Gun violence prevention leaders amplify California DOJ’s calls for increased investment in community violence intervention

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Today, the CalVIP Coalition released the following statement on the California Department of Justice’s new report, a Strategic Plan to Sustain California’s Record Progress Against Gun Violence, which highlights the most promising actions state and local leaders can take to secure California’s record low gun violence rates.

The report recognizes the life-saving community violence intervention work funded by CalVIP as a top priority for investment in order to preserve California’s historic progress in reducing gun violence. The DOJ’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention credits CalVIP funding with helping reduce statewide firearm homicide rates for young Black and Hispanic men by 48% and 52%, respectively, from 2021 to 2024. In detailing CalVIP’s role in helping California achieve historic levels of safety from gun violence, the DOJ’s reports call for California to double its investments in CalVIP to protect and sustain the safety our most impacted communities deserve.

The report also found that for the 2026-2029 grant cycle, California only invested roughly half of the amount invested in the previous cycle — Even though the number of CVI initiatives requesting funding from the state nearly tripled. The report stated that “there is an enormous gap of hundreds of millions of dollars per year in unmet need for effective CVI gun violence reduction initiatives in California,” and called on California lawmakers to significantly increase CalVIP funding.

“Every day, our gun violence intervention teams make their communities safer by attending to the individuals and situations that are most likely to brew violence,” said Dr. Joseph Griffin, Executive Director at Youth Alive in Oakland. “From our Violence Interrupters de-escalating conflicts in the most violent neighborhoods, to Intervention Specialists supporting gunshot survivors in the hospital to prevent retaliatory violence, their expertise helps save lives in Oakland and we are grateful to the Attorney General for recognizing the importance of their service. Since July 2023, Oakland has experienced a 52% decrease in homicides. Those are lives CalVIP has helped save.”

“When I authored AB 1252, I wanted to empower the Office of Gun Violence Prevention to be forward-looking and to develop a plan to make California’s historic progress permanent. That plan is here, and its message is clear: community violence intervention programs are the epicenter of our recent success, driving record lows in homicide rates. But, right now, demand for these programs is outpacing available funding. To protect our progress, save lives, and ensure California is one of the safest states in the country, I am proud to join the Attorney General in calling for increased funding for CalVIP,” said Assemblymember Buffy Wicks.

“This report is further proof that with consistent funding, community violence intervention programs revolutionize the way we fight gun violence and are an indispensable pillar of safety in California,” said Mike McLively, Policy Director at GIFFORDS Center for Violence Intervention. “California has made historic leaps in the fight against gun violence, and leaders at every level, from localities to the legislature, have a responsibility to protect progress and build on these wins. Above all, what this report shows is that sustaining and expanding CalVIP funding will be key to ending gun violence in our state.”

In a press release shared this Tuesday, Attorney General Rob Bonta said, “Since 2024, California has become safer from gun violence than any other time on record. We are proving that a comprehensive, data-driven approach can transform public safety,” said Attorney General Bonta. “But we are now at a dangerous crossroads. As the federal government abdicates its responsibility and guts investments in violence prevention, law enforcement, and victim care, California must continue to lead and invest in saving lives from gun violence. This strategic plan provides a blueprint for building on our progress.”

“Community violence intervention programs are one of the most effective tools in interrupting cycles of violence, and California has shown what’s possible when leaders invest in solutions that work,” said Debra Ellison, a volunteer leader with the California chapter of Moms Demand Action. “We’re grateful to Attorney General Bonta for continuing to champion this proven approach and for standing alongside the community organizations doing this lifesaving work every day. Every Californian deserves to live in a safe community, and that means continuing to invest in prevention and intervention. Not just responding after tragedy strikes.”

The CalVIP Coalition consists of community violence intervention practitioners, advocates, survivors, researchers, and partners from across California who helped craft and implement the state’s flagship CalVIP grant. The CalVIP grant is designed to support evidence-based community violence intervention efforts, which disrupt cycles of gun violence and increase public safety by providing lifesaving services to individuals at the highest risk.