Bill Text: CA SCR118 | 2025-2026 | Regular Session | Introduced

California Senate Concurrent Resolution 118

Introduced

Bill Title: Jeffrey Epstein files.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2)

Status: (Engrossed) 2026-04-23 - In Assembly. Held at Desk. [SCR118 Detail]

Download: California-2025-SCR118-Introduced.html

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Concurrent Resolution

No. 118

Introduced by Senator Gonzalez
(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Lowenthal)

February 10, 2026

Relative to the Jeffrey Epstein files.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SCR 118, as introduced, Gonzalez. Jeffrey Epstein files.

This measure would make specified statements relating to the release of files involving Jeffrey Epstein and would urge federal and local law enforcement to take immediate action to hold accountable all those who harmed survivors or who were complicit in Epstein’s crimes, regardless of elected title, royal title, party affiliation, or economic status.

Fiscal Committee: NO

WHEREAS, In 2019, Jeffrey Epstein was charged in federal court with sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. In 2007, Epstein received a plea deal negotiated by former United States Secretary of Labor, Alexander Acosta, getting 18 months of work release for child sex crimes that would normally result in decades in federal prison; and

WHEREAS, Epstein and his associates abused over 1,000 young women and children, including Californians, dating back to the early 1990s, in a systemic failure of our justice system and elected government who have a duty and responsibility to protect children from dangerous predators and provide justice for survivors; and

WHEREAS, H.R. 4405, 119th Congress (2025), known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act and authored by Representative Ro Khanna, passed with strong bipartisan support and became law on November 19, 2025, and required the United States Department of Justice to publish all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in their possession that relate to the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein, while allowing for narrowly tailored redactions to protect the identities of survivors; and

WHEREAS, President Donald J. Trump and his appointees, United States Attorney General Pam Bondi and Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel, engaged in an active and overt campaign to prevent the release of these files, including direct attempts by the president to dissuade and pressure members of Congress from supporting H.R. 4405 and therefore deny survivors the transparency they deserve; and

WHEREAS, The United States Department of Justice failed to meet the deadline required under H.R. 4405, and failed to redact and protect the identifiable information of over 100 survivors, putting their lives in danger and retraumatizing them; and

WHEREAS, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed that while there are 6,000,000 relevant documents in the Epstein case files, only 3,500,000 have been cleared for public access; and

WHEREAS, Of those partially released files, many are heavily redacted with censoring that does not comply with the requirements of H.R. 4405, which prohibits any redactions on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government officials, public figures, or foreign dignitaries; and

WHEREAS, The United States Department of Justice has chosen to not comply with a United States House of Representatives’ Oversight Committee subpoena for all files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation issued on August 5, 2025; and

WHEREAS, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking of a minor and other crimes in conspiracy with Jeffrey Epstein, was moved to a minimum-security facility with dormitory-style housing seven days after being interviewed by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche; and

WHEREAS, Many powerful individuals from all political affiliations were mentioned in the files, but no criminal charges have been brought against any individual listed in the files, and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has stated that new charges based on the evidence in the files was unlikely; and

WHEREAS, Survivors deserve justice, transparency, and expedient accountability against any official or individual that participated in the heinous and predatory actions of Jeffrey Epstein and his associates, and those who allowed this abuse to continue without repercussions; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature formally condemns sex trafficking and denounces Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, and any individual involved with or aware of their criminal enterprise and abuse; and be it further

Resolved, That the Legislature denounces President Donald J. Trump’s attempts to prevent the release of the Epstein files, and his administration’s attempts to deny justice for survivors through continued self-serving efforts to withhold and redact information with no transparency; and be it further

Resolved, That the Legislature urges the Congress of the United States to continue to exercise its oversight authority and hold President Trump and Attorney General Bondi accountable for not complying with its subpoena or H.R. 4405, which requires the release of all the remaining Epstein files, including all records, documents, communications, and investigative materials that relate to the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein; and be it further

Resolved, That the Legislature urges federal and local law enforcement to take immediate action to hold accountable all those who harmed survivors or who were complicit in Epstein’s crimes, regardless of their elected title, royal title, party affiliation, or economic status, in order to provide justice and closure for survivors; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, to the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States, the Governor, and to the author for appropriate distribution.