As California faces a nearly $72 billion budget deficit, now is the time for state leaders to focus on real solutions that address root causes and are effective at keeping our communities safe. 

#SmartSolutions is a new, intersectional campaign we are launching to counter broader efforts to double down on criminalization and incarceration – which inevitably mean wasting precious state resources that could be better spent on housing, health care, schools, services for survivors, and programs that support reentry and promote accountability beyond incarceration. For example, California’s spending on jails and prisons increased three times faster than spending on k-12 schools over the last three decades. 

COMING UP SOON:

Join the Smart Solutions campaign for a press conference on Tuesday, April 2nd at 8am on the West Steps of the California State Capitol to urge lawmakers to champion concrete, data-driven solutions instead of harmful, tough on crime legislation ahead of upcoming public safety committee hearings. More details coming soon and will be listed here.