Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen of Elk Grove is pushing a hard line on California’s elderly‑parole rules, rolling out a bill that would block people convicted of the state’s most serious sexual crimes from using age to get an earlier shot at freedom. Her proposal, AB 2727, would redraw who counts as "elderly" for parole and push some offenders out of the program altogether, a move she has cast as a direct answer to recent parole calls that enraged victims and prosecutors around the state.
What AB 2727 Would Change
AB 2727 would amend Penal Code section 3055 so that people convicted of specified sex crimes, including aggravated sexual assault of a child, forcible lewd acts on a child and certain one‑strike offenses involving multiple victims, could not seek release through the elderly‑parole program at all. Other aggravated sex offenses would still have a path to elderly parole, but only once a person reaches age 75 and has served at least 30 years.
The bill also revises the state’s sexually violent predator referral process and related procedural rules. According to California Legislative Information, lawmakers amended the text on March 9 and re‑referred the bill to the Assembly Public Safety Committee.
Why The Bill Landed Back In The Capitol
Recent parole rulings set the stage for Nguyen’s move, with lawmakers and prosecutors zeroing in on the Board of Parole Hearings decision to grant elderly parole to David Allen Funston. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says it turned Funston over to local law enforcement after Placer County filed a warrant, according to CDCR.
The backlash to that decision, and the political firestorm that followed, pushed several lawmakers to demand tighter and clearer carve‑outs in elderly‑parole law. The Los Angeles Times detailed the Funston case and the mounting pressure inside the Capitol.
Reaction At The Capitol
Nguyen, who represents Elk Grove in the Assembly, has pitched AB 2727 as a way to protect survivors and reinforce public safety, according to ABC10. Republican Assemblymember Tom Lackey took aim at the current threshold, arguing that, "50 years old cannot be the reason we let violent predators out of prison," per that report.
The fight over AB 2727 is unfolding alongside a broader, bipartisan push to tighten elderly‑parole rules. That includes Senate Bill 286, nicknamed "Mary‑Bella’s Law," which seeks to end elderly parole eligibility for violent sex offenders, according to Sen. Brian Jones' office.
Legal Implications
Supporters of elderly‑parole reforms point to data suggesting that relatively few people released through the program end up back in prison. Reporting that reviewed CDCR figures put re‑incarceration for elderly‑parole releases at roughly 2.4 percent, with under 1 percent returning for a new violent crime.
Prosecutors and survivors' advocates counter that those numbers do not capture the full emotional and public safety impact when a violent or child sex offender is granted early release. Hoodline's Sacramento coverage shows that victims, prosecutors and local officials are tracking parole hearings closely as lawmakers debate new carve‑outs and age thresholds.
What’s Next
After its most recent round of edits, AB 2727 was amended in the Assembly and re‑referred to the Assembly Public Safety Committee on March 9. That committee will decide whether the bill moves to the Assembly floor for a broader debate. The bill history on California Legislative Information lists the committee referral and the printer’s date for the bill’s first reading.
