California GOP Launches 'Stop Gavin’s Predators' Campaign Targeting Newsom‑Appointed Parole Board
The California Republican Party has rolled out a new petition and website, 'Stop Gavin’s Predators,' attacking Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Board of Parole Hearings over decisions to grant parole to convicted sex offenders. The site names all 21 commissioners, noting they were appointed by Newsom between 2021 and 2024, and highlights several contentious cases, including Gregory Lee Vogelsang and David Allen Funston, both serial child sex offenders approved for release under California’s Elderly Parole Program. The campaign details Vogelsang’s admissions at a parole hearing that he remains primarily attracted to boys aged 5–11 and still masturbated to fantasies about young boys as recently as 2020, and cites psychological evaluations finding he poses a higher risk than most sex offenders. It also describes Funston’s alleged methods of luring and assaulting young girls and notes he remains jailed on new Placer County charges tied to a 1996 child sexual assault, which currently block his release. By personalizing the parole board and centering extreme child‑predator cases, state Republicans are trying to turn parole policy and Newsom’s appointments into a law‑and‑order liability ahead of 2026 races, echoing national GOP messaging that Democrats are soft on violent crime.
📌 Key Facts
- The California Republican Party has launched a petition and website, StopGavinsPredators.com, targeting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 21‑member Board of Parole Hearings over sex‑offender parole decisions.
- All current parole commissioners were appointed by Newsom between 2021 and 2024 and confirmed by the California Senate to staggered three‑year terms.
- The campaign spotlights at least three parole grants, including for convicted serial child sex offenders Gregory Lee Vogelsang and David Allen Funston, both approved under California’s Elderly Parole Program; Funston remains in custody due to newly filed Placer County charges related to an alleged 1996 child sexual assault.
- In parole proceedings cited by the site, Vogelsang admitted he is still primarily attracted to boys aged 5–11 and continued to masturbate to fantasies about young boys as recently as 2020, with evaluators rating him a higher risk than 80% of other sex offenders.
📊 Relevant Data
In California, the three-year recidivism rate for offenders released through Board of Parole Hearings processes in Fiscal Year 2016-17 was 1.0 percent for felony crimes against persons.
Recidivism Rates for Offenders Released Through Board of Parole Hearings Processes in Fiscal Year 2016-17 — California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Among federal sexual abuse offenders in FY21, 57.5% were White, 16.1% were Black, 12.1% were Native American, 11.8% were Hispanic, and 2.5% were Other races, with 93.6% being men.
Quick Facts on Sexual Abuse Offenses — United States Sentencing Commission
In California, Black individuals are less likely to receive automatic record relief due to state prison limitations, with 30% of Black people never getting relief compared to lower rates for other groups.
A closer look at racial disparities in California’s automatic record clearing — Collateral Consequences Resource Center
In California child abuse cases in 2023, alleged offenders included 3,202 parents, 668 stepparents, and 2,120 other relatives out of 9,684 total, indicating a high proportion of familial relationships.
NCA National Statistics Report - California Annual 2023 — National Children's Alliance
California's elderly parole program has a grant rate of fewer than 10% for first-time hearings and 16.4% overall, with low recidivism supporting its effectiveness for aging inmates.
Opinion | Elderly parole makes sense for aging CA inmates — CalMatters
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