California’s controversial Elderly Parole Program, expanded under Governor Gavin Newsom’s watch, has sparked nationwide fury after granting early release to convicted serial child molester David Allen Funston.
The 64-year-old predator, who lured young children with candy and toys before kidnapping and assaulting them, was sentenced to three life terms plus 20 years back in 1999. Yet, thanks to policies pushed by Democrats, he’s now deemed fit for society.
A Sacramento County judge called Funston “the monster parents fear the most,” yet last September, a panel of the Board of Parole Hearings granted Funston elderly parole. In January, Governor Gavin Newsom requested a review of that decision. And just last week, the full board affirmed the panel’s decision.
? BREAKING: Many Californians are shocked and disgusted after Gavin Newsom and Democrats’ parole program gives a SERIAL CHILD PREDATOR early release
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) February 26, 2026
16 counts of kidnapping and child m*lestation
California is RUN BY TRAITORS!
pic.twitter.com/2S4M1DQuG9
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office slammed the move, stating “age does not erase predatory behavior.”
Senator Suzette Martinez Valladares expressed her revulsion: “Hearing the news of Funston’s parole made me sick to my stomach. It made me sick thinking about the pain and suffering he inflicted on his victims, who were very young children, and sick thinking about how a monster like this could be granted parole.”
Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones criticized Newsom directly: “He signed the bill that gave a board stacked with his appointees the ability to set free a violent, serial child rapist into the community.”
A victim of Funston’s crimes told Fox News she fears for others, urging “I don’t believe that people like that change.”
Thankfully, in a last-minute twist, Funston’s scheduled release was blocked when Placer County issued a new arrest warrant for charges stemming from a 1996 sexual assault in Roseville, involving lewd and lascivious acts upon a child. He was turned over to local law enforcement instead of being freed, remaining in custody pending court appearance.
? JUST IN: A convicted child predator has been slapped with NEW CHARGES after Gavin Newsom's parole program almost set him FREE
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) February 27, 2026
Good. Lock him up for life. Democrats and Newsom are DANGEROUS to children!
"He was sentenced to 3 sentences of 25 years to life, but the State… pic.twitter.com/Z8ja4YUldu
Commentator Eric Daugherty stressed, “Newsom tried to oppose the parole board’s decision, but HE created it! Your laws have consequences, California Democrats. YOU DID THIS.”
Former prosecutor Anne Marie Schubert, who tried Funston’s original case, stated, “I think the governor owns this. I mean, he signed this law.”
Newsom’s office claims he does oppose the release and requested a review, with spokesperson Diana Crofts-Pelayo noting, “BPH is an independent agency and made this decision. The Governor asked for BPH to re-review its decision. The Governor doesn’t agree with the outcome.””
Critics argue this is mere lip service, given he signed the expansion of the program in 2020 via AB 3234, which lowered the age threshold for eligibility.
Lawmakers are now pushing reforms to exclude violent sex offenders from such programs, with calls for Newsom to dismiss the commissioners involved. Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho and others are urging a sexually violent predator screening to potentially commit Funston to a state hospital instead.
This fiasco highlights the dangers of Democrat-led policies that empty prisons while crime surges in California’s streets. Homelessness, drug epidemics, and now predators roaming free – all under Newsom’s governance, which has driven residents and businesses to flee the state.
With Newsom eyeing a 2028 White House run, his administration’s soft-on-crime stance is under fire for prioritizing criminals over victims.
This bombshell comes just days after Newsom’s tone-deaf pandering in Atlanta, where he insulted a black audience by comparing himself to them in a bid for relatability.
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