Proposition 47 Community Forum

Proposition 47 Community Forum 

YOU’RE INVITED!

Prop 47 Community Forum: Progressives’ Role in Implementation

WHY: “Prop 47: We Support It, But It’s Complicated.”

WHEN: Sunday JANUARY 25, 2015 

1:00 – 5:30 pm 

WHERE: Golden Gate University School of Law

536 Mission Street in San Francisco, Room 2201 

(BART to Montgomery Street Station)

** 2.5 Hours MCLE credit for attorneys **

Panel discussions and breakout sessions, featuring: formerly incarcerated people, public defenders, legal service providers, advocates for prison abolition & civil rights 

• What’s the most comprehensive implementation model for Proposition 47 outreach? 
• Where do we go from here for large-scale criminal justice change? 
• How do we work with or around people who oppose change in our post-47 world? 
• How do we build the most inclusive movement we can for future success? 

1pm-2pm “Outreach & Implementation Models.” SF Public Defender Jeff Adachi, Alameda Public Defender Brendon Woods, Meredith Desautels of Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, Eliza Hersh of East Bay Community Law Center, Milena Blake from Californians for Safety & Justice. Moderator Alex Berliner of All Of Us Or None.

2:15-3:30 ”Building An Inclusive Movement.” Lenore Anderson of Californians for Safety & Justice, Prof. Cynthia Chandler of Golden Gate University, Manuel La Fontaine of All Of Us Or None, Laura Magnani of American Friends Service Committee, Natasha Minsker of American Civil Liberties Union, Lynne Lyman of Drug Policy Alliance. Moderator Dorsey Nunn of Legal Services for Prisoners with Children.

3:45-4:45 BREAKOUT SESSION “Cultivating A Network Of Unlikely Allies,” with facilitator Gopal Dayaneni of Progressive Communicators Network.

3:45-4:45 BREAKOUT SESSION “Next Steps Towards Change,” with facilitator Harriette Davis of All Of Us Or None.

4:45-5:30 Wrap-up & light refreshments

California Assembly Speaker Atkins: Water bond deal has stalled

In an interview with Capital Public Radio, Assembly Speaker Atkins (D-San Diego) blamed outside interest groups for blowing up negotiations to replace the $11 billion water bond currently on the November ballot. 

“I’m incredibly disappointed,” Atkins said in the interview. “The stakeholders are really going to have to understand, if they hold out for everything that they want, they could end up with nothing – and I think that’s my biggest concern. We need parochial interests to take a back seat to the needs of the entire state. If one region gets undercut, that’s going to have economic and environmental repercussions in other parts of the state.”

Atkins specifically said water storage supporters and environmental groups that oppose money for dams won’t get everything they want.

“Storage is absolutely a part of our package, but it can’t be at the 2009 level, Atkins said.“Other areas have taken a bigger haircut to help ensure that we find an overall way to get this bond passed,” Atkins said.

Her message to environmental groups: “There are opponents to dams – which is a piece of storage – that are gonna have to realize that some of the storage needs need to be part of the solution. So blowing up a water bond b/c it includes storage will actually sacrifice long-term environmental gains.”

Assembly Minority Leader Connie Conway (R-Tulare) said the sides will continue to talk.“You have to remember it took six years to get the last water bond passed. These things will take some time. We have a good framework, but this can not be rushed,” Conway said.

“Sen. Steinberg already has his sleeves rolled up and is willing to keep working at it,” said a spokesman for Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento).

Steinberg and his fellow Senate Democrats failed to pass a $10.5 billion water bond last week. The next day, Gov. Jerry Brown told legislative leaders he wanted a $6 billion measure. Atkins says Assembly Democrats had nearly reached consensus on an $8 billion bond before outside groups interfered.

“The outside interests have basically taken the time to pretty much get people who were on board before to hold out for everything that they could possibly get. Now the concern I have is that they may eventually wind up with nothing,” Atkins said.

The speaker says she still believes a water bond deal can be reached in August, but the interest groups will need to accept less money than they want.