LA Supervisors, Step It Up

Dear Supporter,The Los Angeles Board of Supervisors has approved a mulit-year contract with the City of Taft for 512 jail beds with an $11 million dollar per year price tag. The outrageous thing about that is the first $10 million of that is coming from unused realignment funding.

Community based services not jail expansion.

We have consistently gone to the Board of Supervisors meeting asking for the prioritization of funding for rehabilitative, re-entry support and preventative programs. Instead the Board is continuing to focus on jail expansion and locking up our communities.

1) Come out Tuesday (Oct. 8) at 9:00am. We will be holding a press conference with several different advocates in Los Angeles to voice opposition to this decision. There are several important items on the agenda such as the Taft Contract and Sheriff Oversight Board. Following the press conference we will attend the meeting to voice our disapproval.

Location: 500 W. Temple St. Los Angeles, CA 90012

What to Bring: Wear your orange shirts! If you have a picture of someone impacted by incarceration please bring it on Tuesday.

2) Whether or not you can attend Tuesday, start calling TODAY.

Script: My name is __________ and I am a constituent of Supervisor________. I am calling today to express my discontent with [if your call is to Antonovich, Knabe, or Molina say “your yes vote”  —  if your call is to Yaroslavsky or Ridley-Thomas say “the Board’s action”] that is allowing the Sheriff’s Department and CEO to contract with Taft Correctional Facility and that you are using AB 109 money to fund. We need you to reverse this decision. We want county funds and the state’s AB109 grant to the county spent on rehabilitation, support services and treatment, and we want community programs which prevent repeat and first offenses! Los Angeles needs community solutions, not jail expansion or construction. 

Supervisor Molina: (213) 974-4111
Supervisor Knabe: (213)974-4444
Supervisor Antonovich: (213) 974-5555
Supervisor Ridley-Thomas: (213) 974-2222
Supervisor Yaroslavsky: (213) 974-3333

3) Watch the video about incarceration in Los Angeles County!

We hope you come out and make a call!