Napa, CA – A coalition of survivors and advocates is intensifying efforts to reform parole eligibility laws for violent sex offenders in California, after a proposed bill, SB 286 — known as Mary Bella’s Law — unexpectedly stalled in a legislative committee last week.
SB 286 aimed to close a loophole in California’s elderly parole process, which allows certain violent sex offenders — even those with lengthy sentences — to become eligible for early release. The bill had initially cleared the State Senate Public Safety Committee with unanimous bipartisan support in April but was halted in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, effectively ending its chances this legislative session unless reintroduced before the session ends in September.
“This is spiritual warfare, and right now the enemy is winning,” said Mary, one of the bill’s leading advocates and namesake. Mary was sexually abused as a child by her uncle, Cody Woodsen Klemp, who had a previous rape conviction and was sentenced to 170 years in prison. After serving 29 years, Klemp became eligible for parole and was initially granted release in 2023. However, that decision was reversed following a review ordered by Governor Gavin Newsom. Klemp’s next hearing is scheduled for October 2029.
Claira Stanbury, another prominent advocate, joined the cause after her sister, Bella, was kidnapped and sexually assaulted at the age of five. The perpetrator, Charles William Mix, was sentenced to 350 years in prison but became eligible for parole in 2023. Though his parole was denied in 2024 due to his “deplorable” lack of remorse, he is scheduled for another hearing in 2031.
“What the legislators did to Mary Bella’s Law was just as deplorable as the actions of these offenders,” said Stanbury.
California’s elderly parole law allows inmates to seek parole after serving 20 years and reaching age 50, or after 25 years and turning 60, depending on their sentence. While all eligible individuals must still go before a parole board, critics argue the law allows early consideration for release regardless of the severity or nature of their crimes.
According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), 8,001 parole hearings were held in 2024. Of those, 33% resulted in denial, 14% were granted, and 22% were postponed, canceled, or continued.
Victim advocate Maggie expressed frustration with the legislative process. “I was really disappointed in the system — how something can make it so far and then die before even getting a public vote,” she said.
SB 286 was authored by Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego), who criticized the opaque nature of the bill’s demise.
“First, this elderly parole policy was created in a secretive, late-night budget deal,” Jones said. “Now, Mary Bella’s Law dies in a closed-door process called the ‘suspense file,’ where leadership decides the fate of bills without debate or vote. It’s undemocratic.”
Jones said the appropriations process, which evaluates the fiscal impact of legislation, failed to provide accurate or complete data for SB 286, contributing to its shelving. Despite the setback, he vowed to continue pushing the measure forward.
“We still have time until the end of the session in September,” Jones said. “We’re looking at ways to rework and reintroduce the bill.”
Advocates say they will not relent.
“I have an army of women and men who are going to speak up,” Mary declared. “We will not stand down.”
For now, survivors and their supporters remain committed to bringing the issue back to the forefront — determined to change the trajectory of justice for victims of sexual violence in California.