FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 28, 2025
Contact: Katie Cardenas
SACRAMENTO — Six years ago, a deadly shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival killed three people, and injured dozens more. The victims and their families have one year from today remaining to apply for financial assistance from the California Victim Compensation Board (CalVCB).
“We were heartened by the return of the Gilroy Garlic Festival this year,” said CalVCB Executive Officer Lynda Gledhill. “As this community continues to heal, we want to ensure victims know it’s not too late to apply for financial assistance that can help in their ongoing recovery.”
Victims and their family members may qualify for up to $70,000 in financial reimbursement to assist with mental health treatment, medical bills, home security improvements, and other expenses. Victims can apply online or through a Victim Witness Assistance Center in their county. As of June 30, 2025, CalVCB has approved 562 applications for compensation
Gilroy Garlic Festival victims may also receive help from the Mariposas Resiliency Center. This organization—formerly called the Gilroy Strong Resiliency Center—was started in 2020 to provide long-term support for survivors, first responders, and other community members impacted by the Gilroy Garlic Festival mass shooting.
In 2023, the organization rebranded to the Mariposas Resiliency Center, received a $1.1 million Trauma Recovery Center (TRC) grant from CalVCB, and began helping survivors of all violent crimes. The Mariposas Resiliency Center recently received a $2.1 million grant from CalVCB to continue to provide trauma-informed mental health treatment to crime victims through at least June 2027.
You can reach the Mariposas Resiliency Center by calling (408) 209-8356 or by e-mailing Mariposas@dao.sccgov.org.
Additional information is available on CalVCB’s website.
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The California Victim Compensation Board (CalVCB) provides reimbursement for crime-related expenses to victims who suffer physical injury or emotional injury and the threat of physical injury as a result of violent crime. CalVCB helps crime victims and their families cover unforeseen expenses such as medical bills, mental health treatment, funeral and burial expenses, income loss and more. To learn more about CalVCB, visit victims.ca.gov.