State and regional leaders, who advocate across various issue areas, urge Californians to vote “No” on Prop 36 to protect taxpayers and critical rehabilitation programs.
Los Angeles — Courage California and leaders from 13 partner organizations announce their unified opposition to ballot Proposition 36, a corporate-funded attempt to roll back a decade of successful and data-driven progress on crime prevention and public safety that will cost taxpayers billions of dollars.
“Prop 36 is an attack on our communities and the public safety reforms Californians have fought and voted for. The funders and supporters of this ballot measure have no concern for the actual safety of our communities–if they did, they would not be working to strip away the parts of Prop 47 that have diverted more than $800 million in savings from our pre-2014 days of over-incarceration to fund the critical treatment and diversion programs that our communities need! To make matters worse, if passed, Prop 36 would cost taxpayers more than $26 billion in prison costs in the next decade,” said Irene Kao, Executive Director of Courage California.
“California’s ballot proposition 36 is a lose-lose for all Californians, except for the corporate retail executives and Correctional Peace Officers Associations who are backing it. Voters must reject this deceptive attempt to roll back Prop 47, which reduced our overcrowded prison population, invested in programs that successfully reduced recidivism and supported community health, and saved taxpayers billions.”
The 13 partner organizations joining Courage California in opposition to Prop 36:
Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment Action, Alliance San Diego Mobilization Fund, Black Women for Wellness Action Project, California Working Families Party, California Alliance for Retired Americans, California Environmental Justice Alliance, Chispa, Communities for a New California, End Poverty in California, Inland Empire United, Move the Valley, San Francisco Rising, Small Business Forward.
Below are statements provided by six of the 14 partners – representing various regions and advocacy issues areas – highlighting the consequential impacts Proposition 36 would have on California’s families and communities, reaching beyond the criminal justice community.
Statewide:
Onyemma Obiekea, Policy Director of Black Women for Wellness Action Project, issued the following statement:
“Prop 36 proposes to pull California back towards an era of mass incarceration, which profoundly and disproportionately devastated Black communities. By reversing voter-backed efforts that have proven to implement effective, responsive solutions that support the dignity and safety of all our communities, Prop. 36 sets a dangerous precedent that will only destabilize our communities and perpetuate the systemic inequities that we have fought so hard to mitigate the harms of. We deserve solutions that address root causes, not merely punitive measures that disrupt our state’s progress toward securing the health, safety, and well-being of our communities.”
Jane Kim, State Director of The California Working Families Party, issued the following statement:
“We fight for working families in California – and that includes their safety. For our families and communities to thrive in California, we must fund resources and services that make our communities safer while still ensuring accountability. Prop 36 is misguided—sending more people into our broken carceral system while cutting funding for solutions including over $800 million in the next decade to mental health, drug treatment, victim services, and the crime prevention programs that Californians need, and voted for. California must reject Prop 36 – we need fair sentencing and continued investments in our communities and families.”
San Francisco:
Justin Dolezal, President of Small Business Forward and co-owner of Bar Part Time, issued the following statement:
“Corporations like Walgreens and Target have cynically fed the false narrative that retail theft is out of control and is hurting their bottom line, but it was revealed that the false narrative was motivated by their inability to compete with online retailers and afford high commercial rents. Instead of addressing the issues and industries that are actually affecting their bottom lines, they’re going after the people. If Prop 36 passes, people accused of petty crimes will become scapegoats for these corporate failures. Lowering felony theft thresholds does not deter theft; it simply sends more vulnerable people to prison for smaller offenses while simultaneously cutting the services and programs that do work and costing taxpayers.
“As a coalition of progressive small businesses that do not support the reactionary use of police force, Small Business Forward supports proven measures that prevent the over-criminalization and mass incarceration of people of color, immigrants, and people experiencing poverty or addiction. Our businesses, and the communities we serve, deserve to be safe, but Prop 36 is not the answer. Safe and healthy communities are achieved by investing in preventative measures and meaningful community engagement – not an extension of the prison industrial complex.”
San Joaquin Valley
Pablo Rodriguez, Executive Director of Communities for a New California, issued the following statement:
“Proposition 36 does not provide real solutions. It is fraught with unintended consequences such as potentially diverting needed funds away from schools. It would cost the San Joaquin Valley millions in taxpayer dollars as it overwhelms local jails and courts. In addition, it would negatively impact health care, and public safety, and worsen poverty and crime in our communities. Proposition 36 is short-sighted and creates more problems than it solves.”
Destiny Rodriguez, Executive Director of MOVE the Valley:
“Proposition 36 does not sufficiently address the need for systemic reform within the broader criminal justice system, leaving many of the structural problems unresolved. As a result, its impact is diminished, and it fails to offer meaningful and sustainable solutions to the complex issues it aims to address.”
Inland Empire
Sky Allen, Executive Director of Inland Empire United, issued the following statement:
“We already know how to keep our communities safe. California voters passed Prop 47 a decade ago and we have seen that investing in mental health, substance abuse, and housing services works. The legislature already passed bills this year that address retail theft. Prop 36 is an overreach that would hurt our communities without solving any of the issues that people are actually concerned about.”
Courage California and its 13 statewide and regional partners, below, stand united against Prop 36 and call on California’s voters to stop this costly attempt to roll back progress and vote no on Prop 36 on or before the General Election on November 5, 2024.
No on Prop 36:
- Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment Action
- Alliance San Diego Mobilization Fund
- Black Women for Wellness Action Project
- California Working Families Party
- California Alliance for Retired Americans
- California Environmental Justice Alliance
- Chispa
- Communities for a New California
- Courage California
- End Poverty in California
- Inland Empire United
- Move the Valley
- San Francisco Rising
- Small Business Forward