When given a chance to live a "normal," crime free life...

Learning about Prop 47 and being a part of Time for Change Foundation’s Get Out the Vote campaign, has made my understanding of my role in the community a whole lot clearer. Since being released from prison in September 2014, I have been engaged in many activities that have given me so much insight and knowledge that benefits me and others who are going through the same struggles that I am facing.

I came to Time for Change Foundation in October 2014 on parole, not knowing that in less than 6 months I would have gained so much knowledge, understanding, and accomplishments. I recently attended the Future of Elections 2015 Conference in Sacramento to learn a broader perspective of how we, the community, can make a difference and achieve greater outcomes on future elections.

I was able to get a better understanding on how and why it is so important to vote and be up to speed on campaigns, elected officials, bills and laws, and who the players are in our community. So even though I am not able to vote, being that I am on parole, I still feel that it is my responsibility to be sure that those around me are up to date with information and are voting in California Elections. Also reaching out to the public by phone banking, door to door flyers, to be sure that the community is registered to vote and helping them locate their voting polls so they can go vote.

As a repetitive felon it feels impossible to find a well paying job and even harder to keep one that will provide for me and my family. So Prop 47 gives me hope that I, and others who are going through the same situation,  can live “normal” crime free lives with attained employment. I am so grateful for and inspired from all the useful information that I am now aware of.

                                                                                                              
DeeLysa Harper 
February 24,2015

I am ready to spread the word!

Attending the panel discussion on barriers to employment for people with felonies, at the University of Redlands, was one of my first experiences since getting out of prison where I truly felt a part of something. The fact that it involved my personal experiences and the ones I left behind made it easy for me to engage in discussions that I have knowledge and passion about. I was able to identify with the questions and give honest feedback that I feel will contribute to change in policies that create barriers to people with past felony convictions. This experience not only  gave me visuals of all the things that are at my fingertips that can benefit me and my struggles, but it was one of the most exciting moments I have had since getting out of prison. It was empowering to know that the community I live in actually wanted to receive the information I had to give without judgment; their understanding made me feel appreciated.

There are lot of programs and resources in prison, but due to our limited contact with the free world, we are unaware of paths that are being paved for our benefit on the outside, so it was really refreshing to discuss AB 218, also known as Ban the Box, and Proposition  47. I felt honored that I was invited to this event. It showed me that my wants and needs are being recognized and understood. To meet new people, hear what they have to say about such a passionate issue of mine, was so touching to my heart. I was able to show my feelings of appreciation with those around me by giving some insight of the employment struggle that I am going through and how Prop 47 will affect my everyday living with those around me.

Overall, I felt very involved being a part of a group of people that are trying to help people like me who want to make a change for themselves. Knowing my position as a citizen in the community and what I can do for myself and for my community has empowered me to spread the word using the information that was given to me in my present situation and the future. I am ready!

                                                                                                                                        LeSaundra Jenkins 

Ruthie's Experience

Last week I joined some of the ladies at Time for Change Foundation to speak to criminal justice students at the University of Redlands. I had a great time sharing my experience with the students. Not only was I able to provide them with useful information, but I was inspired and learned new and useful information. I was motivated to keep trying, to not give up. Searching for a job after incarceration has been really hard, and doing so with a felony seems impossible. My felony is looked at and judged, which leads to me never getting a call back, but with this experience I am encouraged and want to someday help others with helping themselves; what I am doing now for myself. 

I participated in a panel where we discussed and learned more about AB 218 Law, Banning the Box on employment applications and how to be sure that any employers are in compliance with the law. It ensures that public employers provides a chance to hire on individuals that qualify for the position and eliminates discrimination due to their past mistakes.

We also discussed Prop 47, which reclassifies 6 petty crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. As a group, we talked about the barriers of finding employment as a felon, or just having a criminal background in general.

I am thankful to be a part of something so important and I cannot wait for the next opportunity to share with others what it is like for us. I am learning how to use my voice and it feels so empowering!

Ruthie Roys

February 23, 2015   

Prop 47 Criminal Record Change Training

Background Relief Clinic

Want to get your records expunged?

Come to the Background Relief Clinic!

Friday February 13, 2015

2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Universalist Unitarian Church

3657 Lemon Street 

Riverside CA  92501

Brown seeks money for fixing roads as gas tax value plunges

California lawmakers are looking at new ways to pay for crumbling roads, bridges and highways as the traditional repair fund from gasoline taxes dries up.

Revenue from gasoline taxes have been sliding as more fuel-efficient and electric cars hit aging roads. That's contributing to an annual $5.9 billion backlog in state highway repairs.

Gov. Jerry Brown's administration is studying whether to tax drivers by miles traveled instead of gas guzzled. Changing the system could take more than five years, and lawmakers are calling for more money to repave roads and fill potholes in the meantime.

They are considering a dollar-a-week fee on most drivers, a temporary gas tax hike, re-directing money used to pay off state debt back to road projects and converting carpool lanes into paid toll ways.

Lawmakers in Congress and statehouses across the nation are grappling with transportation funding shortfalls. In California, Brown's vision for an eco-friendly fleet using half as much gasoline by 2030 is clashing with how the state pays for infrastructure.

"We have not had in the last 25 years a revenue source in transportation that is stable, ongoing and commensurate with our needs," said Brian Kelly, Brown's top transportation aide. "We have fallen further and further behind."

Road maintenance is primarily funded by an 18-cent a gallon gasoline tax, which hasn't increased since 1994. Collections fell from $2.87 billion in 2003 to $2.62 billion in 2013. Drivers pay even more in taxes at the pump for local, federal and new state projects.

State officials say they need more money each year because of the rising costs of fixing roads. About 16 percent of the highways were in poor condition in 2013, according to the California Department of Transportation.

"We are looking at getting revenue in place now to stem the blood flow because our roads are falling apart before our eyes," said Jim Earp, director of the California Alliance for Jobs, which represents construction companies and trade unions.

Hiking taxes and fees requires two-thirds support from the Legislature, including Republicans. Brown in his inaugural address called on both parties to come together on transportation funding, as they did when they developed a $7.5 billion water plan last year.

Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, on Wednesday announced legislation to raise an additional $2 billion a year for transportation, including an annual $52 fee for most drivers. While the details aren't worked out, Atkins said the fee could be charged as part of insurance plans and vehicle registration.

Electrical vehicle drivers who don't pay gas taxes and truckers could also pay more.

Assembly Republican Leader Kristin Olsen, R-Modesto, says she's not opposed to new revenue and charging people who don't pay for road repair, but changes should be balanced with cuts in spending and other taxes. Republicans have blasted the California Department of Transportation for having too many employees and want to redirect money from the $68 billion bullet train project, a personal priority of Brown's.

Brown said last month he would not "pre-empt the discussions" by publicly supporting legislative proposals.

Ellen Hanak, a senior fellow with the Public Policy Institute of California, says the key to a successful compromise is pressure from drivers and businesses fed up with poor road conditions.

"Like water, these are not red and blue issues, people care about transportation in red and blue and purple places," Hanak said. "A basic funding gap is something that affects everybody."

Transportation industry groups took steps to place a vehicle license fee hike for infrastructure on the November 2014 ballot, but abandoned it after finding little support. Earp, the leader of the construction group, says outside organizations may try to take a funding measure to voters in 2016 if the Legislature is unable to pass a deal.

Outside of the capitol, a committee of government and industry officials is looking at replacing the gas tax with a mileage fee. The idea is having drivers pay their share of wear-and-tear on roads, similar to paying water bills by the meter instead of flat rates.

Owners of electrical and hybrid vehicles are avoiding the burden of fixing roads, some transportation observers say.

"It's the more affluent people driving these vehicles getting out of paying their fair share," said Bill Higgins, executive director of the California Association of Councils of Government.

The tricky part is how to measure road use. Instead of simple odometer readings, many road use charge proposals include GPS devices that raise concerns about the government tracking driver habits.

"Your lives are encoded rather reliably in what you do in your car," said Lee Tien, an attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation who is pushing for non-GPS alternatives on the road usage charge committee.

California hasn't committed to such a tax, which Oregon is testing with 5,000 volunteers this summer. The California committee is due to set up its own pilot program and report findings to the Legislature by 2018, setting the stage for a larger battle over whether to make the shift.

San Bernardino Community Engagement Plan Roadshow

Attend an Upcoming Roadshow Near You!

Wednesday, February 11, 2015 

at 6 p.m.

Shandin Hills Middle School

4301 Little Mountain Drive

Room 4301

Thursday, February 12, 2015

at 6 p.m.

Arroyo Valley High School

1881 Base Line Street

Cafeteria

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

at 6 p.m.

Golden Valley Middle School

3800 N. Waterman Avenue

Room 3800

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

at 6 p.m.

Indian Springs High School

650 N. Del Rosa Drive

MU Room

Thursday, February 26, 2015

at 6 p.m.

Arrowview Middle School

2299 North G Street

Auditorium

Conservatives are still trouncing liberals on prison reform

States don’t get any bluer than California, so last November’s vote adopting Proposition 47 – reducing six felonies to misdemeanors – could easily be taken as evidence that liberals and Democrats are leading the nationwide de-incarceration movement..

And that stands to reason. In image, at least, conservatives carry the tough-on-crime banner while liberals favor lenience and prefer rehabilitation to incarceration. The Obama administration won federal sentencing reforms. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that in 2014 the federal inmate population dropped – the first net reduction since 1980. Liberal officials, liberal policies, right?

So the American Conservative’s Feb. 3 Q. and A. with Mark Earley, a Republican Virginia lawmaker and attorney general and now a criminal defense lawyer, was a useful reminder that much of the real thinking and action on criminal justice reform has come from the right. Interviewer Chase Madar nailed the essential dichotomy in conservative politics by noting that conservatives “tend to value order and authority but also limited government.” There’s an obvious tension there – but it’s nothing new. Conservatives who once lined up behind the law-and-order part of their creed have begun questioning what mass incarceration means to the concept of limited government.

"I saw that in the ’80s and ’90s, criminal-justice policies were driven more by what constituents wanted, what worked in the short term," Earley said in the American Conservative. "But if you do that long enough, then all your constituents wind up having family members in jail."

The Times has noted with approval the reform-minded approach from conservatives on prisons and criminal justice reform.

“Many of the progressive innovations in criminal justice are coming not from supposedly liberal states and officials, but from conservatives who are determined to focus on cost and outcomes while keeping justice in the forefront,” the Times wrote in a 2011 editorial, just after criminal justice realignment took effect in California.

“The group Right on Crime is setting the pace in states such as Texas. At the same time, leaders on the left, in California and elsewhere, have been conspicuously quiet about making realignment work.”

Three years later, a few elected Democrats – but only a few – felt comfortable endorsing Proposition 47. Meanwhile, the Times ran an op-ed co-authored by Republican former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, one of the founders of Right on Crime, urging passage and pointing out reforms made in conservative states like Georgia, South Carolina and Mississippi.

“If so many red states can see the importance of refocusing their criminal justice systems, California can do the same,” Gingrich wrote.

Relatively few of California’s elected Republicans have chosen the red state path of seeing criminal justice reform as central to their limited-government creed. For the most part, the law-and-order approach prevails among Republican lawmakers in this most liberal of states.

So one of the most important aspects of the sweeping approval of Prop. 47 at the polls on Nov. 4 may be the signal it sends to California lawmakers, Democrats and Republicans alike: Update your view of the electorate. This is not 1990 or 2000. It’s OK to do thoughtful criminal justice and prison reform. You won’t automatically be punished at the polls for saying “no” to a new prison or a new get-tough-on-crime measure. There are good reasons, rooted in conservative as well as liberal politics, to focus on restorative justice and rehabilitation rather than simply retribution.