The People's Budget Fix

The Ella Baker Center along with other community workers in the Oakland area have come up with five key points to fix our budget in California. They know that the old way of doing things in California is not working so they are working on providing real Solutions. The fact is that if you are poor or are a member of certain ethnic groups the chance of you going to jail is very likely. We have seen an influx in our prison population without rehabilitation. Creating huge profits for a few but with destruction to most of our communities. Real reform is needed and at least they are providing some Solutions to our problem. We have to move away from fear and work together to provide real solutions.


Solution #1: Replace the Death Penalty with Permanent Imprisonment
Converting death sentences to permanent imprisonment will ensure that we keep our communities safe without wasting critical resources. Experience has shown that permanent imprisonment works -- at a fraction of the cost. Five Year Savings: $1 billion

Solution #2: Close Division of Juvenile Justice Youth Prisons
California taxpayers currently pay $380 million each year to keep 1,624 young people locked up in youth prisons. Instead, youth should be sent to local facilities where they have access to effective treatment programs for the entire family. Five Year Savings: $1 billion

Solution #3: Keep the Response to Petty Drug Possession Local
We currently house 24,000 people in state prison for drug possession, at a cost of $1 billion a year. Instead, we should shift our response to non-violent drug crimes to the local level and provide effective drug treatment. Five Year Savings: $5 billion

Solution #4: Fix the Three Strikes Law
If we reform the Three Strikes Law to require that the most recent felony be a violent offense -- like every other state in the country -- we would save $1 billion that we now waste housing people in prison as a result of non-violent offenses. Five Year Savings: $5 billion

As our lawmakers return from their summer recess, the time is now to demand smart solutions to California's budget crisis. I hope to see you on Tuesday. If you live in the Bay Area and need a ride to Sacramento from the Ella Baker Center office in Oakland, please contact Books Not Bars organizer Joyce Cook.

Justice for families,

Zachary Norris
Ella Baker Center for Human Rights