95 respirator.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Researchers have found Valley fever in the burrows of rodents living along the banks of waterways. The burrows that were studied were along two rivers that cross Bakersfield and Coalinga. That puts Valley fever in a previously unknown place: in urban areas.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Researchers have found Valley fever in the burrows of rodents living along the banks of waterways. The burrows that were studied were along two rivers that cross Bakersfield and Coalinga. That puts Valley fever in a previously unknown place: in urban areas.\u003c/p>\n"
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Here are the morning’s top stories on Tuesday, September 29, 2026\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>Back in August 2024, a mass use-of-force incident left dozens of women injured and traumatized at the women’s prison in Chowchilla. The incident led to an investigation into abuse at one of the largest women’s prisons. \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Governor Gavin Newsom has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101563/newsom-vetoes-bill-to-fund-immigration-attorneys-in-rural-california\">vetoed a bill aimed at strengthening the pipeline of new immigration lawyers\u003c/a>, to serve rural parts of California – where there are many immigrants, but few attorneys. \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>New research on Valley fever shows that the fungal disease, endemic to parts of Central and Southern California, is not just coming from dust particles in rural areas.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://snapjudgment.org/episode/we-are-jane-doe-e2-operation-breakdown/\">Widespread abuse alleged at Central California Women’s Facility\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Alexandria Prout is also known as Jane Doe #1. Back in 2022, she was sent to the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla. She was stopped on the way to a medical appointment by a correctional officer. “He said – you have beautiful lips and beautiful eyes. You’re so beautiful,” Prout said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A few days later, Prout was told she had an attorney’s visit. When she arrived at the hearing room, there was no visit. There were also no cameras. But that officer, Gregory Rodriguez, was there. “He showed me his office next door. He said, there’s also no cameras in this room,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Then Rodriguez sexually assaulted her. Afterwards, Prout said he warned her if she reported him, she could get a write up and spend more time in prison. “I’m like – I can do one of two things. Fight him and pray that his superiors and fellow correctional officers are gonna believe me, a convicted felon, or I can just compartmentalize,” she said. Prout collected evidence and took note of the cameras in the prison. When she was released in August 2022 she started calling lawyers. It turned out the state was already investigating Rodriguez. They would go on to identify 22 potential victims.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Amika Mota is executive director of a prison advocacy nonprofit. As part of a broader effort deal with sexual abuse in the state’s women’s facilities, her group was tapped by the legislature to hold meetings where incarcerated people could talk privately about their experiences. “The arrest of Officer Rodriguez in 2023 was a real pivotal moment. I feel like it’s kind of when Pandora’s Box opened,” Mota said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hundreds of women started filing complaints and civil claims against Rodriguez and other officers. By the summer of 2024, Prout was preparing to testify against Rodriguez in his criminal trial, when something big happened. She got a call from her former cellmate, Catrina Cameron, who was still inside. She told Prout she couldn’t see out of one eye. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12004368/like-a-war-zone-prison-officers-used-unprecedented-force-in-august-attack-incarcerated-women-say\">Officers had used pepper spray and tear gas on her and more than 150 women\u003c/a> in the dining hall.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prout says the call made her wonder if it had anything to do with her coming forward, and whether it was retaliation for speaking out.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101563/newsom-vetoes-bill-to-fund-immigration-attorneys-in-rural-california\">Newsom vetoes bill to support immigration attorneys in rural California\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that would have fortified a pipeline of new \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/immigration\">immigration\u003c/a> lawyers to work in rural parts of California that are home to many immigrants but few attorneys equipped to help them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The bill, \u003ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB1194/id/3456227\">SB 1194\u003c/a>, authored by Central Valley Sen. Anna Caballero, would have codified an existing legal fellowship pilot program placing newly minted lawyers at immigrant-serving community organizations in underserved regions such as the Central Valley, Inland Empire and Central Coast, and pairing them with experienced immigration lawyers from urban areas who provide intensive training and mentorship.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The legislature sent it to the governor’s desk at a time when the Trump administration has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097313/northern-california-ice-arrests-surged-this-summer\">ramped up immigration arrests\u003c/a> in the state and across the country to new levels as part of the president’s mass deportation campaign.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since 2019, the pilot program has received about $2.5 million a year, and the current budget provides $7.5 million — three years worth of funding — so the program is expected to continue operating for now. But advocates say SB 1194 would have made it permanent and ensured the funding builds capacity in rural and underserved areas, which the budget language does not.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In his veto message on Sunday evening, Newsom said he shared Caballero’s commitment “to ensure California maintains the capacity to provide legal representation for vulnerable immigrant communities as arrests and detentions rise.” But he said that’s taken care of by the budget, which includes a total of nearly $150 million for immigration services, including the $7.5 million and another $34 million for nonprofit organizations to provide legal aid. “As such, this bill, which creates an unfunded program on top of this work, is duplicative and unnecessary,” Newsom wrote.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New study shows Valley fever might not just be a rural problem \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>New research on Valley fever shows that the fungal disease, endemic to parts of Central and Southern California, is not just coming from dust particles in rural areas.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/articles/spotlight/research/oil-and-gas-well-construction-may-increase-valley-fever-risk\">study from UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health\u003c/a> shows that the development of new oil and gas wells in Kern County was associated with an increased risk of Valley fever. Lead author Lisa Couper is a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley. “Our study identifies a previously unrecognized adverse health outcome of oil and gas development. It also identifies a novel source of exposure risk for individuals in surrounding communities,” she said. “We hope this research will guide decision-making surrounding energy development in California. Further, we hope this research will support awareness of measures to minimize Valley fever risk, including wetting soil prior to disturbance to reduce dust, avoiding dusty areas when possible, and, when unavoidable, keeping windows closed and/or wearing a properly-fitting N95 respirator.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Researchers have found Valley fever in the burrows of rodents living along the banks of waterways. The burrows that were studied were along two rivers that cross Bakersfield and Coalinga. That puts Valley fever in a previously unknown place: in urban areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "warden-of-californias-largest-womens-prison-reassigned-amid-scrutiny-over-sexual-abuse",
"title": "Warden of California’s Largest Women’s Prison Reassigned Amid Scrutiny Over Sexual Abuse",
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"headTitle": "Warden of California’s Largest Women’s Prison Reassigned Amid Scrutiny Over Sexual Abuse | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>The warden of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100497/warden-at-central-california-womens-prison-ousted-amid-sexual-abuse-scandal\">Central California Women’s Facility\u003c/a> in Chowchilla has been demoted and reassigned, and multiple correctional officers are under investigation for alleged sexual misconduct, according to advocates and people inside the prison.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Anissa De La Cruz was removed as warden on Sept. 15 and will become a correctional administrator at nearby Valley State Prison next month, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The agency declined to say why De La Cruz was reassigned, saying the agency cannot comment on personnel matters. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A wide-ranging investigation into allegations of sexual assault at the prison also appears to be underway, according to multiple sources who spoke to KQED, including two formerly incarcerated advocates, Elizabeth Nomura and Amika Mota, and former correctional Lt. Hector Bravo Ferrel, who runs a YouTube channel covering California prisons.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Antoinette Yancey, who is incarcerated at the prison and serves on the Inmate Advisory Council, told KQED she does not know the names of all the officers under investigation, but that multiple officers have been removed from prison grounds recently.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-75-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090743\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-75-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-75-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-75-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An officer walks through the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) prison in Chowchilla, California, on June 30, 2026, the largest women’s correctional facility in the state. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’m really glad to hear that they have been removed, but [CDCR’s] narrative is still, ‘It was like a few bad apples,’” said Mota, who was formerly incarcerated at CCWF and is now the executive director of the Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition. “But these bad apples just keep popping up.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CDCR said it can’t comment on an ongoing investigation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>These developments come one month after a scathing U.S. Department of Justice report found an “unbroken pattern” of sexual abuse and retaliation by staff at California’s two women’s prisons, including CCWF. Federal investigators said state prison officials had failed for years to adequately prevent abuse, investigate allegations or protect incarcerated people who reported misconduct. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The DOJ declined to comment on these more recent developments. CDCR did not say whether the officer investigations or De La Cruz’s reassignment are connected to the Justice Department’s findings.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s more like a Band-Aid on a gaping wound,” said Nomura, who works with the California Coalition for Women Prisoners. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Warden De La Cruz being removed and demoted and going from institution to institution, that’s a common response to things like this, where action is expected [from CDCR].” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She said moving De La Cruz to another institution does not address the broader problems identified at the prison.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Justice Department also examined an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079668/i-thought-i-was-going-to-die-video-shows-mass-force-at-california-womens-prison\">August 2024 mass use-of-force incident\u003c/a> conducted at CCWF under De La Cruz’s leadership that led to the largest disciplinary action against staff in state prison history. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the operation, officers removed 159 women from their housing units and held them for hours in a dining hall without food, water or medication before using chemical agents when tensions escalated. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Federal investigators concluded the operation was carried out in retaliation for rising reports of sexual abuse by prison staff. Two bills sitting on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk seek to strengthen the protections for incarcerated survivors of sexual abuse. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Assembly Bill \u003ca href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB464/id/3192730\">464\u003c/a> would make it easier for people who were sexually assaulted while incarcerated to sue and strengthen protections against retaliation by staff. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-11-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090735\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-11-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-11-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-11-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Incarcerated women walk through a yard at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) prison in Chowchilla, California, on June 30, 2026, the largest women’s correctional facility in the state. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Senate Bill \u003ca href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB337/id/3209236\">337\u003c/a> would require CDCR to establish rules governing when officers can turn off their body-worn cameras, as well as protocols for nonroutine searches and body scans.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“None of this is a magic pill. I wish it was,” state Sen. Caroline Menjivar, D-Van Nuys, who authored SB 337, said in a recent interview. “It’s hard to change human behavior, but we will limit the amount of gaps and excuses that some correctional officers utilize to perpetrate this kind of violence against incarcerated women.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Department of Justice has ordered the state to address gaps in camera coverage, create confidential ways for incarcerated people to report abuse and discipline employees who retaliate against those who speak out. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Federal officials warned they may file a lawsuit against California if the state fails to implement meaningful changes by Oct. 1, 2026. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CDCR has said it looks forward to working with the Justice Department.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s more like a Band-Aid on a gaping wound,” said Nomura, who works with the California Coalition for Women Prisoners. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Justice Department also examined an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079668/i-thought-i-was-going-to-die-video-shows-mass-force-at-california-womens-prison\">August 2024 mass use-of-force incident\u003c/a> conducted at CCWF under De La Cruz’s leadership that led to the largest disciplinary action against staff in state prison history. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Justice Department also examined an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079668/i-thought-i-was-going-to-die-video-shows-mass-force-at-california-womens-prison\">August 2024 mass use-of-force incident\u003c/a> conducted at CCWF under De La Cruz’s leadership that led to the largest disciplinary action against staff in state prison history. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During the operation, officers removed 159 women from their housing units and held them for hours in a dining hall without food, water or medication before using chemical agents when tensions escalated. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Federal investigators concluded the operation was carried out in retaliation for rising reports of sexual abuse by prison staff. Two bills sitting on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk seek to strengthen the protections for incarcerated survivors of sexual abuse. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Assembly Bill \u003ca href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB464/id/3192730\">464\u003c/a> would make it easier for people who were sexually assaulted while incarcerated to sue and strengthen protections against retaliation by staff. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“None of this is a magic pill. I wish it was,” state Sen. Caroline Menjivar, D-Van Nuys, who authored SB 337, said in a recent interview. “It’s hard to change human behavior, but we will limit the amount of gaps and excuses that some correctional officers utilize to perpetrate this kind of violence against incarcerated women.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"title": "Warden of California’s Largest Women’s Prison Reassigned Amid Scrutiny Over Sexual Abuse | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>The warden of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100497/warden-at-central-california-womens-prison-ousted-amid-sexual-abuse-scandal\">Central California Women’s Facility\u003c/a> in Chowchilla has been demoted and reassigned, and multiple correctional officers are under investigation for alleged sexual misconduct, according to advocates and people inside the prison.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Anissa De La Cruz was removed as warden on Sept. 15 and will become a correctional administrator at nearby Valley State Prison next month, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The agency declined to say why De La Cruz was reassigned, saying the agency cannot comment on personnel matters. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A wide-ranging investigation into allegations of sexual assault at the prison also appears to be underway, according to multiple sources who spoke to KQED, including two formerly incarcerated advocates, Elizabeth Nomura and Amika Mota, and former correctional Lt. Hector Bravo Ferrel, who runs a YouTube channel covering California prisons.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Antoinette Yancey, who is incarcerated at the prison and serves on the Inmate Advisory Council, told KQED she does not know the names of all the officers under investigation, but that multiple officers have been removed from prison grounds recently.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-75-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090743\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-75-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-75-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-75-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An officer walks through the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) prison in Chowchilla, California, on June 30, 2026, the largest women’s correctional facility in the state. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’m really glad to hear that they have been removed, but [CDCR’s] narrative is still, ‘It was like a few bad apples,’” said Mota, who was formerly incarcerated at CCWF and is now the executive director of the Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition. “But these bad apples just keep popping up.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CDCR said it can’t comment on an ongoing investigation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>These developments come one month after a scathing U.S. Department of Justice report found an “unbroken pattern” of sexual abuse and retaliation by staff at California’s two women’s prisons, including CCWF. Federal investigators said state prison officials had failed for years to adequately prevent abuse, investigate allegations or protect incarcerated people who reported misconduct. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The DOJ declined to comment on these more recent developments. CDCR did not say whether the officer investigations or De La Cruz’s reassignment are connected to the Justice Department’s findings.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s more like a Band-Aid on a gaping wound,” said Nomura, who works with the California Coalition for Women Prisoners. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Warden De La Cruz being removed and demoted and going from institution to institution, that’s a common response to things like this, where action is expected [from CDCR].” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She said moving De La Cruz to another institution does not address the broader problems identified at the prison.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Justice Department also examined an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079668/i-thought-i-was-going-to-die-video-shows-mass-force-at-california-womens-prison\">August 2024 mass use-of-force incident\u003c/a> conducted at CCWF under De La Cruz’s leadership that led to the largest disciplinary action against staff in state prison history. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the operation, officers removed 159 women from their housing units and held them for hours in a dining hall without food, water or medication before using chemical agents when tensions escalated. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Federal investigators concluded the operation was carried out in retaliation for rising reports of sexual abuse by prison staff. Two bills sitting on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk seek to strengthen the protections for incarcerated survivors of sexual abuse. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Assembly Bill \u003ca href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB464/id/3192730\">464\u003c/a> would make it easier for people who were sexually assaulted while incarcerated to sue and strengthen protections against retaliation by staff. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-11-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090735\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-11-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-11-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-11-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Incarcerated women walk through a yard at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) prison in Chowchilla, California, on June 30, 2026, the largest women’s correctional facility in the state. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Senate Bill \u003ca href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB337/id/3209236\">337\u003c/a> would require CDCR to establish rules governing when officers can turn off their body-worn cameras, as well as protocols for nonroutine searches and body scans.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“None of this is a magic pill. I wish it was,” state Sen. Caroline Menjivar, D-Van Nuys, who authored SB 337, said in a recent interview. “It’s hard to change human behavior, but we will limit the amount of gaps and excuses that some correctional officers utilize to perpetrate this kind of violence against incarcerated women.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Department of Justice has ordered the state to address gaps in camera coverage, create confidential ways for incarcerated people to report abuse and discipline employees who retaliate against those who speak out. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Federal officials warned they may file a lawsuit against California if the state fails to implement meaningful changes by Oct. 1, 2026. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CDCR has said it looks forward to working with the Justice Department.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "sex-abuse-survivors-and-broke-school-districts-at-odds-in-legislatures-final-days",
"title": "Sex Abuse Survivors and Broke School Districts at Odds in Legislature’s Final Days",
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"headTitle": "Sex Abuse Survivors and Broke School Districts at Odds in Legislature’s Final Days | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003c!-- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ -->\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/\">CalMatters\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/\">Sign up\u003c/a> for their newsletters.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> legislators this week are rushing to broker a compromise on child sexual assault lawsuits before the Legislature finishes for the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They are faced with the unenviable task of figuring out how to give justice to survivors of child sexual assault by school or county employees without bankrupting the cash-strapped school districts and local governments responsible for compensating them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Counties and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/2026/02/sex-abuse-california-2/\">school districts\u003c/a> have been flooded with lawsuits from survivors since the Legislature essentially waived any statute of limitations for those cases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The resulting damage payments and insurance premium hikes have cost schools and local governments billions, depleting their reserves and blowing holes in their budgets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the final week of the 2026 legislative session, lobbyists for schools and counties are pushing Senate and Assembly leaders to strike a last-minute deal that would allow survivors to be compensated for past harms while simultaneously stewarding taxpayer dollars and protecting local agencies from going bankrupt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12082992\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12082992\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/020_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/020_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021_qed-1.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/020_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/020_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Children at Mission Kids Preschool in San Francisco raise their hands to ask Senator Alex Padilla a question on June 1, 2021. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>An attempt last year to find common ground collapsed in the final hours of the legislative session.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Victims’ advocacy groups fiercely oppose any changes that would make it more difficult for survivors to receive compensation and have been rallying support to keep the law as it is.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s impossible to choose between the future education of California students and meeting the needs for survivors,” said Dr. Debra Schade, president of the California School Boards Association, one of the groups pushing for a deal. “But if we don’t do something soon, the future of our public school system in California is at risk.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘A difficult needle to thread’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Counties and school districts want to be able to cap how much money each survivor could seek in damages, as well as require a greater amount of evidence from victims who wait more than 20 years to file a claim. But both of those proposals are nonstarters with survivor advocates, who are livid that the government would consider putting a “price tag” on someone’s sexual abuse. They say it’s also unreasonable to expect that children and parents would keep documentation that could prove they were assaulted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A June draft proposal from Assembly Speaker \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/robert-rivas-165041\">Robert Rivas\u003c/a>’s office, obtained by CalMatters, showed that Assembly leaders were at least considering caps on damages and a higher threshold for evidence in older cases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Decades-old claims are much more likely to involve perpetrators and witnesses who are dead, as well as missing or damaged records. Without access to that evidence, counties and schools say they’re at an unfair disadvantage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12095609\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1998px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12095609\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/081726-SFUSDFirstDay-20-MC_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1998\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/081726-SFUSDFirstDay-20-MC_qed.jpg 1998w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/081726-SFUSDFirstDay-20-MC_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/081726-SFUSDFirstDay-20-MC_qed-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1998px) 100vw, 1998px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students arrive at Jose Ortega Elementary School for the first day of their school year on August 17, 2026, in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While counties and school districts say they agree victims should be able to seek just compensation for the harms they’ve suffered, public entities are responsible for “safeguarding the resources that we are entrusted with” to help current students and vulnerable populations, said Faith Borges, a lobbyist for local government insurance pools that are called joint powers authorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s been a difficult needle to thread,” Borges said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Victims’ groups argue that the government has vast resources at its disposal to defend itself — including staff attorneys, researchers and archives of public documents — whereas most survivors and their families can only afford litigation with a plaintiff’s attorney.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is a towering immorality to make the traumatized survivors of child rape, beatings, and sex abuse pay the bills for our negligence,” said Ed Howard, senior attorney for the Children’s Advocacy Institute, at a news conference in Sacramento.[aside postID=news_12094994 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260722-FAMILYSEPARATION-03-BL-KQED.jpg']“It is our fault what happened to them. Not theirs,” Howard said. “That is grotesque that a child would have to have a higher burden of proof to get compensation for crimes committed to them by people that we selected.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The politically powerful \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/organizations/-17#year%5B%5D=2025\">Consumer Attorneys of California\u003c/a>, which has contributed at least $350,000 to California lawmakers this legislative session, is also part of the campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suzie, a 25-year-old survivor who asked to be identified by her first name, hopes the financial pain will force school districts and counties to make changes to protect children under their care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said seeking justice through the courts required her to confront her abuser — her fourth grade teacher — and take on an army of attorneys for the Mountainview School District who sought to discredit her allegations that the teacher molested and groomed her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I just became super suicidal like, when I was only eight or nine,” Suzie said. “I couldn’t tell my parents that I was scared of going to school, so I was like, at such a young age, the bad guy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After she and five other students sued the district, a jury last April \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-04-16/los-angeles-jury-awards-48-million-to-students-abused-by-teacher-at-el-monte-school\">awarded them\u003c/a> a $48 million verdict, with the district responsible for just over $36 million and the teacher responsible for the remainder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wish a lot of things wouldn’t have happened to me,” Suzie said. “But also, with the financial compensation, there’s going to be, maybe, room for growth for (the district). And a definite change. Because it cannot happen again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Previous compromise attempt collapsed\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>An effort to strike a deal last year, brokered by Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/john-laird-3108\">John Laird\u003c/a>, a Santa Cruz Democrat, fell apart at the last minute. Counties and school districts were upset that \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb577\">Senate Bill 577\u003c/a> didn’t include caps on how much money victims could seek in damages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Government agencies say a compensation limit is the only way to achieve meaningful change, but the concept infuriates survivor groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Survivors were also angry that that proposal sought to ban any further claims from survivors of sex abuse at one Los Angeles County juvenile detention facility, MacLaren Children’s Center, which permanently closed in 2003.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12086449\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1980px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12086449\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408498187.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1391\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408498187.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408498187-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408498187-1536x1079.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chalk art decorates pavement outside of an old bus operating as a preschool at the Aspire Monarch Academy school in Oakland, California, on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015. \u003ccite>(Paul Chinn/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The county approved \u003ca href=\"https://lacounty.gov/2025/04/04/la-county-reaches-4-billion-tentative-settlement-in-thousands-of-sexual-abuse-cases/\">a $4 billion settlement \u003c/a>last April to resolve more than 6,800 child sex abuse cases, some of which date to 1959.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rivas shelved the bill in the hope that the two sides could continue negotiating and hash out a more comprehensive deal in 2026, according to people familiar with the decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, legislative leaders are split along the same fault lines. The speaker’s office wants to ensure the public entities’ financial health and has been open to discussions about damage caps, while Senate President Pro Tem \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/monique-limon-13069\">Monique Limón\u003c/a> and her staff insist caps would hamper survivors’ rights, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Limón in a statement said the Senate “remains committed to maintaining access to justice for all survivors” while also recognizing the financial challenges of public entities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although the two leaders have met regularly for weeks, and sources familiar with the negotiations say the two sides are very close to a compromise, no deal has emerged.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Flood of lawsuits squeezes tight budgets\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.fcmat.org/publicationsreports/child-sexual-assault-fiscal-implications-report.pdf\">a 2024 Legislature-mandated report\u003c/a>, thousands of suits have been filed since Gov. Gavin Newsom signed \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB218\">Assembly Bill 218\u003c/a> in 2019, raising the age for victims to report past abuse and file lawsuits from 26 to 40 years old.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The law also allows people who discover as adults that they were sexually abused as children five years to file a claim, up from the previous three years, and created a three-year window during which survivors could revive past claims that expired due to the previous statute of limitations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The flood of claims has resulted in settlements and jury verdicts that are projected to cost California school districts up to $3 billion. Counties face liabilities several times those of school districts, according to the 2024 state report.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12089327\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12089327\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinNewsomEducationGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1374\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinNewsomEducationGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinNewsomEducationGetty-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinNewsomEducationGetty-1536x1055.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gov. Gavin Newsom walks with students from Clinton Elementary School to announce support for literacy with The Golden State Literacy Plan at Clinton Elementary School in Compton on June 5, 2025. The governor was joined by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and other education officials. \u003ccite>(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Los Angeles County alone estimated that its payouts reach $3 billion to resolve roughly 3,000 claims of sexual abuse that occurred in the county’s foster homes, youth shelters and probation camps and halls dating to the 1950s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While some counties and school districts had private insurance to help cover their liabilities, the state’s insurance crisis in the 1970s forced the vast majority of them to embrace the alternate, self-run joint-powers authorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike private insurance companies, which have large stores of capital in case of unexpected costs, public entities pay their premiums with taxpayer dollars.[aside postID=news_12096327 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260824-Animal-Rescue-Presser-ZF-01-KQED.jpg']The sheer volume of cases filed since 2019 has sent premiums skyrocketing, which disproportionately hurts smaller rural school districts and counties and those with few or no claims against them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several counties and school districts say they’ve had to cut staff and defer maintenance, such as replacing schools’ aging air conditioning, to afford their insurance payments as well as cover the cost of claims for harms that took place when the district or county didn’t have insurance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eric Dill, an associate superintendent for the Poway Unified School District, said his district has been forced to cut $10 million a year from its budget over the last three years, mostly from programming, staff and maintenance because of a requirement to set aside money for underinsured or uninsured claims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district has dedicated $7.5 million — the equivalent of 75 teachers’ salaries and benefits — in premiums and contributions to its self-insurance fund over the last four years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is very real that today’s students are suffering from a lack of services that could otherwise be provided if we could use those general fund dollars to put back into the classroom,” Dill said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While child sexual assault cases are at the heart of legislative negotiations, advocates for the school districts and counties are pushing for the changes to apply to all civil liability cases brought against them.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Survivors decry backroom dealing\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Survivor advocates say legislative leaders are cutting out crucial voices and public input by trying to fast-track a deal at the last minute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If a bill had gone through the traditional process, victims could have testified before committees about their abuse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re having to ask survivors to speak into a microphone and hope that the folks who are making the decisions in the building hear our voices,” said Jennifer Rodriguez, executive director of the Youth Law Center, at the news conference. “That’s not a democratic process.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12081808\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12081808\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260428-VallejoChildCare-37-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260428-VallejoChildCare-37-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260428-VallejoChildCare-37-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260428-VallejoChildCare-37-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Children play in an outdoor area at Rise Vallejo, an early education center, in Vallejo on April 28, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Howard, the senior attorney at Children’s Advocacy Institute, acknowledged that the topic of childhood sexual abuse is thorny and any measure that could alter the existing law “may not have survived a more thorough scrutiny of the regular bill process.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Legislators have until midnight on Aug. 31 to wrap up lawmaking for the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>For the record: This story has been corrected to clarify that the survivors groups have not received any funding from the Consumer Attorneys of California.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/08/california-legislature-child-sex-abuse-claims/\">originally published on CalMatters\u003c/a> and was republished under the \u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives\u003c/a> license.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": " State lawmakers are struggling to balance counties’ and schools’ financial health with the incalculable cost of survivors’ trauma.",
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"title": "Sex Abuse Survivors and Broke School Districts at Odds in Legislature’s Final Days | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c!-- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ -->\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/\">CalMatters\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/\">Sign up\u003c/a> for their newsletters.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> legislators this week are rushing to broker a compromise on child sexual assault lawsuits before the Legislature finishes for the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They are faced with the unenviable task of figuring out how to give justice to survivors of child sexual assault by school or county employees without bankrupting the cash-strapped school districts and local governments responsible for compensating them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Counties and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/2026/02/sex-abuse-california-2/\">school districts\u003c/a> have been flooded with lawsuits from survivors since the Legislature essentially waived any statute of limitations for those cases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The resulting damage payments and insurance premium hikes have cost schools and local governments billions, depleting their reserves and blowing holes in their budgets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the final week of the 2026 legislative session, lobbyists for schools and counties are pushing Senate and Assembly leaders to strike a last-minute deal that would allow survivors to be compensated for past harms while simultaneously stewarding taxpayer dollars and protecting local agencies from going bankrupt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12082992\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12082992\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/020_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/020_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021_qed-1.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/020_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/020_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Children at Mission Kids Preschool in San Francisco raise their hands to ask Senator Alex Padilla a question on June 1, 2021. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>An attempt last year to find common ground collapsed in the final hours of the legislative session.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Victims’ advocacy groups fiercely oppose any changes that would make it more difficult for survivors to receive compensation and have been rallying support to keep the law as it is.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s impossible to choose between the future education of California students and meeting the needs for survivors,” said Dr. Debra Schade, president of the California School Boards Association, one of the groups pushing for a deal. “But if we don’t do something soon, the future of our public school system in California is at risk.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘A difficult needle to thread’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Counties and school districts want to be able to cap how much money each survivor could seek in damages, as well as require a greater amount of evidence from victims who wait more than 20 years to file a claim. But both of those proposals are nonstarters with survivor advocates, who are livid that the government would consider putting a “price tag” on someone’s sexual abuse. They say it’s also unreasonable to expect that children and parents would keep documentation that could prove they were assaulted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A June draft proposal from Assembly Speaker \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/robert-rivas-165041\">Robert Rivas\u003c/a>’s office, obtained by CalMatters, showed that Assembly leaders were at least considering caps on damages and a higher threshold for evidence in older cases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Decades-old claims are much more likely to involve perpetrators and witnesses who are dead, as well as missing or damaged records. Without access to that evidence, counties and schools say they’re at an unfair disadvantage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12095609\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1998px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12095609\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/081726-SFUSDFirstDay-20-MC_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1998\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/081726-SFUSDFirstDay-20-MC_qed.jpg 1998w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/081726-SFUSDFirstDay-20-MC_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/081726-SFUSDFirstDay-20-MC_qed-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1998px) 100vw, 1998px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students arrive at Jose Ortega Elementary School for the first day of their school year on August 17, 2026, in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While counties and school districts say they agree victims should be able to seek just compensation for the harms they’ve suffered, public entities are responsible for “safeguarding the resources that we are entrusted with” to help current students and vulnerable populations, said Faith Borges, a lobbyist for local government insurance pools that are called joint powers authorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s been a difficult needle to thread,” Borges said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Victims’ groups argue that the government has vast resources at its disposal to defend itself — including staff attorneys, researchers and archives of public documents — whereas most survivors and their families can only afford litigation with a plaintiff’s attorney.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is a towering immorality to make the traumatized survivors of child rape, beatings, and sex abuse pay the bills for our negligence,” said Ed Howard, senior attorney for the Children’s Advocacy Institute, at a news conference in Sacramento.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“It is our fault what happened to them. Not theirs,” Howard said. “That is grotesque that a child would have to have a higher burden of proof to get compensation for crimes committed to them by people that we selected.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The politically powerful \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/organizations/-17#year%5B%5D=2025\">Consumer Attorneys of California\u003c/a>, which has contributed at least $350,000 to California lawmakers this legislative session, is also part of the campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suzie, a 25-year-old survivor who asked to be identified by her first name, hopes the financial pain will force school districts and counties to make changes to protect children under their care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said seeking justice through the courts required her to confront her abuser — her fourth grade teacher — and take on an army of attorneys for the Mountainview School District who sought to discredit her allegations that the teacher molested and groomed her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I just became super suicidal like, when I was only eight or nine,” Suzie said. “I couldn’t tell my parents that I was scared of going to school, so I was like, at such a young age, the bad guy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After she and five other students sued the district, a jury last April \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-04-16/los-angeles-jury-awards-48-million-to-students-abused-by-teacher-at-el-monte-school\">awarded them\u003c/a> a $48 million verdict, with the district responsible for just over $36 million and the teacher responsible for the remainder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wish a lot of things wouldn’t have happened to me,” Suzie said. “But also, with the financial compensation, there’s going to be, maybe, room for growth for (the district). And a definite change. Because it cannot happen again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Previous compromise attempt collapsed\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>An effort to strike a deal last year, brokered by Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/john-laird-3108\">John Laird\u003c/a>, a Santa Cruz Democrat, fell apart at the last minute. Counties and school districts were upset that \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb577\">Senate Bill 577\u003c/a> didn’t include caps on how much money victims could seek in damages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Government agencies say a compensation limit is the only way to achieve meaningful change, but the concept infuriates survivor groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Survivors were also angry that that proposal sought to ban any further claims from survivors of sex abuse at one Los Angeles County juvenile detention facility, MacLaren Children’s Center, which permanently closed in 2003.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12086449\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1980px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12086449\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408498187.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1391\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408498187.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408498187-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408498187-1536x1079.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chalk art decorates pavement outside of an old bus operating as a preschool at the Aspire Monarch Academy school in Oakland, California, on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015. \u003ccite>(Paul Chinn/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The county approved \u003ca href=\"https://lacounty.gov/2025/04/04/la-county-reaches-4-billion-tentative-settlement-in-thousands-of-sexual-abuse-cases/\">a $4 billion settlement \u003c/a>last April to resolve more than 6,800 child sex abuse cases, some of which date to 1959.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rivas shelved the bill in the hope that the two sides could continue negotiating and hash out a more comprehensive deal in 2026, according to people familiar with the decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, legislative leaders are split along the same fault lines. The speaker’s office wants to ensure the public entities’ financial health and has been open to discussions about damage caps, while Senate President Pro Tem \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/monique-limon-13069\">Monique Limón\u003c/a> and her staff insist caps would hamper survivors’ rights, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Limón in a statement said the Senate “remains committed to maintaining access to justice for all survivors” while also recognizing the financial challenges of public entities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although the two leaders have met regularly for weeks, and sources familiar with the negotiations say the two sides are very close to a compromise, no deal has emerged.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Flood of lawsuits squeezes tight budgets\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.fcmat.org/publicationsreports/child-sexual-assault-fiscal-implications-report.pdf\">a 2024 Legislature-mandated report\u003c/a>, thousands of suits have been filed since Gov. Gavin Newsom signed \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB218\">Assembly Bill 218\u003c/a> in 2019, raising the age for victims to report past abuse and file lawsuits from 26 to 40 years old.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The law also allows people who discover as adults that they were sexually abused as children five years to file a claim, up from the previous three years, and created a three-year window during which survivors could revive past claims that expired due to the previous statute of limitations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The flood of claims has resulted in settlements and jury verdicts that are projected to cost California school districts up to $3 billion. Counties face liabilities several times those of school districts, according to the 2024 state report.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12089327\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12089327\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinNewsomEducationGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1374\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinNewsomEducationGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinNewsomEducationGetty-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinNewsomEducationGetty-1536x1055.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gov. Gavin Newsom walks with students from Clinton Elementary School to announce support for literacy with The Golden State Literacy Plan at Clinton Elementary School in Compton on June 5, 2025. The governor was joined by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and other education officials. \u003ccite>(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Los Angeles County alone estimated that its payouts reach $3 billion to resolve roughly 3,000 claims of sexual abuse that occurred in the county’s foster homes, youth shelters and probation camps and halls dating to the 1950s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While some counties and school districts had private insurance to help cover their liabilities, the state’s insurance crisis in the 1970s forced the vast majority of them to embrace the alternate, self-run joint-powers authorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike private insurance companies, which have large stores of capital in case of unexpected costs, public entities pay their premiums with taxpayer dollars.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The sheer volume of cases filed since 2019 has sent premiums skyrocketing, which disproportionately hurts smaller rural school districts and counties and those with few or no claims against them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several counties and school districts say they’ve had to cut staff and defer maintenance, such as replacing schools’ aging air conditioning, to afford their insurance payments as well as cover the cost of claims for harms that took place when the district or county didn’t have insurance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eric Dill, an associate superintendent for the Poway Unified School District, said his district has been forced to cut $10 million a year from its budget over the last three years, mostly from programming, staff and maintenance because of a requirement to set aside money for underinsured or uninsured claims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district has dedicated $7.5 million — the equivalent of 75 teachers’ salaries and benefits — in premiums and contributions to its self-insurance fund over the last four years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is very real that today’s students are suffering from a lack of services that could otherwise be provided if we could use those general fund dollars to put back into the classroom,” Dill said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While child sexual assault cases are at the heart of legislative negotiations, advocates for the school districts and counties are pushing for the changes to apply to all civil liability cases brought against them.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Survivors decry backroom dealing\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Survivor advocates say legislative leaders are cutting out crucial voices and public input by trying to fast-track a deal at the last minute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If a bill had gone through the traditional process, victims could have testified before committees about their abuse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re having to ask survivors to speak into a microphone and hope that the folks who are making the decisions in the building hear our voices,” said Jennifer Rodriguez, executive director of the Youth Law Center, at the news conference. “That’s not a democratic process.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12081808\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12081808\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260428-VallejoChildCare-37-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260428-VallejoChildCare-37-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260428-VallejoChildCare-37-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260428-VallejoChildCare-37-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Children play in an outdoor area at Rise Vallejo, an early education center, in Vallejo on April 28, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Howard, the senior attorney at Children’s Advocacy Institute, acknowledged that the topic of childhood sexual abuse is thorny and any measure that could alter the existing law “may not have survived a more thorough scrutiny of the regular bill process.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Legislators have until midnight on Aug. 31 to wrap up lawmaking for the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>For the record: This story has been corrected to clarify that the survivors groups have not received any funding from the Consumer Attorneys of California.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/08/california-legislature-child-sex-abuse-claims/\">originally published on CalMatters\u003c/a> and was republished under the \u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives\u003c/a> license.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Scientists Are Building a 'Noah’s Ark' of California’s Tide Pools",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Here are the morning’s top stories on Friday, August 14, 2026\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>Dinosaur bones and taxidermied animals get most of the attention at the Natural History Museum in LA County. But researchers are excited about \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/california-tide-pools-natural-history-museum-la\">a new collection\u003c/a> that could have big implications for monitoring climate change. \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>The U.S. Department of Justice says California is \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095240/us-doj-finds-unbroken-pattern-of-sexual-abuse-by-california-prison-staff\">failing to protect incarcerated women \u003c/a>from sexual abuse and harassment by prison staff. \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>A federal judge says she’s leaning toward ruling that federal immigration agents \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/investigation/2026/08/los-angeles-warrantless-immigration-arrests-blocked/\">can not make warrantless arrests\u003c/a> under most circumstances in Los Angeles.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/california-tide-pools-natural-history-museum-la\">Inside the effort to comprehensively document California’s tide pools\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On an overcast morning in July, marine biologist Greg Rouse knelt next to a large tide pool near La Jolla’s Bird Rock. “This place is incredibly diverse in habitats,” Rouse said, scooping a sample of seawater into a plastic bag.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A few miles down the beach, in his seaside lab at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, Rouse separated the sampled water into a petri dish. At first glance it was just water and some floating ocean debris.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But when Rouse slid the petri dish under a microscope, hundreds of nearly-microscopic animals burst into life on a high-resolution monitor: shrimps and snails, pillbug-like isopods, worms of all sorts of different shapes, and at least one bright-orange sea slug. Sampling tide pools like this is fairly routine for Rouse, but lately, it has been part of something bigger. Rouse is leading the first phase of an effort to document California’s intertidal ecosystems. That means logging every organism found in the tidal seawater, sand and rocks from San Diego to the Oregon border over the next two years. “It’s a baseline of what is here right now,” Rouse said. “It’s a shame we didn’t do this 20 or 40 years ago. But in those times, we didn’t really have the DNA technology and the cost efficiency that we have these days.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The project, called the California Intertidal Biodiversity DNA Barcode Library project, is ambitious. Nothing of this scale has been attempted in the U.S. It’s being led by a coalition of top research institutions, including Scripps, the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, the California Ocean Protection Council and the Southern California Coastal Research Project. The goal is to create a comprehensive picture of California’s tidal habitats by focusing on the algae and invertebrates that live in them, including their DNA profiles. Scientists say that will let them more effectively track changes in those ecosystems.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The intertidal region is made up of the narrow strip of coastline that alternates between being submerged at high tide and exposed at low tide. It’s habitats are some of the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/what-a-persistent-ocean-heatwave-means-for-sea-life-and-a-possible-el-nino-year\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u003cu>rising water temperatures\u003c/u>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/high-tides-rising-sea-levels-long-beach\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u003cu>sea levels\u003c/u>\u003c/a>. The two-year project launched with $10 million in state funding earlier this year but kicked into high gear this summer.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last month, Rouse led a group of dozens of scientists to the tide pools, where they pulled more than 7,000 samples from the area around Bird Rock. “Anything we could see, we took. But also we took a lot of stuff you can’t see back to the lab and had many people on microscopes finding all the tiny creatures,” Rouse said. “Because most of the diversity is actually too small to see.” Testing is still underway, but so far the samples represent 1,600 species of invertebrates and algae, hundreds of which could be new to science.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095240/us-doj-finds-unbroken-pattern-of-sexual-abuse-by-california-prison-staff\">US DOJ finds ‘unbroken pattern’ of sexual abuse by California prison staff\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079668/i-thought-i-was-going-to-die-video-shows-mass-force-at-california-womens-prison\">California prison officials\u003c/a> have failed to protect incarcerated women from sexual abuse and harassment by staff for years, the U.S. Department of Justice \u003ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-finds-california-womens-prisons-violate-constitution-failing-protect\">said\u003c/a> in a new report.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Justice Department \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-civil-rights-investigation-correctional-staff-sexual-abuse-two\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">began\u003c/a> investigating the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla and the California Institution for Women in Chino nearly two years ago after hundreds of incarcerated women \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12003230/feds-investigate-california-prisons-where-women-say-culture-of-impunity-surrounded-abuse\">filed legal claims\u003c/a> alleging sexual exploitation by staff and an officer was \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/news/2022/12/28/cdcr-refers-internal-investigation-into-former-correctional-officer-to-district-attorney-for-charges-of-sexual-misconduct-of-incarcerated-women/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">arrested\u003c/a> for sexually abusing at least 22 women. The department reviewed 350 allegations of sexual misconduct, interviewed prisoners and looked at body-worn camera footage. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1457771/dl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report\u003c/a> released Thursday, investigators said they found an “unbroken pattern” of staff sexual assault dating back over 20 years at California’s two women’s prisons. The department concluded that prison officials knew women faced a substantial risk of sexual abuse but failed to adequately protect them. Investigators pointed to gaps in surveillance camera coverage, a lack of confidential reporting options, inadequate investigations and failures to hold staff accountable — systemic problems the DOJ said amount to “deliberate indifference” and violate incarcerated women’s constitutional rights.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“None of this should be surprising to CDCR [California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation], none of it should be surprising to the Legislature,” said Amika Mota, executive director of the prison advocacy organization Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition. Survivors have spent years speaking out at “hearings, in town halls, in reports,” she said, trying to get officials to address sexual abuse by prison staff.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>State prison officials say they have a zero-tolerance policy for sexual assault by staff, and that they have taken steps to improve reporting options and expand the use of cameras. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Young said those reforms have not fixed the underlying problems. “Women were not being protected,” Young said in an interview with KQED. “It was the cycle that’s continuing to happen.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/investigation/2026/08/los-angeles-warrantless-immigration-arrests-blocked/\">Federal judge poised to restrict immigration arrest tactics in Los Angeles raids\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A judge on Thursday indicated that she’s inclined to order federal immigration agents to stop arresting people without warrants in Los Angeles if they haven’t assessed their flight risk. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If she grants the order, it would be one of the most significant so far in a wide-ranging lawsuit over the government’s ongoing immigration raids in Southern California. It would force agents to fundamentally change the way they’ve conducted the sweeps at the heart of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since 1946, federal law has allowed immigration officers to arrest someone without a warrant only when they have probable cause both that the person is in the country unlawfully and that they are likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained. Courts have long held that to mean that agents are required to consider the person’s ties to the community, like a person having a job, a home and a family in the community where the arrest occurs. However, in raids in Southern California and across the country, supervisors have told agents to “get out and start grabbing people,” and agents have ambushed people without knowing their immigration history and targeted Latinos at places like car washes and bus stops, court records and body camera footage show. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last month, plaintiffs attorneys in the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/justice/2026/07/immigration-agent-text-messages/\">lawsuit filed with the court\u003c/a> text messages and body cam footage that showed federal agents using racial slurs to identify targets in the Los Angeles raids. They argued the evidence showed immigration agents simply detained people who looked Latino. U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong’s tentative ruling Thursday means agents would need to obtain “individualized, pre-arrest probable cause determinations of flight risk” in the city and the areas surrounding Los Angeles, home to 19 million people. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Dinosaur bones and taxidermied animals get most of the attention at the Natural History Museum in LA County. But researchers are excited about \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/california-tide-pools-natural-history-museum-la\">a new collection\u003c/a> that could have big implications for monitoring climate change. \u003c/li>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>The U.S. Department of Justice says California is \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095240/us-doj-finds-unbroken-pattern-of-sexual-abuse-by-california-prison-staff\">failing to protect incarcerated women \u003c/a>from sexual abuse and harassment by prison staff. \u003c/li>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>A federal judge says she’s leaning toward ruling that federal immigration agents \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/investigation/2026/08/los-angeles-warrantless-immigration-arrests-blocked/\">can not make warrantless arrests\u003c/a> under most circumstances in Los Angeles.\u003c/li>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On an overcast morning in July, marine biologist Greg Rouse knelt next to a large tide pool near La Jolla’s Bird Rock. “This place is incredibly diverse in habitats,” Rouse said, scooping a sample of seawater into a plastic bag.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But when Rouse slid the petri dish under a microscope, hundreds of nearly-microscopic animals burst into life on a high-resolution monitor: shrimps and snails, pillbug-like isopods, worms of all sorts of different shapes, and at least one bright-orange sea slug. Sampling tide pools like this is fairly routine for Rouse, but lately, it has been part of something bigger. Rouse is leading the first phase of an effort to document California’s intertidal ecosystems. That means logging every organism found in the tidal seawater, sand and rocks from San Diego to the Oregon border over the next two years. “It’s a baseline of what is here right now,” Rouse said. “It’s a shame we didn’t do this 20 or 40 years ago. But in those times, we didn’t really have the DNA technology and the cost efficiency that we have these days.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The project, called the California Intertidal Biodiversity DNA Barcode Library project, is ambitious. Nothing of this scale has been attempted in the U.S. It’s being led by a coalition of top research institutions, including Scripps, the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, the California Ocean Protection Council and the Southern California Coastal Research Project. The goal is to create a comprehensive picture of California’s tidal habitats by focusing on the algae and invertebrates that live in them, including their DNA profiles. Scientists say that will let them more effectively track changes in those ecosystems.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The intertidal region is made up of the narrow strip of coastline that alternates between being submerged at high tide and exposed at low tide. It’s habitats are some of the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/what-a-persistent-ocean-heatwave-means-for-sea-life-and-a-possible-el-nino-year\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u003cu>rising water temperatures\u003c/u>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/high-tides-rising-sea-levels-long-beach\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u003cu>sea levels\u003c/u>\u003c/a>. The two-year project launched with $10 million in state funding earlier this year but kicked into high gear this summer.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Last month, Rouse led a group of dozens of scientists to the tide pools, where they pulled more than 7,000 samples from the area around Bird Rock. “Anything we could see, we took. But also we took a lot of stuff you can’t see back to the lab and had many people on microscopes finding all the tiny creatures,” Rouse said. “Because most of the diversity is actually too small to see.” Testing is still underway, but so far the samples represent 1,600 species of invertebrates and algae, hundreds of which could be new to science.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Justice Department \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-civil-rights-investigation-correctional-staff-sexual-abuse-two\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">began\u003c/a> investigating the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla and the California Institution for Women in Chino nearly two years ago after hundreds of incarcerated women \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12003230/feds-investigate-california-prisons-where-women-say-culture-of-impunity-surrounded-abuse\">filed legal claims\u003c/a> alleging sexual exploitation by staff and an officer was \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/news/2022/12/28/cdcr-refers-internal-investigation-into-former-correctional-officer-to-district-attorney-for-charges-of-sexual-misconduct-of-incarcerated-women/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">arrested\u003c/a> for sexually abusing at least 22 women. The department reviewed 350 allegations of sexual misconduct, interviewed prisoners and looked at body-worn camera footage. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Justice Department \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-civil-rights-investigation-correctional-staff-sexual-abuse-two\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">began\u003c/a> investigating the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla and the California Institution for Women in Chino nearly two years ago after hundreds of incarcerated women \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12003230/feds-investigate-california-prisons-where-women-say-culture-of-impunity-surrounded-abuse\">filed legal claims\u003c/a> alleging sexual exploitation by staff and an officer was \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/news/2022/12/28/cdcr-refers-internal-investigation-into-former-correctional-officer-to-district-attorney-for-charges-of-sexual-misconduct-of-incarcerated-women/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">arrested\u003c/a> for sexually abusing at least 22 women. The department reviewed 350 allegations of sexual misconduct, interviewed prisoners and looked at body-worn camera footage. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>State prison officials say they have a zero-tolerance policy for sexual assault by staff, and that they have taken steps to improve reporting options and expand the use of cameras. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Young said those reforms have not fixed the underlying problems. “Women were not being protected,” Young said in an interview with KQED. “It was the cycle that’s continuing to happen.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Since 1946, federal law has allowed immigration officers to arrest someone without a warrant only when they have probable cause both that the person is in the country unlawfully and that they are likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained. Courts have long held that to mean that agents are required to consider the person’s ties to the community, like a person having a job, a home and a family in the community where the arrest occurs. However, in raids in Southern California and across the country, supervisors have told agents to “get out and start grabbing people,” and agents have ambushed people without knowing their immigration history and targeted Latinos at places like car washes and bus stops, court records and body camera footage show. \u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Here are the morning’s top stories on Friday, August 14, 2026\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>Dinosaur bones and taxidermied animals get most of the attention at the Natural History Museum in LA County. But researchers are excited about \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/california-tide-pools-natural-history-museum-la\">a new collection\u003c/a> that could have big implications for monitoring climate change. \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>The U.S. Department of Justice says California is \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095240/us-doj-finds-unbroken-pattern-of-sexual-abuse-by-california-prison-staff\">failing to protect incarcerated women \u003c/a>from sexual abuse and harassment by prison staff. \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>A federal judge says she’s leaning toward ruling that federal immigration agents \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/investigation/2026/08/los-angeles-warrantless-immigration-arrests-blocked/\">can not make warrantless arrests\u003c/a> under most circumstances in Los Angeles.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/california-tide-pools-natural-history-museum-la\">Inside the effort to comprehensively document California’s tide pools\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On an overcast morning in July, marine biologist Greg Rouse knelt next to a large tide pool near La Jolla’s Bird Rock. “This place is incredibly diverse in habitats,” Rouse said, scooping a sample of seawater into a plastic bag.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A few miles down the beach, in his seaside lab at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, Rouse separated the sampled water into a petri dish. At first glance it was just water and some floating ocean debris.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But when Rouse slid the petri dish under a microscope, hundreds of nearly-microscopic animals burst into life on a high-resolution monitor: shrimps and snails, pillbug-like isopods, worms of all sorts of different shapes, and at least one bright-orange sea slug. Sampling tide pools like this is fairly routine for Rouse, but lately, it has been part of something bigger. Rouse is leading the first phase of an effort to document California’s intertidal ecosystems. That means logging every organism found in the tidal seawater, sand and rocks from San Diego to the Oregon border over the next two years. “It’s a baseline of what is here right now,” Rouse said. “It’s a shame we didn’t do this 20 or 40 years ago. But in those times, we didn’t really have the DNA technology and the cost efficiency that we have these days.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The project, called the California Intertidal Biodiversity DNA Barcode Library project, is ambitious. Nothing of this scale has been attempted in the U.S. It’s being led by a coalition of top research institutions, including Scripps, the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, the California Ocean Protection Council and the Southern California Coastal Research Project. The goal is to create a comprehensive picture of California’s tidal habitats by focusing on the algae and invertebrates that live in them, including their DNA profiles. Scientists say that will let them more effectively track changes in those ecosystems.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The intertidal region is made up of the narrow strip of coastline that alternates between being submerged at high tide and exposed at low tide. It’s habitats are some of the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/what-a-persistent-ocean-heatwave-means-for-sea-life-and-a-possible-el-nino-year\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u003cu>rising water temperatures\u003c/u>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/high-tides-rising-sea-levels-long-beach\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u003cu>sea levels\u003c/u>\u003c/a>. The two-year project launched with $10 million in state funding earlier this year but kicked into high gear this summer.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last month, Rouse led a group of dozens of scientists to the tide pools, where they pulled more than 7,000 samples from the area around Bird Rock. “Anything we could see, we took. But also we took a lot of stuff you can’t see back to the lab and had many people on microscopes finding all the tiny creatures,” Rouse said. “Because most of the diversity is actually too small to see.” Testing is still underway, but so far the samples represent 1,600 species of invertebrates and algae, hundreds of which could be new to science.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095240/us-doj-finds-unbroken-pattern-of-sexual-abuse-by-california-prison-staff\">US DOJ finds ‘unbroken pattern’ of sexual abuse by California prison staff\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079668/i-thought-i-was-going-to-die-video-shows-mass-force-at-california-womens-prison\">California prison officials\u003c/a> have failed to protect incarcerated women from sexual abuse and harassment by staff for years, the U.S. Department of Justice \u003ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-finds-california-womens-prisons-violate-constitution-failing-protect\">said\u003c/a> in a new report.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Justice Department \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-civil-rights-investigation-correctional-staff-sexual-abuse-two\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">began\u003c/a> investigating the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla and the California Institution for Women in Chino nearly two years ago after hundreds of incarcerated women \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12003230/feds-investigate-california-prisons-where-women-say-culture-of-impunity-surrounded-abuse\">filed legal claims\u003c/a> alleging sexual exploitation by staff and an officer was \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/news/2022/12/28/cdcr-refers-internal-investigation-into-former-correctional-officer-to-district-attorney-for-charges-of-sexual-misconduct-of-incarcerated-women/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">arrested\u003c/a> for sexually abusing at least 22 women. The department reviewed 350 allegations of sexual misconduct, interviewed prisoners and looked at body-worn camera footage. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1457771/dl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report\u003c/a> released Thursday, investigators said they found an “unbroken pattern” of staff sexual assault dating back over 20 years at California’s two women’s prisons. The department concluded that prison officials knew women faced a substantial risk of sexual abuse but failed to adequately protect them. Investigators pointed to gaps in surveillance camera coverage, a lack of confidential reporting options, inadequate investigations and failures to hold staff accountable — systemic problems the DOJ said amount to “deliberate indifference” and violate incarcerated women’s constitutional rights.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“None of this should be surprising to CDCR [California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation], none of it should be surprising to the Legislature,” said Amika Mota, executive director of the prison advocacy organization Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition. Survivors have spent years speaking out at “hearings, in town halls, in reports,” she said, trying to get officials to address sexual abuse by prison staff.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>State prison officials say they have a zero-tolerance policy for sexual assault by staff, and that they have taken steps to improve reporting options and expand the use of cameras. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Young said those reforms have not fixed the underlying problems. “Women were not being protected,” Young said in an interview with KQED. “It was the cycle that’s continuing to happen.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/investigation/2026/08/los-angeles-warrantless-immigration-arrests-blocked/\">Federal judge poised to restrict immigration arrest tactics in Los Angeles raids\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A judge on Thursday indicated that she’s inclined to order federal immigration agents to stop arresting people without warrants in Los Angeles if they haven’t assessed their flight risk. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If she grants the order, it would be one of the most significant so far in a wide-ranging lawsuit over the government’s ongoing immigration raids in Southern California. It would force agents to fundamentally change the way they’ve conducted the sweeps at the heart of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since 1946, federal law has allowed immigration officers to arrest someone without a warrant only when they have probable cause both that the person is in the country unlawfully and that they are likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained. Courts have long held that to mean that agents are required to consider the person’s ties to the community, like a person having a job, a home and a family in the community where the arrest occurs. However, in raids in Southern California and across the country, supervisors have told agents to “get out and start grabbing people,” and agents have ambushed people without knowing their immigration history and targeted Latinos at places like car washes and bus stops, court records and body camera footage show. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last month, plaintiffs attorneys in the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/justice/2026/07/immigration-agent-text-messages/\">lawsuit filed with the court\u003c/a> text messages and body cam footage that showed federal agents using racial slurs to identify targets in the Los Angeles raids. They argued the evidence showed immigration agents simply detained people who looked Latino. U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong’s tentative ruling Thursday means agents would need to obtain “individualized, pre-arrest probable cause determinations of flight risk” in the city and the areas surrounding Los Angeles, home to 19 million people. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079668/i-thought-i-was-going-to-die-video-shows-mass-force-at-california-womens-prison\">California prison officials\u003c/a> have failed to protect incarcerated women from sexual abuse and harassment by staff for years, the U.S. Department of Justice \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-finds-california-womens-prisons-violate-constitution-failing-protect\">said\u003c/a> in a new report.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Justice Department \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-civil-rights-investigation-correctional-staff-sexual-abuse-two\">began\u003c/a> investigating the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla and the California Institution for Women in Chino nearly two years ago after hundreds of incarcerated women \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12003230/feds-investigate-california-prisons-where-women-say-culture-of-impunity-surrounded-abuse\">filed legal claims\u003c/a> alleging sexual exploitation by staff and an officer was \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/news/2022/12/28/cdcr-refers-internal-investigation-into-former-correctional-officer-to-district-attorney-for-charges-of-sexual-misconduct-of-incarcerated-women/\">arrested\u003c/a> for sexually abusing at least 22 women. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The department reviewed 350 allegations of sexual misconduct, interviewed prisoners and looked at body-worn camera footage. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-31-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090739\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-31-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-31-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-31-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Receiving and Release (R&R) yard at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026. The prison is the largest women’s correctional facility in California, and the R&R yard is used to process incarcerated people entering and leaving the facility. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1457771/dl\">report\u003c/a> released Thursday, investigators said they found an “unbroken pattern” of staff sexual assault dating back over 20 years at California’s two women’s prisons. The department concluded that prison officials knew women faced a substantial risk of sexual abuse but failed to adequately protect them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Investigators pointed to gaps in surveillance camera coverage, a lack of confidential reporting options, inadequate investigations and failures to hold staff accountable — systemic problems the DOJ said amount to “deliberate indifference” and violate incarcerated women’s constitutional rights.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“None of this should be surprising to CDCR [California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation], none of it should be surprising to the Legislature,” said Amika Mota, executive director of the prison advocacy organization Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition. Survivors have spent years speaking out at “hearings, in town halls, in reports,” she said, trying to get officials to address sexual abuse by prison staff.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>State prison officials say they have a zero-tolerance policy for sexual assault by staff, and that they have taken steps to improve reporting options and expand the use of cameras. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Young said those reforms have not fixed the underlying problems. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Women were not being protected,” Young said in an interview with KQED. “It was the cycle that’s continuing to happen.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the prison in Chowchilla, federal investigators found blind spots around its Plant Operations area and in prison kitchens. Women at both prisons told investigators that kitchen storage rooms without cameras are known as “sugar rooms,” because sugar is stored there and because sexual activity can occur there without detection. Investigators also found abandoned buildings where abuse had occurred.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-23-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090738\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-23-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-23-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-23-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Officers lead an incarcerated woman through a Receiving and Release (R&R) yard at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026. The prison is the largest women’s correctional facility in California, and the R&R yard is used to process incarcerated people entering and leaving the facility. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Things like that were extremely concerning,” Young said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The report also found correctional officers failed to properly use body-worn cameras, at times turning them off in violation of prison policy. The report pointed out that only correctional officers are required to wear body cameras, despite confirmed cases of sexual misconduct by other staff, including a cook, mental health counselor and work-program staff.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The report details several cases where the state confirmed allegations of sexual assault.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Former correctional officer Gregory Rodriguez was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022075/former-guard-california-womens-prison-found-guilty-59-counts-sexual-abuse\">accused of sexually abusing\u003c/a> dozens of women at CCWF over a decade. California’s corrections department substantiated allegations that he engaged in sexual acts with 21 incarcerated women. Federal investigators said they became aware of more than 65 alleged victims of Rodriguez.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some women reported that Rodriguez assaulted them in a parole hearing room that did not have cameras. In 2023, the Madera County district attorney charged Rodriguez with 97 criminal counts involving 13 women. He was convicted last year on 64 counts and sentenced to 224 years in prison.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the California Institution for Women, the report points to cases dating back more than a decade, including correctional officers who were convicted or disciplined for sexually abusing incarcerated women.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The hundreds of allegations reviewed by federal investigators likely capture only a portion of the abuse, according to Mota. While she said reporting increased in recent years as more survivors began speaking out, many cases still go unreported for fear of retaliation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-73-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090742\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-73-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-73-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-73-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Officers escort an incarcerated woman through a yard at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) prison in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026, the largest women’s correctional facility in the state. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The report underscored those fears, finding that the system meant to allow incarcerated women to report sexual assault was not truly confidential. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Written grievances, known as 602s, are scanned into an online system accessible to staff at the prisons. In one case, CDCR found that an officer improperly accessed the files of 11 incarcerated women. Nine had accused him of sexual misconduct.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Women described officers issuing disciplinary violations, searching their cells, taking their property and restricting privileges after complaints were made. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some women said they waited until they were released, transferred to another prison or retained an attorney before reporting alleged abuse. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The federal report also concluded that an August 2024 mass \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12004368/like-a-war-zone-prison-officers-used-unprecedented-force-in-august-attack-incarcerated-women-say\">use-of-force incident\u003c/a> at CCWF was retaliation for women reporting staff sexual abuse. Young said DOJ investigators spent significant time interviewing women and reviewing files related to the incident, which resulted in injuries ranging from seizures to blindness. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CDCR reached a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077737/california-agrees-to-1-9m-settlement-in-prison-use-of-force-case\">$1.9 million settlement \u003c/a>in April with 13 women injured during the incident. Its investigators imposed termination, retraining and other corrective actions after concluding that 41 employees violated department policy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Federal investigators found cases in which potential DNA evidence wasn’t tested, accused staff or witnesses weren’t interviewed, and investigations stretched on for months or even years. In one case, the investigation took so long that CDCR missed its one-year deadline to discipline the officer. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-22-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090737\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-22-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-22-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-22-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Receiving and Release (R&R) yard at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026. The prison is the largest women’s correctional facility in California, and the R&R yard is used to process incarcerated people entering and leaving the facility. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And the state’s Office of the Inspector General of prisons found that 86% of CDCR disciplinary and criminal investigations reviewed during the first half of 2025 were either “inadequate” or “needs improvement,” according to the report. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Young said investigators found that, even when women made credible allegations of sexual abuse, investigations could stall for over a year and sometimes ended without substantiation of the allegations, even when parts of their accounts were corroborated.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a written statement, CDCR said it takes “every allegation seriously” and “remains dedicated to ensuring accountability, strengthening protections, and maintaining institutions that ensure the personal safety of all individuals.” The department also cited audits under the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, which found both prisons met all 45 standards evaluated.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Justice Department is requiring California to better protect prisoners from staff sexual abuse by expanding camera coverage, requiring broader use of body-worn cameras, establishing confidential reporting options independent of the agency, and strengthening investigations and protections against retaliation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The state must confront the persistent failure of its own employees to prevent and address sexual abuse at these facilities and the systemic breakdowns that have permitted these conditions to persist,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California said in a statement. “This report should serve as a turning point.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-60-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090741\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-60-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-60-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-60-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An officer speaks with an incarcerated woman in a wheelchair at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) prison in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026, the largest women’s correctional facility in the state. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CDCR said in a statement the agency looks forward to working with the DOJ “regarding their recommendations.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The DOJ also called for penalties, including possible termination, for staff who improperly share information about grievances, and meaningful consequences for staff found to have retaliated against people who report sexual abuse.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The department said the U.S. attorney general could sue the state in 49 days if California fails to act.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Antoinette Yancey, who is incarcerated at Central California Women’s Facility, said she hopes the federal findings lead to real accountability.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Some of us are in here for far less than what has been done to us, doing life sentences and decades’ worth of time, while we’re also being preyed upon,” Yancey said. “And it’s just not fair.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This reporting was possible in part by funding from the Poynter Institute.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Justice Department \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-civil-rights-investigation-correctional-staff-sexual-abuse-two\">began\u003c/a> investigating the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla and the California Institution for Women in Chino nearly two years ago after hundreds of incarcerated women \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12003230/feds-investigate-california-prisons-where-women-say-culture-of-impunity-surrounded-abuse\">filed legal claims\u003c/a> alleging sexual exploitation by staff and an officer was \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/news/2022/12/28/cdcr-refers-internal-investigation-into-former-correctional-officer-to-district-attorney-for-charges-of-sexual-misconduct-of-incarcerated-women/\">arrested\u003c/a> for sexually abusing at least 22 women. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“None of this should be surprising to CDCR [California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation], none of it should be surprising to the Legislature,” said Amika Mota, executive director of the prison advocacy organization Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition. Survivors have spent years speaking out at “hearings, in town halls, in reports,” she said, trying to get officials to address sexual abuse by prison staff.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>State prison officials say they have a zero-tolerance policy for sexual assault by staff, and that they have taken steps to improve reporting options and expand the use of cameras. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Young said those reforms have not fixed the underlying problems. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Women were not being protected,” Young said in an interview with KQED. “It was the cycle that’s continuing to happen.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At the prison in Chowchilla, federal investigators found blind spots around its Plant Operations area and in prison kitchens. Women at both prisons told investigators that kitchen storage rooms without cameras are known as “sugar rooms,” because sugar is stored there and because sexual activity can occur there without detection. Investigators also found abandoned buildings where abuse had occurred.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-23-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090738\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-23-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-23-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-23-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Officers lead an incarcerated woman through a Receiving and Release (R&R) yard at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026. The prison is the largest women’s correctional facility in California, and the R&R yard is used to process incarcerated people entering and leaving the facility.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-23-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090738\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Officers lead an incarcerated woman through a Receiving and Release (R&R) yard at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026. The prison is the largest women’s correctional facility in California, and the R&R yard is used to process incarcerated people entering and leaving the facility.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Things like that were extremely concerning,” Young said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The report also found correctional officers failed to properly use body-worn cameras, at times turning them off in violation of prison policy. The report pointed out that only correctional officers are required to wear body cameras, despite confirmed cases of sexual misconduct by other staff, including a cook, mental health counselor and work-program staff.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The report also found correctional officers failed to properly use body-worn cameras, at times turning them off in violation of prison policy. The report pointed out that only correctional officers are required to wear body cameras, despite confirmed cases of sexual misconduct by other staff, including a cook, mental health counselor and work-program staff.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The report details several cases where the state confirmed allegations of sexual assault.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Former correctional officer Gregory Rodriguez was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022075/former-guard-california-womens-prison-found-guilty-59-counts-sexual-abuse\">accused of sexually abusing\u003c/a> dozens of women at CCWF over a decade. California’s corrections department substantiated allegations that he engaged in sexual acts with 21 incarcerated women. Federal investigators said they became aware of more than 65 alleged victims of Rodriguez.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Former correctional officer Gregory Rodriguez was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022075/former-guard-california-womens-prison-found-guilty-59-counts-sexual-abuse\">accused of sexually abusing\u003c/a> dozens of women at CCWF over a decade. California’s corrections department substantiated allegations that he engaged in sexual acts with 21 incarcerated women. Federal investigators said they became aware of more than 65 alleged victims of Rodriguez.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some women reported that Rodriguez assaulted them in a parole hearing room that did not have cameras. In 2023, the Madera County district attorney charged Rodriguez with 97 criminal counts involving 13 women. He was convicted last year on 64 counts and sentenced to 224 years in prison.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Some women reported that Rodriguez assaulted them in a parole hearing room that did not have cameras. In 2023, the Madera County district attorney charged Rodriguez with 97 criminal counts involving 13 women. He was convicted last year on 64 counts and sentenced to 224 years in prison.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At the California Institution for Women, the report points to cases dating back more than a decade, including correctional officers who were convicted or disciplined for sexually abusing incarcerated women.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The hundreds of allegations reviewed by federal investigators likely capture only a portion of the abuse, according to Mota. While she said reporting increased in recent years as more survivors began speaking out, many cases still go unreported for fear of retaliation.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The hundreds of allegations reviewed by federal investigators likely capture only a portion of the abuse, according to Mota. While she said reporting increased in recent years as more survivors began speaking out, many cases still go unreported for fear of retaliation.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-73-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090742\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-73-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-73-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-73-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Officers escort an incarcerated woman through a yard at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) prison in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026, the largest women’s correctional facility in the state.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-73-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090742\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Officers escort an incarcerated woman through a yard at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) prison in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026, the largest women’s correctional facility in the state.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The report underscored those fears, finding that the system meant to allow incarcerated women to report sexual assault was not truly confidential. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Written grievances, known as 602s, are scanned into an online system accessible to staff at the prisons. In one case, CDCR found that an officer improperly accessed the files of 11 incarcerated women. Nine had accused him of sexual misconduct.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Written grievances, known as 602s, are scanned into an online system accessible to staff at the prisons. In one case, CDCR found that an officer improperly accessed the files of 11 incarcerated women. Nine had accused him of sexual misconduct.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Women described officers issuing disciplinary violations, searching their cells, taking their property and restricting privileges after complaints were made. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Women described officers issuing disciplinary violations, searching their cells, taking their property and restricting privileges after complaints were made. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some women said they waited until they were released, transferred to another prison or retained an attorney before reporting alleged abuse. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The federal report also concluded that an August 2024 mass \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12004368/like-a-war-zone-prison-officers-used-unprecedented-force-in-august-attack-incarcerated-women-say\">use-of-force incident\u003c/a> at CCWF was retaliation for women reporting staff sexual abuse. Young said DOJ investigators spent significant time interviewing women and reviewing files related to the incident, which resulted in injuries ranging from seizures to blindness. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The federal report also concluded that an August 2024 mass \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12004368/like-a-war-zone-prison-officers-used-unprecedented-force-in-august-attack-incarcerated-women-say\">use-of-force incident\u003c/a> at CCWF was retaliation for women reporting staff sexual abuse. Young said DOJ investigators spent significant time interviewing women and reviewing files related to the incident, which resulted in injuries ranging from seizures to blindness. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>CDCR reached a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077737/california-agrees-to-1-9m-settlement-in-prison-use-of-force-case\">$1.9 million settlement \u003c/a>in April with 13 women injured during the incident. Its investigators imposed termination, retraining and other corrective actions after concluding that 41 employees violated department policy.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>CDCR reached a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077737/california-agrees-to-1-9m-settlement-in-prison-use-of-force-case\">$1.9 million settlement \u003c/a>in April with 13 women injured during the incident. Its investigators imposed termination, retraining and other corrective actions after concluding that 41 employees violated department policy.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Federal investigators found cases in which potential DNA evidence wasn’t tested, accused staff or witnesses weren’t interviewed, and investigations stretched on for months or even years. In one case, the investigation took so long that CDCR missed its one-year deadline to discipline the officer. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Federal investigators found cases in which potential DNA evidence wasn’t tested, accused staff or witnesses weren’t interviewed, and investigations stretched on for months or even years. In one case, the investigation took so long that CDCR missed its one-year deadline to discipline the officer. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-22-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090737\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-22-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-22-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-22-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Receiving and Release (R&R) yard at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026. The prison is the largest women’s correctional facility in California, and the R&R yard is used to process incarcerated people entering and leaving the facility.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-22-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090737\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Receiving and Release (R&R) yard at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026. The prison is the largest women’s correctional facility in California, and the R&R yard is used to process incarcerated people entering and leaving the facility.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And the state’s Office of the Inspector General of prisons found that 86% of CDCR disciplinary and criminal investigations reviewed during the first half of 2025 were either “inadequate” or “needs improvement,” according to the report. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And the state’s Office of the Inspector General of prisons found that 86% of CDCR disciplinary and criminal investigations reviewed during the first half of 2025 were either “inadequate” or “needs improvement,” according to the report. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Young said investigators found that, even when women made credible allegations of sexual abuse, investigations could stall for over a year and sometimes ended without substantiation of the allegations, even when parts of their accounts were corroborated.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Young said investigators found that, even when women made credible allegations of sexual abuse, investigations could stall for over a year and sometimes ended without substantiation of the allegations, even when parts of their accounts were corroborated.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a written statement, CDCR said it takes “every allegation seriously” and “remains dedicated to ensuring accountability, strengthening protections, and maintaining institutions that ensure the personal safety of all individuals.” The department also cited audits under the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, which found both prisons met all 45 standards evaluated.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In a written statement, CDCR said it takes “every allegation seriously” and “remains dedicated to ensuring accountability, strengthening protections, and maintaining institutions that ensure the personal safety of all individuals.” The department also cited audits under the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, which found both prisons met all 45 standards evaluated.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Justice Department is requiring California to better protect prisoners from staff sexual abuse by expanding camera coverage, requiring broader use of body-worn cameras, establishing confidential reporting options independent of the agency, and strengthening investigations and protections against retaliation.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Justice Department is requiring California to better protect prisoners from staff sexual abuse by expanding camera coverage, requiring broader use of body-worn cameras, establishing confidential reporting options independent of the agency, and strengthening investigations and protections against retaliation.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The state must confront the persistent failure of its own employees to prevent and address sexual abuse at these facilities and the systemic breakdowns that have permitted these conditions to persist,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California said in a statement. “This report should serve as a turning point.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The state must confront the persistent failure of its own employees to prevent and address sexual abuse at these facilities and the systemic breakdowns that have permitted these conditions to persist,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California said in a statement. “This report should serve as a turning point.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-60-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090741\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-60-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-60-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-60-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An officer speaks with an incarcerated woman in a wheelchair at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) prison in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026, the largest women’s correctional facility in the state.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>CDCR said in a statement the agency looks forward to working with the DOJ “regarding their recommendations.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The DOJ also called for penalties, including possible termination, for staff who improperly share information about grievances, and meaningful consequences for staff found to have retaliated against people who report sexual abuse.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The DOJ also called for penalties, including possible termination, for staff who improperly share information about grievances, and meaningful consequences for staff found to have retaliated against people who report sexual abuse.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The department said the U.S. attorney general could sue the state in 49 days if California fails to act.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Antoinette Yancey, who is incarcerated at Central California Women’s Facility, said she hopes the federal findings lead to real accountability.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Antoinette Yancey, who is incarcerated at Central California Women’s Facility, said she hopes the federal findings lead to real accountability.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Some of us are in here for far less than what has been done to us, doing life sentences and decades’ worth of time, while we’re also being preyed upon,” Yancey said. “And it’s just not fair.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Some of us are in here for far less than what has been done to us, doing life sentences and decades’ worth of time, while we’re also being preyed upon,” Yancey said. “And it’s just not fair.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This reporting was possible in part by funding from the Poynter Institute.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A two-year federal investigation found decades of staff sexual abuse against incarcerated women at the state’s correctional facilities.",
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"title": "US DOJ Finds ‘Unbroken Pattern’ of Sexual Abuse by California Prison Staff | KQED",
"description": "A two-year federal investigation found decades of staff sexual abuse against incarcerated women at the state’s correctional facilities.",
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"headline": "US DOJ Finds ‘Unbroken Pattern’ of Sexual Abuse by California Prison Staff",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079668/i-thought-i-was-going-to-die-video-shows-mass-force-at-california-womens-prison\">California prison officials\u003c/a> have failed to protect incarcerated women from sexual abuse and harassment by staff for years, the U.S. Department of Justice \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-finds-california-womens-prisons-violate-constitution-failing-protect\">said\u003c/a> in a new report.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Justice Department \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-civil-rights-investigation-correctional-staff-sexual-abuse-two\">began\u003c/a> investigating the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla and the California Institution for Women in Chino nearly two years ago after hundreds of incarcerated women \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12003230/feds-investigate-california-prisons-where-women-say-culture-of-impunity-surrounded-abuse\">filed legal claims\u003c/a> alleging sexual exploitation by staff and an officer was \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/news/2022/12/28/cdcr-refers-internal-investigation-into-former-correctional-officer-to-district-attorney-for-charges-of-sexual-misconduct-of-incarcerated-women/\">arrested\u003c/a> for sexually abusing at least 22 women. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The department reviewed 350 allegations of sexual misconduct, interviewed prisoners and looked at body-worn camera footage. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-31-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090739\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-31-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-31-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-31-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Receiving and Release (R&R) yard at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026. The prison is the largest women’s correctional facility in California, and the R&R yard is used to process incarcerated people entering and leaving the facility. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1457771/dl\">report\u003c/a> released Thursday, investigators said they found an “unbroken pattern” of staff sexual assault dating back over 20 years at California’s two women’s prisons. The department concluded that prison officials knew women faced a substantial risk of sexual abuse but failed to adequately protect them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Investigators pointed to gaps in surveillance camera coverage, a lack of confidential reporting options, inadequate investigations and failures to hold staff accountable — systemic problems the DOJ said amount to “deliberate indifference” and violate incarcerated women’s constitutional rights.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“None of this should be surprising to CDCR [California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation], none of it should be surprising to the Legislature,” said Amika Mota, executive director of the prison advocacy organization Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition. Survivors have spent years speaking out at “hearings, in town halls, in reports,” she said, trying to get officials to address sexual abuse by prison staff.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>State prison officials say they have a zero-tolerance policy for sexual assault by staff, and that they have taken steps to improve reporting options and expand the use of cameras. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Young said those reforms have not fixed the underlying problems. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Women were not being protected,” Young said in an interview with KQED. “It was the cycle that’s continuing to happen.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the prison in Chowchilla, federal investigators found blind spots around its Plant Operations area and in prison kitchens. Women at both prisons told investigators that kitchen storage rooms without cameras are known as “sugar rooms,” because sugar is stored there and because sexual activity can occur there without detection. Investigators also found abandoned buildings where abuse had occurred.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-23-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090738\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-23-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-23-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-23-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Officers lead an incarcerated woman through a Receiving and Release (R&R) yard at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026. The prison is the largest women’s correctional facility in California, and the R&R yard is used to process incarcerated people entering and leaving the facility. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Things like that were extremely concerning,” Young said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The report also found correctional officers failed to properly use body-worn cameras, at times turning them off in violation of prison policy. The report pointed out that only correctional officers are required to wear body cameras, despite confirmed cases of sexual misconduct by other staff, including a cook, mental health counselor and work-program staff.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The report details several cases where the state confirmed allegations of sexual assault.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Former correctional officer Gregory Rodriguez was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022075/former-guard-california-womens-prison-found-guilty-59-counts-sexual-abuse\">accused of sexually abusing\u003c/a> dozens of women at CCWF over a decade. California’s corrections department substantiated allegations that he engaged in sexual acts with 21 incarcerated women. Federal investigators said they became aware of more than 65 alleged victims of Rodriguez.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some women reported that Rodriguez assaulted them in a parole hearing room that did not have cameras. In 2023, the Madera County district attorney charged Rodriguez with 97 criminal counts involving 13 women. He was convicted last year on 64 counts and sentenced to 224 years in prison.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the California Institution for Women, the report points to cases dating back more than a decade, including correctional officers who were convicted or disciplined for sexually abusing incarcerated women.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The hundreds of allegations reviewed by federal investigators likely capture only a portion of the abuse, according to Mota. While she said reporting increased in recent years as more survivors began speaking out, many cases still go unreported for fear of retaliation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-73-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090742\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-73-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-73-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-73-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Officers escort an incarcerated woman through a yard at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) prison in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026, the largest women’s correctional facility in the state. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The report underscored those fears, finding that the system meant to allow incarcerated women to report sexual assault was not truly confidential. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Written grievances, known as 602s, are scanned into an online system accessible to staff at the prisons. In one case, CDCR found that an officer improperly accessed the files of 11 incarcerated women. Nine had accused him of sexual misconduct.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Women described officers issuing disciplinary violations, searching their cells, taking their property and restricting privileges after complaints were made. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some women said they waited until they were released, transferred to another prison or retained an attorney before reporting alleged abuse. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The federal report also concluded that an August 2024 mass \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12004368/like-a-war-zone-prison-officers-used-unprecedented-force-in-august-attack-incarcerated-women-say\">use-of-force incident\u003c/a> at CCWF was retaliation for women reporting staff sexual abuse. Young said DOJ investigators spent significant time interviewing women and reviewing files related to the incident, which resulted in injuries ranging from seizures to blindness. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CDCR reached a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077737/california-agrees-to-1-9m-settlement-in-prison-use-of-force-case\">$1.9 million settlement \u003c/a>in April with 13 women injured during the incident. Its investigators imposed termination, retraining and other corrective actions after concluding that 41 employees violated department policy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Federal investigators found cases in which potential DNA evidence wasn’t tested, accused staff or witnesses weren’t interviewed, and investigations stretched on for months or even years. In one case, the investigation took so long that CDCR missed its one-year deadline to discipline the officer. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-22-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090737\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-22-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-22-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-22-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Receiving and Release (R&R) yard at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026. The prison is the largest women’s correctional facility in California, and the R&R yard is used to process incarcerated people entering and leaving the facility. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And the state’s Office of the Inspector General of prisons found that 86% of CDCR disciplinary and criminal investigations reviewed during the first half of 2025 were either “inadequate” or “needs improvement,” according to the report. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Young said investigators found that, even when women made credible allegations of sexual abuse, investigations could stall for over a year and sometimes ended without substantiation of the allegations, even when parts of their accounts were corroborated.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a written statement, CDCR said it takes “every allegation seriously” and “remains dedicated to ensuring accountability, strengthening protections, and maintaining institutions that ensure the personal safety of all individuals.” The department also cited audits under the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, which found both prisons met all 45 standards evaluated.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Justice Department is requiring California to better protect prisoners from staff sexual abuse by expanding camera coverage, requiring broader use of body-worn cameras, establishing confidential reporting options independent of the agency, and strengthening investigations and protections against retaliation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The state must confront the persistent failure of its own employees to prevent and address sexual abuse at these facilities and the systemic breakdowns that have permitted these conditions to persist,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California said in a statement. “This report should serve as a turning point.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-60-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090741\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-60-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-60-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-60-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An officer speaks with an incarcerated woman in a wheelchair at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) prison in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026, the largest women’s correctional facility in the state. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CDCR said in a statement the agency looks forward to working with the DOJ “regarding their recommendations.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The DOJ also called for penalties, including possible termination, for staff who improperly share information about grievances, and meaningful consequences for staff found to have retaliated against people who report sexual abuse.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The department said the U.S. attorney general could sue the state in 49 days if California fails to act.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Antoinette Yancey, who is incarcerated at Central California Women’s Facility, said she hopes the federal findings lead to real accountability.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Some of us are in here for far less than what has been done to us, doing life sentences and decades’ worth of time, while we’re also being preyed upon,” Yancey said. “And it’s just not fair.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This reporting was possible in part by funding from the Poynter Institute.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "family-of-toddler-who-died-in-foster-care-files-claim-against-santa-clara-county",
"title": "Family of Toddler Who Died in Foster Care Files Claim Against Santa Clara County",
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"headTitle": "Family of Toddler Who Died in Foster Care Files Claim Against Santa Clara County | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>The family of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/south-bay\">South Bay\u003c/a> toddler who \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080197/south-bay-toddler-dies-in-foster-care-after-alleged-sexual-assault\">died\u003c/a> after allegedly being abused in foster care has filed a wrongful death claim against Santa Clara County and the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attorneys for Albert and Elva Juarez, the father and maternal grandmother of 2-year-old Jaxon Juarez, filed the identical claims on Tuesday against both the county’s Department of Family and Children’s Services and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081114/state-oversight-expanded-for-child-welfare-agency-after-toddler-death\">California Department of Social Services\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The claims allege “Jaxon’s wrongful death is the direct result of the negligent and reckless actions and omissions” of the two agencies that placed him in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080399/south-bay-toddler-placed-with-woman-convicted-of-child-endangerment-before-death\">care of a relative\u003c/a> who had a “known or discoverable history of abuse and neglect, including a prior conviction of child endangerment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jaxon, a special needs child whose mother died last year from alcohol abuse and whose father faced chronic medical conditions, was placed by the county agency into the care of Bridget Michelle Martinez, a relative of his father’s, in late February.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Martinez was convicted in 2014 of felony child endangerment tied to a DUI when her own 1-year-old child was in the car with her. That conviction should have barred social workers from placing Jaxon in her care, even in an emergency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, a social worker, their supervisor, division manager and bureau manager all signed off on a report certifying that Martinez had not been convicted of such a disqualifying crime, according to internal documents released by the county in response to a records request from KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080419\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12080419\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-Jaxon-Folo-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-Jaxon-Folo-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-Jaxon-Folo-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-Jaxon-Folo-04-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jaxon, a 2-year-old South Bay boy who died while in Santa Clara County’s foster care system after allegedly being sexually assaulted, is seen in this photo provided by his aunt. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Riley Wallace)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The county is in the process of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12089481/santa-clara-county-plans-to-fire-social-workers-after-foster-care-toddler-death\">firing four workers\u003c/a> from the agency in connection with the case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jaxon died in a hospital on April 9 after authorities said he was repeatedly sexually and physically assaulted by Martinez’s 17-year-old son. The son, who has since turned 18, is currently facing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080584/san-jose-teen-charged-with-murder-of-2-year-old-cousin\">murder\u003c/a> and assault charges in juvenile court but could ultimately be transferred to adult court.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county and state “either failed to conduct the required background check of Martinez and others in the Martinez home, or did conduct the required background checks and, despite Martinez’s felony conviction for child endangerment and other known/knowable risks of abuse to Jaxon, elected to place Jaxon in the Martinez’s home nonetheless,” the claims said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for CDSS said the department does not comment on litigation. The county said it is “reviewing the claim and will process it within the timelines provided by law.”[aside postID=news_12089481 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SCCDAANNOUNCEMENT-20-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg']The claims seek unspecified monetary damages. Under California law, the county and state each have 45 days to review the claims and decide whether to try to settle or to reject them. If the claims are rejected, the family would have six months to file a lawsuit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The claims also say the county failed to “investigate and intervene after alarming reports indicated that Jaxon was being abused,” including “suspicious redness on Jaxon’s bottom during a diaper change as well as a red line on his neck at a supervised visit,” which were flagged with a social worker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In early April, just days before his hospitalization, a doctor at a clinic reported suspected abuse of Jaxon to the county’s Child Abuse Neglect Center hotline, prompting a doctor to request that Jaxon be seen for an evaluation as soon as possible, the claims said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Instead, an emergency response social worker, who was called out to assess signs of possible physical abuse, marked Jaxon as ‘safe’ despite his not being evaluated by the Child Advocacy Center,” the claims said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county’s Department of Family and Children’s Services was previously placed under the oversight of the California Department of Social Services, following the deaths of two other children in foster care in 2023, including the fentanyl poisoning of 3-month-old Phoenix Castro and the stabbing death of 6-year-old Jordan Walker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080615\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12080615\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SCCDAANNOUNCEMENT-17-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SCCDAANNOUNCEMENT-17-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SCCDAANNOUNCEMENT-17-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SCCDAANNOUNCEMENT-17-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Evangeline Dominguez-Estrada (center) listens to District Attorney Jeff Rosen speak outside the Santa Clara County Juvenile Court in San José on April 20, 2026, where prosecutors announced charges against a San José teen accused of killing his 2-year-old foster brother, Jaxon Juarez. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The oversight included a corrective action plan and a series of improvements and policy changes that needed to be made and logged, with a goal of improving safety for children in the care of the foster system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state “failed to protect Jaxon from known risk of abuse and failed to adequately oversee DFCS with respect to its placement and supervision of Jaxon in the Martinez home,” the claims said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The claims say the state “unquestionably failed to execute its mandatory regulatory oversight” and “effectively dismantled the systemic safeguards that were required to protect vulnerable youth, resulting in a failure to prevent the tragic loss of Jaxon.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The father and grandmother of a toddler who died while in foster care filed a claim against Santa Clara County and the state.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The family of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/south-bay\">South Bay\u003c/a> toddler who \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080197/south-bay-toddler-dies-in-foster-care-after-alleged-sexual-assault\">died\u003c/a> after allegedly being abused in foster care has filed a wrongful death claim against Santa Clara County and the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attorneys for Albert and Elva Juarez, the father and maternal grandmother of 2-year-old Jaxon Juarez, filed the identical claims on Tuesday against both the county’s Department of Family and Children’s Services and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081114/state-oversight-expanded-for-child-welfare-agency-after-toddler-death\">California Department of Social Services\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The claims allege “Jaxon’s wrongful death is the direct result of the negligent and reckless actions and omissions” of the two agencies that placed him in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080399/south-bay-toddler-placed-with-woman-convicted-of-child-endangerment-before-death\">care of a relative\u003c/a> who had a “known or discoverable history of abuse and neglect, including a prior conviction of child endangerment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jaxon, a special needs child whose mother died last year from alcohol abuse and whose father faced chronic medical conditions, was placed by the county agency into the care of Bridget Michelle Martinez, a relative of his father’s, in late February.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Martinez was convicted in 2014 of felony child endangerment tied to a DUI when her own 1-year-old child was in the car with her. That conviction should have barred social workers from placing Jaxon in her care, even in an emergency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, a social worker, their supervisor, division manager and bureau manager all signed off on a report certifying that Martinez had not been convicted of such a disqualifying crime, according to internal documents released by the county in response to a records request from KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080419\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12080419\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-Jaxon-Folo-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-Jaxon-Folo-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-Jaxon-Folo-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-Jaxon-Folo-04-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jaxon, a 2-year-old South Bay boy who died while in Santa Clara County’s foster care system after allegedly being sexually assaulted, is seen in this photo provided by his aunt. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Riley Wallace)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The county is in the process of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12089481/santa-clara-county-plans-to-fire-social-workers-after-foster-care-toddler-death\">firing four workers\u003c/a> from the agency in connection with the case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jaxon died in a hospital on April 9 after authorities said he was repeatedly sexually and physically assaulted by Martinez’s 17-year-old son. The son, who has since turned 18, is currently facing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080584/san-jose-teen-charged-with-murder-of-2-year-old-cousin\">murder\u003c/a> and assault charges in juvenile court but could ultimately be transferred to adult court.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county and state “either failed to conduct the required background check of Martinez and others in the Martinez home, or did conduct the required background checks and, despite Martinez’s felony conviction for child endangerment and other known/knowable risks of abuse to Jaxon, elected to place Jaxon in the Martinez’s home nonetheless,” the claims said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for CDSS said the department does not comment on litigation. The county said it is “reviewing the claim and will process it within the timelines provided by law.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The claims seek unspecified monetary damages. Under California law, the county and state each have 45 days to review the claims and decide whether to try to settle or to reject them. If the claims are rejected, the family would have six months to file a lawsuit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The claims also say the county failed to “investigate and intervene after alarming reports indicated that Jaxon was being abused,” including “suspicious redness on Jaxon’s bottom during a diaper change as well as a red line on his neck at a supervised visit,” which were flagged with a social worker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In early April, just days before his hospitalization, a doctor at a clinic reported suspected abuse of Jaxon to the county’s Child Abuse Neglect Center hotline, prompting a doctor to request that Jaxon be seen for an evaluation as soon as possible, the claims said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Instead, an emergency response social worker, who was called out to assess signs of possible physical abuse, marked Jaxon as ‘safe’ despite his not being evaluated by the Child Advocacy Center,” the claims said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county’s Department of Family and Children’s Services was previously placed under the oversight of the California Department of Social Services, following the deaths of two other children in foster care in 2023, including the fentanyl poisoning of 3-month-old Phoenix Castro and the stabbing death of 6-year-old Jordan Walker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080615\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12080615\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SCCDAANNOUNCEMENT-17-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SCCDAANNOUNCEMENT-17-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SCCDAANNOUNCEMENT-17-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SCCDAANNOUNCEMENT-17-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Evangeline Dominguez-Estrada (center) listens to District Attorney Jeff Rosen speak outside the Santa Clara County Juvenile Court in San José on April 20, 2026, where prosecutors announced charges against a San José teen accused of killing his 2-year-old foster brother, Jaxon Juarez. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The oversight included a corrective action plan and a series of improvements and policy changes that needed to be made and logged, with a goal of improving safety for children in the care of the foster system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state “failed to protect Jaxon from known risk of abuse and failed to adequately oversee DFCS with respect to its placement and supervision of Jaxon in the Martinez home,” the claims said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The claims say the state “unquestionably failed to execute its mandatory regulatory oversight” and “effectively dismantled the systemic safeguards that were required to protect vulnerable youth, resulting in a failure to prevent the tragic loss of Jaxon.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Santa Clara County Plans to Fire Social Workers After Foster Care Toddler Death",
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"content": "\u003cp>Santa Clara County is planning to fire four social workers in connection with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080197/south-bay-toddler-dies-in-foster-care-after-alleged-sexual-assault\">tragic death\u003c/a> of a 2-year-old in the foster care system. Three others have already stepped down, officials said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wendy Kinnear-Rausch, the director of the county’s Department of Family and Children’s Services, issued a memo to staff on Tuesday about the planned terminations and staff departures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The announcement comes amid an ongoing, monthslong investigation into the case of Jaxon Juarez, a toddler who died in April while in the care of a relative who the department approved to serve as his foster parent despite a past \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080399/south-bay-toddler-placed-with-woman-convicted-of-child-endangerment-before-death\">child endangerment\u003c/a> conviction that should have disqualified her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Twelve DFCS staff members were placed on paid administrative leave while the investigations proceeded,” Kinnear-Rausch said in the memo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Based on the findings of the investigations to date, four staff members have been recommended to be terminated from county employment, four have been cleared of any wrongdoing that would merit any discipline at this time and will be returning to work, three staff members have retired or resigned from county service, and one remains on paid administrative leave pending further investigation,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jaxon, a special needs child, was placed by the county agency into the care of Bridget Michelle Martinez, a relative of his father’s, in late February.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080614\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12080614\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SCCDAANNOUNCEMENT-09-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SCCDAANNOUNCEMENT-09-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SCCDAANNOUNCEMENT-09-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SCCDAANNOUNCEMENT-09-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">District Attorney Jeff Rosen speaks outside the Santa Clara County Juvenile Court in San José on April 20, 2026, where prosecutors announced charges against a San José teen accused of killing his 2-year-old foster brother, Jaxon Juarez. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He died on April 9 after authorities said he was repeatedly sexually and physically assaulted by Martinez’s 17-year-old son. The son, who has since turned 18, is currently facing murder and assault charges in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080584/san-jose-teen-charged-with-murder-of-2-year-old-cousin\">juvenile court\u003c/a> but could ultimately be transferred to adult court.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Martinez was convicted in 2014 of felony child endangerment tied to a DUI in 2014, when her own 1-year-old child was in the car with her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such a conviction is supposed to bar child welfare workers from placing a child in Martinez’s care, even in an emergency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In approving Martinez as the caregiver for Jaxon, a social worker, their supervisor, division manager and bureau manager all signed off on a report certifying that Martinez had not been convicted of a “non-exemptible crime,” according to internal documents released by the county in response to a records request from KQED.[aside postID=news_12081114 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SCCDAANNOUNCEMENT-23-BL-KQED.jpg']In the same document, Martinez was required to make a statement about her criminal record. Next to a question asking if she was “ever arrested for a crime against a child,” she checked the “No” box. On the same page, in an area where prospective caregivers are required to share details about their criminal convictions, she wrote that she had a “DUI in 2014 with kid being in car.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The social worker drafting a justification report about Martinez to allow the placement of Jaxon appears to have left out any mention of the 2014 DUI, but does mention a 2019 DUI in another county. She notes Martinez has attended past DUI programming and was sober for five years at the time, according to the documents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement emailed to KQED on Tuesday, Kinnear-Rausch called Jaxon’s death a “heartbreaking tragedy,” and said the four workers up for termination were “involved in placing Jaxon in the home where he experienced abuse.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, she didn’t specify which employees or their job titles, nor what the county is alleging as the specific grounds for their firing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our investigation remains ongoing, including with respect to other aspects of how his case was handled,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county’s child welfare department was previously placed under state oversight after the deaths of two other children in foster care in 2023, including the fentanyl poisoning of 3-month-old Phoenix Castro and the stabbing death of 6-year-old Jordan Walker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080615\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12080615\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SCCDAANNOUNCEMENT-17-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SCCDAANNOUNCEMENT-17-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SCCDAANNOUNCEMENT-17-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SCCDAANNOUNCEMENT-17-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Evangeline Dominguez-Estrada (center) listens to District Attorney Jeff Rosen speak outside the Santa Clara County Juvenile Court in San José on April 20, 2026, where prosecutors announced charges against a San José teen accused of killing his 2-year-old foster brother, Jaxon Juarez. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In late April, the county announced the California Department of Social Services would work with the county to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081114/state-oversight-expanded-for-child-welfare-agency-after-toddler-death\">“extend and update”\u003c/a> that oversight agreement, in light of Jaxon’s death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county department also pledged to strengthen guardrails around where children can be placed, even in emergencies, requiring dedicated staff to approve such placements, and child welfare or criminal record histories will need to be signed off on by executives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are committed to supporting our DFCS staff as they work every day to improve these systems and keep children across our county as safe as possible,” Kinnear-Rausch said in the statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In recent years, and in response to the tragic deaths of children in the foster system in the county, some local leaders, including County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas, have expressed concerns that the county’s child welfare system has put too much emphasis on keeping children with their families over the needs of their overall safety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, unionized social workers at the agency have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022256/santa-clara-county-social-workers-demand-more-staffing-support-in-troubled-agency\">raised alarms\u003c/a> about overwhelm, chronic understaffing, unsustainable caseloads and burnout, which they say ultimately jeopardize the safety of children in the county’s systems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Santa Clara County is planning to fire four social workers in connection with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080197/south-bay-toddler-dies-in-foster-care-after-alleged-sexual-assault\">tragic death\u003c/a> of a 2-year-old in the foster care system. Three others have already stepped down, officials said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wendy Kinnear-Rausch, the director of the county’s Department of Family and Children’s Services, issued a memo to staff on Tuesday about the planned terminations and staff departures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The announcement comes amid an ongoing, monthslong investigation into the case of Jaxon Juarez, a toddler who died in April while in the care of a relative who the department approved to serve as his foster parent despite a past \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080399/south-bay-toddler-placed-with-woman-convicted-of-child-endangerment-before-death\">child endangerment\u003c/a> conviction that should have disqualified her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Twelve DFCS staff members were placed on paid administrative leave while the investigations proceeded,” Kinnear-Rausch said in the memo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Based on the findings of the investigations to date, four staff members have been recommended to be terminated from county employment, four have been cleared of any wrongdoing that would merit any discipline at this time and will be returning to work, three staff members have retired or resigned from county service, and one remains on paid administrative leave pending further investigation,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jaxon, a special needs child, was placed by the county agency into the care of Bridget Michelle Martinez, a relative of his father’s, in late February.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080614\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12080614\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SCCDAANNOUNCEMENT-09-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SCCDAANNOUNCEMENT-09-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SCCDAANNOUNCEMENT-09-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SCCDAANNOUNCEMENT-09-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">District Attorney Jeff Rosen speaks outside the Santa Clara County Juvenile Court in San José on April 20, 2026, where prosecutors announced charges against a San José teen accused of killing his 2-year-old foster brother, Jaxon Juarez. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He died on April 9 after authorities said he was repeatedly sexually and physically assaulted by Martinez’s 17-year-old son. The son, who has since turned 18, is currently facing murder and assault charges in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080584/san-jose-teen-charged-with-murder-of-2-year-old-cousin\">juvenile court\u003c/a> but could ultimately be transferred to adult court.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Martinez was convicted in 2014 of felony child endangerment tied to a DUI in 2014, when her own 1-year-old child was in the car with her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such a conviction is supposed to bar child welfare workers from placing a child in Martinez’s care, even in an emergency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In approving Martinez as the caregiver for Jaxon, a social worker, their supervisor, division manager and bureau manager all signed off on a report certifying that Martinez had not been convicted of a “non-exemptible crime,” according to internal documents released by the county in response to a records request from KQED.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In the same document, Martinez was required to make a statement about her criminal record. Next to a question asking if she was “ever arrested for a crime against a child,” she checked the “No” box. On the same page, in an area where prospective caregivers are required to share details about their criminal convictions, she wrote that she had a “DUI in 2014 with kid being in car.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The social worker drafting a justification report about Martinez to allow the placement of Jaxon appears to have left out any mention of the 2014 DUI, but does mention a 2019 DUI in another county. She notes Martinez has attended past DUI programming and was sober for five years at the time, according to the documents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement emailed to KQED on Tuesday, Kinnear-Rausch called Jaxon’s death a “heartbreaking tragedy,” and said the four workers up for termination were “involved in placing Jaxon in the home where he experienced abuse.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, she didn’t specify which employees or their job titles, nor what the county is alleging as the specific grounds for their firing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our investigation remains ongoing, including with respect to other aspects of how his case was handled,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county’s child welfare department was previously placed under state oversight after the deaths of two other children in foster care in 2023, including the fentanyl poisoning of 3-month-old Phoenix Castro and the stabbing death of 6-year-old Jordan Walker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080615\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12080615\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SCCDAANNOUNCEMENT-17-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SCCDAANNOUNCEMENT-17-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SCCDAANNOUNCEMENT-17-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SCCDAANNOUNCEMENT-17-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Evangeline Dominguez-Estrada (center) listens to District Attorney Jeff Rosen speak outside the Santa Clara County Juvenile Court in San José on April 20, 2026, where prosecutors announced charges against a San José teen accused of killing his 2-year-old foster brother, Jaxon Juarez. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In late April, the county announced the California Department of Social Services would work with the county to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081114/state-oversight-expanded-for-child-welfare-agency-after-toddler-death\">“extend and update”\u003c/a> that oversight agreement, in light of Jaxon’s death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county department also pledged to strengthen guardrails around where children can be placed, even in emergencies, requiring dedicated staff to approve such placements, and child welfare or criminal record histories will need to be signed off on by executives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are committed to supporting our DFCS staff as they work every day to improve these systems and keep children across our county as safe as possible,” Kinnear-Rausch said in the statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In recent years, and in response to the tragic deaths of children in the foster system in the county, some local leaders, including County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas, have expressed concerns that the county’s child welfare system has put too much emphasis on keeping children with their families over the needs of their overall safety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, unionized social workers at the agency have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022256/santa-clara-county-social-workers-demand-more-staffing-support-in-troubled-agency\">raised alarms\u003c/a> about overwhelm, chronic understaffing, unsustainable caseloads and burnout, which they say ultimately jeopardize the safety of children in the county’s systems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Survivors of clergy sexual abuse reached a nearly $400 million settlement with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-archdiocese\">Archdiocese of San Francisco\u003c/a>, advocates announced Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agreement impacts approximately 530 people who have brought abuse claims against former or current members of the city’s Catholic clergy, and is among the largest per survivor settlement in a clerical bankruptcy to date, according to attorneys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a momentous shift in power. This is a true reckoning of accountability and required transparency,” Jeff Anderson, who represents about 200 of the victims, said during a press conference Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To all 500+ survivors that came forward, that stood up, that took action anonymously and or publicly, you have now brought them to bear and to do what needs to be done for kids in the future to [be] safer,” he continued\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thousands of survivors have brought lawsuits against California diocese, parishes and priests under a change in state law in 2019, which temporarily eliminated the statute of limitations for survivors of sexual assault to file claims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In August 2023, as cases against the Archdiocese were already headed toward jury trials, the organization \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958733/sf-archdiocese-files-for-bankruptcy\">filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy\u003c/a>, claiming that it did not have the financial means or ability to litigate individual abuse claims. In a statement, Archbishop of San Francisco Salvatore Cordileone said in a statement that the proposed settlement “provides a path toward fair compensation for survivors who have borne the weight of this abuse for a lifetime.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11958738\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11958738\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/GettyImages-1310855004-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone wears his robes in front of the altar, facing the faithful. At the altar there are many candles. Deacons stand behind Cordileone in prayer.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/GettyImages-1310855004-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/GettyImages-1310855004-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/GettyImages-1310855004-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/GettyImages-1310855004-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/GettyImages-1310855004-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/GettyImages-1310855004-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/GettyImages-1310855004-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone speaks during Easter Mass at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco on April 4, 2021. In a statement published on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023, Cordileone said that the Archdiocese ‘has neither the financial means nor the practical ability’ to litigate the hundreds of pending child abuse cases. \u003ccite>(Stephen Lam/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“With stringent preventative measures and training now in place for decades, the hope is that this proposal will allow us collectively to move forward by continuing the important ministries to the faithful and community members that rely on our services and charity,” he continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other Bay Area dioceses have filed similar claims, including Oakland, where a jury granted a man \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080965/jury-awards-16-million-to-man-abused-by-east-bay-priest-as-a-child\">$16 million in damages\u003c/a> this spring, closing the first of hundreds of cases tied up in bankruptcy proceedings there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the significant payout, the settlement demands systemic changes to the San Francisco Archdiocese’s policies to increase transparency and accountability. A 14-point plan for “systemic change, protecting children and empowering survivors,” requires new oversight measures, including amendments to whistleblower policy, adding a survivor of clerical abuse to the Archdiocese Independent Review Board and an anonymous online reporting form.[aside postID=news_12039337 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/20250508_POPEREAX_GC-4-KQED.jpg']It also releases survivors from any non-disclosure agreements they have been subject to and requires the archdiocese to publish a partial list of “credibly accused” offenders. Survivors and advocates have been calling for a full public account of clergy members who have been credibly abused for years, and until now, San Francisco has been the only diocese in the state that has not released such a list.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2023, Cordileone acknowledged that such a list exists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, San Francisco’s diocese publishes a list of priests and deacons who are in good standing — which has been updated to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12020370/sf-archdiocese-quietly-removed-two-priests-accused-of-abuse-from-public-list-attorneys-say\">remove multiple priests accused of abuse\u003c/a> without explanation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joelle Casteix, a clergy abuse survivor and advocate, said the settlement’s non-monetary demands are more far-reaching than previous agreements have been.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Hopefully, what this settlement will begin to provide is the beginning of multi-generational healing for the men and women who deserve it so greatly, and the children who could possibly still be at risk if these changes were not made,” she said Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11966005\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11966005\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/20231020-Archdiocese-Priests-022-JY-KQED.jpg\" alt='A building on a city street with the words \"Archdiocese of San Francisco\" written over the entrance.' width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/20231020-Archdiocese-Priests-022-JY-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/20231020-Archdiocese-Priests-022-JY-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/20231020-Archdiocese-Priests-022-JY-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/20231020-Archdiocese-Priests-022-JY-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/20231020-Archdiocese-Priests-022-JY-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/20231020-Archdiocese-Priests-022-JY-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Archdiocese of San Francisco is seen on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Nine survivors negotiated the settlement’s terms with Cordileone over the last three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Margie O’Driscoll, who said she was abused by a priest at Marin Catholic High School almost 50 years ago, described the process as “time consuming, emotionally fraught and a very difficult fight.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Every survivor has carried this pain and shame along like a ball and chain for a very, very long time. Victims in the case have carried this even longer than I have, for more than 70 years — ashamed and confused about what happened, scorned by the archdiocese and sometimes not even believed by family and friends,” she said. “I think today, shame is going to change sides.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Survivors of clergy sexual abuse reached a nearly $400 million settlement with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-archdiocese\">Archdiocese of San Francisco\u003c/a>, advocates announced Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agreement impacts approximately 530 people who have brought abuse claims against former or current members of the city’s Catholic clergy, and is among the largest per survivor settlement in a clerical bankruptcy to date, according to attorneys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a momentous shift in power. This is a true reckoning of accountability and required transparency,” Jeff Anderson, who represents about 200 of the victims, said during a press conference Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To all 500+ survivors that came forward, that stood up, that took action anonymously and or publicly, you have now brought them to bear and to do what needs to be done for kids in the future to [be] safer,” he continued\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thousands of survivors have brought lawsuits against California diocese, parishes and priests under a change in state law in 2019, which temporarily eliminated the statute of limitations for survivors of sexual assault to file claims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In August 2023, as cases against the Archdiocese were already headed toward jury trials, the organization \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958733/sf-archdiocese-files-for-bankruptcy\">filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy\u003c/a>, claiming that it did not have the financial means or ability to litigate individual abuse claims. In a statement, Archbishop of San Francisco Salvatore Cordileone said in a statement that the proposed settlement “provides a path toward fair compensation for survivors who have borne the weight of this abuse for a lifetime.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11958738\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11958738\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/GettyImages-1310855004-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone wears his robes in front of the altar, facing the faithful. At the altar there are many candles. Deacons stand behind Cordileone in prayer.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/GettyImages-1310855004-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/GettyImages-1310855004-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/GettyImages-1310855004-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/GettyImages-1310855004-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/GettyImages-1310855004-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/GettyImages-1310855004-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/GettyImages-1310855004-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone speaks during Easter Mass at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco on April 4, 2021. In a statement published on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023, Cordileone said that the Archdiocese ‘has neither the financial means nor the practical ability’ to litigate the hundreds of pending child abuse cases. \u003ccite>(Stephen Lam/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“With stringent preventative measures and training now in place for decades, the hope is that this proposal will allow us collectively to move forward by continuing the important ministries to the faithful and community members that rely on our services and charity,” he continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other Bay Area dioceses have filed similar claims, including Oakland, where a jury granted a man \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080965/jury-awards-16-million-to-man-abused-by-east-bay-priest-as-a-child\">$16 million in damages\u003c/a> this spring, closing the first of hundreds of cases tied up in bankruptcy proceedings there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the significant payout, the settlement demands systemic changes to the San Francisco Archdiocese’s policies to increase transparency and accountability. A 14-point plan for “systemic change, protecting children and empowering survivors,” requires new oversight measures, including amendments to whistleblower policy, adding a survivor of clerical abuse to the Archdiocese Independent Review Board and an anonymous online reporting form.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>It also releases survivors from any non-disclosure agreements they have been subject to and requires the archdiocese to publish a partial list of “credibly accused” offenders. Survivors and advocates have been calling for a full public account of clergy members who have been credibly abused for years, and until now, San Francisco has been the only diocese in the state that has not released such a list.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2023, Cordileone acknowledged that such a list exists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, San Francisco’s diocese publishes a list of priests and deacons who are in good standing — which has been updated to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12020370/sf-archdiocese-quietly-removed-two-priests-accused-of-abuse-from-public-list-attorneys-say\">remove multiple priests accused of abuse\u003c/a> without explanation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joelle Casteix, a clergy abuse survivor and advocate, said the settlement’s non-monetary demands are more far-reaching than previous agreements have been.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Hopefully, what this settlement will begin to provide is the beginning of multi-generational healing for the men and women who deserve it so greatly, and the children who could possibly still be at risk if these changes were not made,” she said Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11966005\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11966005\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/20231020-Archdiocese-Priests-022-JY-KQED.jpg\" alt='A building on a city street with the words \"Archdiocese of San Francisco\" written over the entrance.' width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/20231020-Archdiocese-Priests-022-JY-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/20231020-Archdiocese-Priests-022-JY-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/20231020-Archdiocese-Priests-022-JY-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/20231020-Archdiocese-Priests-022-JY-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/20231020-Archdiocese-Priests-022-JY-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/20231020-Archdiocese-Priests-022-JY-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Archdiocese of San Francisco is seen on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Nine survivors negotiated the settlement’s terms with Cordileone over the last three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Margie O’Driscoll, who said she was abused by a priest at Marin Catholic High School almost 50 years ago, described the process as “time consuming, emotionally fraught and a very difficult fight.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Every survivor has carried this pain and shame along like a ball and chain for a very, very long time. Victims in the case have carried this even longer than I have, for more than 70 years — ashamed and confused about what happened, scorned by the archdiocese and sometimes not even believed by family and friends,” she said. “I think today, shame is going to change sides.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was produced for \u003ca href=\"https://www.propublica.org/local-reporting-network\">ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network\u003c/a> in partnership with KQED. \u003ca href=\"https://www.propublica.org/newsletters/dispatches\">Sign up for Dispatches\u003c/a> to get stories like this one as soon as they are published. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A San Francisco Bay Area school district has replaced a middle school math teacher for the remainder of the academic year following an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12082980/california-fired-teacher-sexual-harassment\">investigation by KQED and \u003cem>ProPublica\u003c/em>\u003c/a> that showed he had been accused of inappropriately touching students at two previous jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Redwood City School District has received at least two new complaints against Jason Agan, according to the parents who filed the complaints, as well as emails from the district to the parents saying it is investigating both.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The news outlets found that the state teacher licensing agency allowed Agan to keep his credentials following his 2019 firing from a high school in the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District for what district officials characterized as sexual harassment of female students. At least 11 students and one parent at Angelo Rodriguez High School submitted written complaints about Agan’s behavior to school administrators, drawing at least two warnings to stop, KQED and \u003cem>ProPublica’s\u003c/em> investigation found.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Students in that district testified during Agan’s dismissal hearing that he made them uncomfortable by massaging their necks or shoulders as well as commenting on female students’ clothing, prompting an independent panel to deem him “unfit to teach,” according to records obtained by the news outlets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Commission on Teacher Credentialing, the agency responsible for educators’ licenses, suspended Agan’s teaching license for seven days in 2021, after he had already gotten another job teaching math at Ephraim Williams College Prep Middle School in the Fortune network of charter schools in Sacramento, an hour away from his first school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The discipline — along with a red flag icon — is noted in the state’s public database of credentialed educators, but no specific reason is given for the sanction. Anyone searching his name in the database would see he still held credentials indicating he was legally fit to teach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Ephraim Williams, Agan’s second school, he drew another complaint of unwanted touching, prompting a written warning from Fortune’s human resources consultant. He left the school in June 2022 and started teaching math at Clifford School, a prekindergarten through eighth grade school in Redwood City, that August. That is where he was teaching when the investigation was published.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David Weekly, president of the school board in Redwood City, told KQED and ProPublica on Saturday that the board plans to review the district’s hiring process after Clifford parents, in a \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdEQ0ENCKoPfmKBvr096qhLho3DF2DWW02P2DWu_jnr_InRmQ/viewform\">public letter\u003c/a>, called for such a review and for a third-party investigation into whether district officials were aware of prior complaints against Agan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Parents deserve to know their kids are safe and to know that the district is doing a good job carefully vetting those who will be working closely with their children,” Weekly said in a written statement to the news outlets.[aside postID=news_12082980 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/CA-Teacher-Discipline-Agan-final.jpg']Redwood City School District Superintendent John Baker told the Clifford School community on Thursday that the district has enlisted a third-party investigator to review its hiring practices and procedures, according to a letter that the district spokesperson shared with the news outlets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deputy superintendent Wendy Kelly previously told KQED and \u003cem>ProPublica\u003c/em> that the district, when hiring, typically calls candidates’ immediate supervisors and checks the database of licensed educators. She declined to answer questions about Agan’s hiring or say whether the school district was aware he had been accused of misconduct at two previous schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Clifford principal Kristy Jackson emailed parents in the hours after the story was published to outline the district’s hiring policies and said that while she could not discuss confidential personnel matters, “To date, I have not had any concerns about this employee related to student safety.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Agan, who has not been accused of a crime, did not respond to requests for comment about the new complaints after he was removed from the school. Nor did he previously respond to questions sent via email and certified mail to his home about students’ accusations and his job history. He has denied any sexual motivation in touching students, stating during his dismissal hearing from the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District that he touched students’ shoulders to offer them support and encouragement, but that he did not massage them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than a dozen parents showed up at Clifford the morning after the story published last week to express concern about Agan’s employment to the principal, according to two parents who were there. Just before noon that same day, Jackson and Baker emailed the Clifford School community saying that the district would “soon be welcoming a substitute teacher to support students in Mr. Agan’s classroom.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Redwood City school district spokesperson said a substitute was brought in to teach Agan’s classes starting May 13, but declined to comment on his employment status. The spokesperson did not answer a question about the new complaints.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parents expressed “profound alarm and outrage” and also demanded Agan’s immediate resignation or removal from any position involving contact with students, according to their letter to the Clifford principal, school board, state lawmakers, California State Superintendent Tony Thurmond and the teacher licensing agency. More than 170 people signed the letter, according to a parent involved in organizing the petition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12082861\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12082861\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260417-ProPublica-CATeacherDiscipline-02.jpg\" alt=\"A school building with a sign in front of it that reads, “Clifford School”\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260417-ProPublica-CATeacherDiscipline-02.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260417-ProPublica-CATeacherDiscipline-02-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260417-ProPublica-CATeacherDiscipline-02-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Agan started teaching at Clifford School in 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We recognize the seriousness of these matters and believe that transparency, accountability, and student safety must take precedence over institutional reputation or liability concerns,” the parents wrote. “Children deserve learning environments where they are safe, respected, and protected. Parents and guardians deserve honesty and accountability from the institutions entrusted with their children’s care.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brie Hanni, a parent who signed the letter, said she broke down after learning about Agan’s disciplinary history and pulled her seventh grade daughter, who was in Agan’s class, out of school the day KQED and \u003cem>ProPublica\u003c/em> published the story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hanni said Agan’s case illustrates a systemic gap in transparency, and the state should specify the reasons educators are disciplined.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The licensing bodies governing dozens of other professions in California, including doctors, nurses, police officers and lawyers, make the reasons that disciplinary actions were imposed easily accessible on their websites. And at least 12 states, including Oregon, Washington and Florida, do the same for teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think a statewide, if not nationwide, question is: What do you do with these teachers who are ‘unfit to teach’?” Hanni said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thurmond, who is running for governor, told KQED and \u003cem>ProPublica\u003c/em> that any teacher who “abuses or harasses students should never teach again.” Thurmond said that as governor, he would propose legislation to automatically revoke licenses for educators found by schools or independent panels to have committed sexual harassment. A spokesperson for his campaign said the legislation would be retroactive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Xavier Becerra, the former U.S. health and human services secretary, former state attorney general and a leading candidate for California governor, “believes California should have a system that acts swiftly, prioritizes the protection of students, and gives parents and schools confidence that serious misconduct is being handled appropriately and transparently,” said Jonathan Underland, Becerra’s campaign spokesperson, in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Student safety has to come first,” Underland said. “The allegations described in this reporting are deeply disturbing, and no student or family should ever feel unsafe at school.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom’s spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment on Agan’s case and the state’s disciplinary process for educators. Neither did six other gubernatorial candidates seeking to replace him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State Sen. Josh Becker, who represents Redwood City, shared \u003cem>ProPublica\u003c/em> and KQED’s investigation on social media and \u003ca href=\"https://www.threads.com/@josh.becker.ca/post/DYSD6aJFGDL\">wrote\u003c/a>: “Completely unacceptable. What is going on here? The legislature needs to dig into this which includes me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for Becker said he was not available for comment this week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During a Redwood City school board meeting last week, Clifford parent Josh Levinson said he had submitted a Title IX complaint against Agan to the district after reading the article and speaking with his seventh grade son. Title IX is the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination and harassment in schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What I’ve heard from my son is that this pattern hasn’t changed,” Levinson said at the board meeting, referencing Agan’s history of misconduct claims. “When someone’s deemed unfit to teach, that should be a massive red flag, not something brushed aside because the database says they’re technically employable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levinson declined to speak about the specifics of his complaint.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another Clifford parent, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect his child’s identity, told the news outlets that he also filed a complaint against Agan after reading the article and speaking with his child. The parent said his child reported seeing Agan touch students’ shoulders and yell during class.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In his job application to Redwood City that the district shared with KQED and \u003cem>ProPublica\u003c/em>, Agan did not disclose that he had been fired from Rodriguez High; instead, he wrote that he left because he “wanted to explore new challenges and opportunities.” He also checked a “Please don’t contact” box under Rodriguez High.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kelly, the Redwood City deputy superintendent, said in a previous interview that the district contacts prior employers even when candidates instruct them not to. She also said that school districts trust the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to vet teachers, and those whose credentials are valid are considered employable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In his earlier application to teach at Ephraim Williams, Agan did acknowledge that he had been fired from Rodriguez High after being “accused of inappropriately touching students on the shoulders during class.” He wrote that he disagreed with the dismissal and explained that he would often place his hands on students’ shoulders while helping them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the state’s teacher licensing agency, Anita Fitzhugh, has emphasized that state law limits what information the agency can share. Only after the agency recommends that educators be disciplined can it release its findings, which include a summary of the case, to prospective employers. But that information is released only if a school requests it within five years of when the discipline was recommended. In Agan’s case, that window passed earlier this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Redwood City did not ask for such findings before hiring Agan in 2022, according to logs of requests made during that time that the teacher licensing agency provided to KQED and \u003cem>ProPublica\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kelly previously confirmed that the school had not requested the findings, saying that she discovered only last year that it could do so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Agan is one of at least 67 educators for whom the state has not revoked professional licenses after school districts determined they had sexually harassed students or committed other types of misconduct of a sexual nature, according to a review of available records from 2019 through 2025 obtained by the news outlets.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Help us report on teacher misconduct in California\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you have experience with the state’s opaque teacher disciplinary process, KQED and \u003cem>ProPublica\u003c/em> want to hear from you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can fill out a brief form or contact KQED reporter Holly McDede on Signal at hollymcdede.68 or via email at \u003ca href=\"mailto:hmcdede@kqed.org\">hmcdede@kqed.org\u003c/a>.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://airtable.com/app0AkyDo9b8r1mFR/pagLr7CSAR8lvPhQz/form\">Share Your Experience\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>***\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.propublica.org/people/mollie-simon\">ProPublica’s Mollie Simon\u003c/a> contributed research.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://california-newsroom.beehiiv.com/\">The California Newsroom\u003c/a> is a statewide public media collaboration that includes NPR, CalMatters, KQED in San Francisco, LAist and KCRW in Los Angeles, KPBS in San Diego and other partner stations across California.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was produced for \u003ca href=\"https://www.propublica.org/local-reporting-network\">ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network\u003c/a> in partnership with KQED. \u003ca href=\"https://www.propublica.org/newsletters/dispatches\">Sign up for Dispatches\u003c/a> to get stories like this one as soon as they are published. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A San Francisco Bay Area school district has replaced a middle school math teacher for the remainder of the academic year following an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12082980/california-fired-teacher-sexual-harassment\">investigation by KQED and \u003cem>ProPublica\u003c/em>\u003c/a> that showed he had been accused of inappropriately touching students at two previous jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Redwood City School District has received at least two new complaints against Jason Agan, according to the parents who filed the complaints, as well as emails from the district to the parents saying it is investigating both.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The news outlets found that the state teacher licensing agency allowed Agan to keep his credentials following his 2019 firing from a high school in the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District for what district officials characterized as sexual harassment of female students. At least 11 students and one parent at Angelo Rodriguez High School submitted written complaints about Agan’s behavior to school administrators, drawing at least two warnings to stop, KQED and \u003cem>ProPublica’s\u003c/em> investigation found.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Students in that district testified during Agan’s dismissal hearing that he made them uncomfortable by massaging their necks or shoulders as well as commenting on female students’ clothing, prompting an independent panel to deem him “unfit to teach,” according to records obtained by the news outlets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Commission on Teacher Credentialing, the agency responsible for educators’ licenses, suspended Agan’s teaching license for seven days in 2021, after he had already gotten another job teaching math at Ephraim Williams College Prep Middle School in the Fortune network of charter schools in Sacramento, an hour away from his first school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The discipline — along with a red flag icon — is noted in the state’s public database of credentialed educators, but no specific reason is given for the sanction. Anyone searching his name in the database would see he still held credentials indicating he was legally fit to teach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Ephraim Williams, Agan’s second school, he drew another complaint of unwanted touching, prompting a written warning from Fortune’s human resources consultant. He left the school in June 2022 and started teaching math at Clifford School, a prekindergarten through eighth grade school in Redwood City, that August. That is where he was teaching when the investigation was published.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David Weekly, president of the school board in Redwood City, told KQED and ProPublica on Saturday that the board plans to review the district’s hiring process after Clifford parents, in a \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdEQ0ENCKoPfmKBvr096qhLho3DF2DWW02P2DWu_jnr_InRmQ/viewform\">public letter\u003c/a>, called for such a review and for a third-party investigation into whether district officials were aware of prior complaints against Agan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Parents deserve to know their kids are safe and to know that the district is doing a good job carefully vetting those who will be working closely with their children,” Weekly said in a written statement to the news outlets.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Redwood City School District Superintendent John Baker told the Clifford School community on Thursday that the district has enlisted a third-party investigator to review its hiring practices and procedures, according to a letter that the district spokesperson shared with the news outlets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deputy superintendent Wendy Kelly previously told KQED and \u003cem>ProPublica\u003c/em> that the district, when hiring, typically calls candidates’ immediate supervisors and checks the database of licensed educators. She declined to answer questions about Agan’s hiring or say whether the school district was aware he had been accused of misconduct at two previous schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Clifford principal Kristy Jackson emailed parents in the hours after the story was published to outline the district’s hiring policies and said that while she could not discuss confidential personnel matters, “To date, I have not had any concerns about this employee related to student safety.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Agan, who has not been accused of a crime, did not respond to requests for comment about the new complaints after he was removed from the school. Nor did he previously respond to questions sent via email and certified mail to his home about students’ accusations and his job history. He has denied any sexual motivation in touching students, stating during his dismissal hearing from the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District that he touched students’ shoulders to offer them support and encouragement, but that he did not massage them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than a dozen parents showed up at Clifford the morning after the story published last week to express concern about Agan’s employment to the principal, according to two parents who were there. Just before noon that same day, Jackson and Baker emailed the Clifford School community saying that the district would “soon be welcoming a substitute teacher to support students in Mr. Agan’s classroom.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Redwood City school district spokesperson said a substitute was brought in to teach Agan’s classes starting May 13, but declined to comment on his employment status. The spokesperson did not answer a question about the new complaints.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parents expressed “profound alarm and outrage” and also demanded Agan’s immediate resignation or removal from any position involving contact with students, according to their letter to the Clifford principal, school board, state lawmakers, California State Superintendent Tony Thurmond and the teacher licensing agency. More than 170 people signed the letter, according to a parent involved in organizing the petition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12082861\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12082861\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260417-ProPublica-CATeacherDiscipline-02.jpg\" alt=\"A school building with a sign in front of it that reads, “Clifford School”\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260417-ProPublica-CATeacherDiscipline-02.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260417-ProPublica-CATeacherDiscipline-02-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260417-ProPublica-CATeacherDiscipline-02-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Agan started teaching at Clifford School in 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We recognize the seriousness of these matters and believe that transparency, accountability, and student safety must take precedence over institutional reputation or liability concerns,” the parents wrote. “Children deserve learning environments where they are safe, respected, and protected. Parents and guardians deserve honesty and accountability from the institutions entrusted with their children’s care.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brie Hanni, a parent who signed the letter, said she broke down after learning about Agan’s disciplinary history and pulled her seventh grade daughter, who was in Agan’s class, out of school the day KQED and \u003cem>ProPublica\u003c/em> published the story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hanni said Agan’s case illustrates a systemic gap in transparency, and the state should specify the reasons educators are disciplined.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The licensing bodies governing dozens of other professions in California, including doctors, nurses, police officers and lawyers, make the reasons that disciplinary actions were imposed easily accessible on their websites. And at least 12 states, including Oregon, Washington and Florida, do the same for teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think a statewide, if not nationwide, question is: What do you do with these teachers who are ‘unfit to teach’?” Hanni said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thurmond, who is running for governor, told KQED and \u003cem>ProPublica\u003c/em> that any teacher who “abuses or harasses students should never teach again.” Thurmond said that as governor, he would propose legislation to automatically revoke licenses for educators found by schools or independent panels to have committed sexual harassment. A spokesperson for his campaign said the legislation would be retroactive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Xavier Becerra, the former U.S. health and human services secretary, former state attorney general and a leading candidate for California governor, “believes California should have a system that acts swiftly, prioritizes the protection of students, and gives parents and schools confidence that serious misconduct is being handled appropriately and transparently,” said Jonathan Underland, Becerra’s campaign spokesperson, in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Student safety has to come first,” Underland said. “The allegations described in this reporting are deeply disturbing, and no student or family should ever feel unsafe at school.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom’s spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment on Agan’s case and the state’s disciplinary process for educators. Neither did six other gubernatorial candidates seeking to replace him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State Sen. Josh Becker, who represents Redwood City, shared \u003cem>ProPublica\u003c/em> and KQED’s investigation on social media and \u003ca href=\"https://www.threads.com/@josh.becker.ca/post/DYSD6aJFGDL\">wrote\u003c/a>: “Completely unacceptable. What is going on here? The legislature needs to dig into this which includes me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for Becker said he was not available for comment this week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During a Redwood City school board meeting last week, Clifford parent Josh Levinson said he had submitted a Title IX complaint against Agan to the district after reading the article and speaking with his seventh grade son. Title IX is the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination and harassment in schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What I’ve heard from my son is that this pattern hasn’t changed,” Levinson said at the board meeting, referencing Agan’s history of misconduct claims. “When someone’s deemed unfit to teach, that should be a massive red flag, not something brushed aside because the database says they’re technically employable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levinson declined to speak about the specifics of his complaint.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another Clifford parent, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect his child’s identity, told the news outlets that he also filed a complaint against Agan after reading the article and speaking with his child. The parent said his child reported seeing Agan touch students’ shoulders and yell during class.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In his job application to Redwood City that the district shared with KQED and \u003cem>ProPublica\u003c/em>, Agan did not disclose that he had been fired from Rodriguez High; instead, he wrote that he left because he “wanted to explore new challenges and opportunities.” He also checked a “Please don’t contact” box under Rodriguez High.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kelly, the Redwood City deputy superintendent, said in a previous interview that the district contacts prior employers even when candidates instruct them not to. She also said that school districts trust the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to vet teachers, and those whose credentials are valid are considered employable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In his earlier application to teach at Ephraim Williams, Agan did acknowledge that he had been fired from Rodriguez High after being “accused of inappropriately touching students on the shoulders during class.” He wrote that he disagreed with the dismissal and explained that he would often place his hands on students’ shoulders while helping them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the state’s teacher licensing agency, Anita Fitzhugh, has emphasized that state law limits what information the agency can share. Only after the agency recommends that educators be disciplined can it release its findings, which include a summary of the case, to prospective employers. But that information is released only if a school requests it within five years of when the discipline was recommended. In Agan’s case, that window passed earlier this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Redwood City did not ask for such findings before hiring Agan in 2022, according to logs of requests made during that time that the teacher licensing agency provided to KQED and \u003cem>ProPublica\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kelly previously confirmed that the school had not requested the findings, saying that she discovered only last year that it could do so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Agan is one of at least 67 educators for whom the state has not revoked professional licenses after school districts determined they had sexually harassed students or committed other types of misconduct of a sexual nature, according to a review of available records from 2019 through 2025 obtained by the news outlets.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Help us report on teacher misconduct in California\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you have experience with the state’s opaque teacher disciplinary process, KQED and \u003cem>ProPublica\u003c/em> want to hear from you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can fill out a brief form or contact KQED reporter Holly McDede on Signal at hollymcdede.68 or via email at \u003ca href=\"mailto:hmcdede@kqed.org\">hmcdede@kqed.org\u003c/a>.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://airtable.com/app0AkyDo9b8r1mFR/pagLr7CSAR8lvPhQz/form\">Share Your Experience\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>***\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.propublica.org/people/mollie-simon\">ProPublica’s Mollie Simon\u003c/a> contributed research.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://california-newsroom.beehiiv.com/\">The California Newsroom\u003c/a> is a statewide public media collaboration that includes NPR, CalMatters, KQED in San Francisco, LAist and KCRW in Los Angeles, KPBS in San Diego and other partner stations across California.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"marketplace": {
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"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
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"masters-of-scale": {
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},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"order": 12
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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"morning-edition": {
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"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
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"onourwatch": {
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"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"order": 11
},
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"on-the-media": {
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"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
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},
"pbs-newshour": {
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"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
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},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
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"order": 14
},
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"planet-money": {
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"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
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},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
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"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0c2d153-ad36-4c8d-901d-f1da6a724824/political-breakdown",
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"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
"meta": {
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"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
"subscribe": {
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
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},
"pri-the-world": {
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