CA Senate Democrats back early parole for serial child rapists – David Allen Funston, Gregory Lee Vogelsang, and other predatory violent criminals

In the Senate Chamber today, Senate Democrats voted to approve the reappointment of five presiding commissioners on the state's board of parole hearings. This demonstrates yet again the utter disregard the governor and legislative Democrats have for crime victims. They consider holding convicted, heinous, violent criminals accountable for their crimes as some sort of an ideological betrayal or disloyalty to Governor Newsom.

Conversely, California Senate Republicans are calling for a wholesale turnover of the parole board that is consistently and carelessly placing criminals' rights over those of their victims. The first duty of government is public safety. Commissioners granting parole to child rapists and other violent criminals sentenced to life in prison (without the chance of parole due to the heinousness of their crimes) is a dereliction of the parole board's governmental duty.

Senate Republicans say, "Fire them all!"

In an uncommon move, California Senate Democrats voted to prohibit Senator Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) from even reading excerpts of a BOPH transcript on the Floor.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• David Allen Funston , age 67, is a serial child predator who was sentenced to 20 years in prison plus three consecutive terms of life for 16 felony counts of kidnapping and child molestation involving several children under age seven in the Sacramento region. Funston was stunningly granted parole under the so-called "elderly parole" program by two parole commissioners in an initial hearing back in December, which was later unbelievably approved by an en banc (full parole board) hearing in February of this year. Thankfully, Funston currently is still behind bars because Placer County prosecutors filed new charges against Funston, and he was rearrested before the Board of Parole could let him out.

• Roberto Antonio Detrinidad, age 40, is an HIV+ felon who was sentenced to life in prison for the San Francisco home invasion and rape of a woman asleep in her bed. Because of early release programs and "good behavior" credits expanded under Gov. Newsom, Detrinidad was technically eligible for parole after roughly only 11 years. Board of Parole Commissioners shockingly declared that Detrinidad no longer "poses an unreasonable risk to the public" and voted to release him. Luckily for the public Detrinidad's early release has been put on hold until another hearing in September.

• Gregory Lee Vogelsang, age 57, was convicted of more than two dozen child molestation and kidnapping charges involving five young boys and sentenced to a 355-years-to-life term. He technically qualified for early release under the Youth Offender and Elderly Parole programs. At an initial Board of Parole hearing last November, commissioners voted to release Detrinidad. However his release is thankfully on hold until another parole hearing in late June.

• All three of these men were deemed suitable for early release from prison by the parole board, regardless of how many years of their sentences they had served and whether they still posed a threat to the public.

WHAT SENATE REPUBLICANS HAVE TO SAY:

Sen. Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (San Diego): "Frankly, the Board of Parole Hearings has lost all credibility with the public. These commissioners have turned a blind eye to the true evil and sickness of the world, turning the board into a prisoners' rights organization instead of a safeguard for victims and their families. This isn't complicated; When a convict with a history of brutally beating and raping children tells you they still have urges to do so, you don't vote to let them free. The board's culture of callousness needs to end, and Democrats rubber-stamping these reappointments is just another sign of how detached they've grown from reality."

Sen. Marie Alvarado Gil (Jackson): "Families across the state deserve to know their children are safe. Instead, the Board of Parole Hearings keeps rolling the dice with dangerous predators, granting parole in over 800 cases in 2025 alone. Victims' rights and public safety must come first."

Sen. Steven Choi (Irvine): "Part of the confirmation process is to find out what kind of job the gubernatorial appointees are doing and making sure the people they let out are not a risk to public safety. The current Board of Parole Hearings has clearly demonstrated they are not doing a good job protecting children. They need to be replaced."

Sen. Megan Dahle (Bieber): "The parole board commissioners have demonstrated appalling judgment, and I am shocked the governor would reappoint them. Law-abiding Californians need commissioners on the parole board who will prioritize victims' rights and community safety. The governor remains focused on shrinking the prison population, and in doing so is embracing dangerous policies."

Sen. Shannon Grove (Bakersfield): "Our work to combat human trafficking and protect California's children is actively undermined when parole commissioners entrusted with public safety prioritize sympathy for predators over their core duty to protect the public. Sympathizing with child predators who openly admit they are still sexually attracted to children is not a mere policy disagreement - it is a serious dereliction of duty and should be grounds for immediate removal."

Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares (Santa Clarita): "I am disgusted. This Senate just confirmed commissioners who looked at serial child rapists and said 'not a public safety risk' - and who won't even let the public see how they voted. We failed every victim in this state today. I will never stop fighting to hold this Board accountable."

Sen. Roger Niello (Fair Oaks): "Criminals like Funston, Detrinidad, and Vogelsang don't deserve leniency. The majority party has eroded the parole system, and it no longer works. Now it ignores public safety and makes victims relive their worst nightmare."

Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (Yucaipa): "I asked all five parole board commissioners at our hearing if they would offer or support a motion to at least make their votes public. They all refused. As public servants, these commissioners must be transparent with respect to their votes and it must start now. Another important point is that it was implied that the framework is responsible for the decision in releasing individuals rather than personal assessment by the commissioner. If no accountability is going to be taken by these commissioners, why have commissioners at all?"

Sen. Kelly Seyarto (Murrieta): "Over 25% of the time, these five commissioners vote to grant parole. Ask any Californian whether one out of every four violent offenders eligible for parole should be released back into their community or near their children's school, and I think you know what answer you'll get."

Sen. Tony Strickland (Huntington Beach): "The governor's inaction regarding the removal of these commissioners is appalling. As a father of two, I cannot understand why the parole board and the governor are siding with dangerous rapists and child predators rather than law-abiding citizens. I stand with parents today because we cannot wait for the next governor to come in and clean house. The Senate needs to send a message by voting no on these commissioners."

Related Topics

• Public Safety