California Black Media

Californians Will Vote on “End Slavery in California Act” on November Ballot 

The California Senate voted 33-3 to approve Assembly Constitutional Amendment 8 (ACA 8), a proposition that would end involuntary servitude in state prisons.  The state senate approved the ballot measure June 27, two years after a similar measure was rejected. ACA 8 would mostly impact all prisons in the state that currently use slave labor and indentured servitude as a punishment for crime.

Published

3 months ago

July 9, 2024

Oakland Post

Asm. Lori Wilson (Suisun City), Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus. The Senate advanced ACA 8, a bill authored by Wilson, with a 33-3 vote on June 27. The bill would remove language regarding involuntary servitude from the California Constitution. It will be placed on the November ballot for voters to decide. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

The California Senate voted 33-3 to approve Assembly Constitutional Amendment 8 (ACA 8), a proposition that would end involuntary servitude in state prisons.

The state senate approved the ballot measure June 27, two years after a similar measure was rejected. ACA 8 would mostly impact all prisons in the state that currently use slave labor and indentured servitude as a punishment for crime.

The same day, the bill’s author and California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) Chair Lori Wilson made amendments to the legislation before the Senate voted 68-0, clearing the measure to appear as a ballot proposition for voters to decide in the November elections.

ACA 8 is part of a 14-bill package sponsored by the CLBC to implement policy recommendations from the state-funded reparations task force.

“It is a testament to our collective resolve to correct historical wrongs and ensure that every individual in California is treated with the dignity and respect they deserve,” said Wilson.

“Now, as we look ahead to the November 2024 ballot, let us continue to work with the same spirit of determination and unity that has brought us to this moment,” she said.

A section of California’s Constitution state, “slavery and involuntary servitude are prohibited.” However, state law makes an exception for incarcerated individuals.

Inmates can earn as much as 48 cents per hour for working as technicians. Inmates working as firefighters earn approximately $5.80 per day to contain fires statewide.

Lawrence Cox, a former inmate and policy fellow with nonprofit Legal Services for Prisoners with Children said forced labor prevents inmates from focusing on rehabilitation. He shared in front of the senate committee that California designates approximately 65,000 work assignments to inmates, including high risk job tasks.

Cox was incarcerated for 17 years and shared that he was often forced to work and had no right to refuse dangerous work assignments.

“I have been forced to work jobs and had jobs where I couldn’t get out,” said Cox. “When I wanted to take my on-site college courses to complete my degree, forced labor was prioritized over my rehabilitation.”

Depending on the outcome of the vote, the anti-slavery measure requires the state to pay inmates minimum wage $16 per hour for their job assignments. The California Department of Finance estimated that it would cost the state $1.5 billion to pay inmates at minimum wage.

If approved, California will join Alabama, Colorado, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah and Vermont in outlawing indentured servitude.

Jamilia Land, a Sacramento-based advocate who contributed to drafting ACA 8 and serves as Coordinator of the End Slavery in California Act Coalition, called the passage of ACA 8 “exciting news.”

Encouraging all Californians to support the measure, Land said, “In November, voters will have the opportunity to support the End Slavery in California Act directly at the ballot box. Stay informed and help spread awareness on ways to contribute to ending slavery in California. Visit our website at www.abolishslavery.us to join the effort.”

ACA 8 was passed without requiring the approval of Gov. Gavin Newsom. The amendment qualified for the November ballot on June 28, the last day to finalize propositions for the November ballot.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

California’s U.S. Senators Padilla and Butler Support Bill That Would Double Pell Grants

Don't Miss

California Supreme Court Blocks Anti-Tax Measure from Appearing on November Ballot

Oakland Post

Click to comment

California Black Media

Study: UC 4-Year Grad Rate Doubles That of CSU

Graduation rates at the University of California have increased by 10 points over the last ten years putting the college system on track to achieve its 2030 graduation goals, according to a report on college completion in the state released by the Public Policy Institute of California. Recent data indicated that the UC system has a graduation rate of 73% for four-year students and a six-year graduation rate of 86%, according to the institution’s data. The system will increase the four-year graduation rate to 76% and the six-year rate to 90% by 2030. However, students at California State University are lagging behind with a graduation rate of 36% for four-year students and a 62% for six-year graduation rate. The graduation rates for students in the UC system are more than double that of students at CSU. Consequently, it is unlikely that CSU will meet its graduation goal of graduating 40% of four-year students and 70% of six-year students by 2025.

Published

6 days ago

October 1, 2024

Oakland Post

iStock Photo

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Recent data indicated that the UC system has a graduation rate of 73% for four-year students and a six-year graduation rate of 86%, according to the institution’s data. The system will increase the four-year graduation rate to 76% and the six-year rate to 90% by 2030.

However, students at California State University are lagging behind with a graduation rate of 36% for four-year students and a 62% for six-year graduation rate. The graduation rates for students in the UC system are more than double that of students at CSU. Consequently, it is unlikely that CSU will meet its graduation goal of graduating 40% of four-year students and 70% of six-year students by 2025.

The report revealed that nonprofit institutions have relatively high completion rates compared to a high number of for-profit and private colleges that have lower graduation rates.

Researchers stated that longstanding equity gaps in college completion persist indicating that Black and Latino students graduate at lower rates of 52% and 64% The data is varied in comparison to White and Asian students who graduate at higher rates of 75% and 83%, respectively.

Nonetheless, the report showed that Black students in the UC system graduated at a rate of 78% in four years, nearly double the graduation number of Black students in the CSU system with a rate of 47 percent.

“Campus and regional disparities are stark,” the report stated regarding the varying graduation rates at the different college locations.

“Despite progress, equity gaps at UC remain nearly as large as they were in 2018. At CSU, gaps have widened over time; however, many campuses have made progress in closing them,” the report stated about the equity gaps in the college systems.

The state has set a goal to achieve a graduation rate of 70% by 2030.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Bay Area

State of Black California: Oakland Tour Stop Rescheduled

The 2024 State of Black California Tour stop in Oakland has been rescheduled from Sept. 28 to Dec. 13, at the Oakland Museum of California. Registration for the event is closed after reaching maximum capacity, according to CBBF’s website.   Registration for the Oct. 5 tour stop in Moreno Valley is closed as well. Al Sharpton will be a guest speaker at that event.

Published

6 days ago

October 1, 2024

Oakland Post

At the State of Black California event in Sacramento on Sept. 14. From left to right: Asm. Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley), Asm. Chris Holden (D-Sacramento) and Asm. Mia Bonta (Oakland).

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

The 2024 State of Black California Tour stop in Oakland has been rescheduled from Sept. 28 to Dec. 13, at the Oakland Museum of California. Registration for the event is closed after reaching maximum capacity, according to CBBF’s website.

Registration for the Oct. 5 tour stop in Moreno Valley is closed as well. Al Sharpton will be a guest speaker at that event.

The series, co-hosted by the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), has made stops in San Diego, Santa Barbara, Fresno, and Sacramento.

The State of Black California series creates space for Black Californians to engage the public and policymakers on the issues that impact the Black community. It will also provide conversations about the status of reparations legislation.

The CBFF is a five-year, $100 million measure to ensure that Black power-building and movement-based organizations have the sustainable investments and effective resources needed to remove systemic and institutional racism. CBFF was the benefactor of $3.5 million in state funds last year, distributed to various Black networks in the state.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

California Black Media

Sen. Laphonza Butler Helps Secure Nomination of Central California Federal Judge Michelle Williams Court

Last week, U.S. Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, helped to secure the nomination of Judge Michelle Williams Court as Judge for the Central District of California with a vote of 49-44. In her new role, Court became the third Black woman and fifth in the court’s history to serve as an Article III Judge in the state’s Central District. Since 2012, Court worked for the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County.

Published

6 days ago

October 1, 2024

Oakland Post

Judge Michelle Williams Court. File photo.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

In her new role, Court became the third Black woman and fifth in the court’s history to serve as an Article III Judge in the state’s Central District.

Since 2012, Court worked for the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County.

In 2023, she was a supervising judge in the court’s civil division. Before being a judge, she worked as an attorney, then later became the vice president and general counsel at Bet Tzedek Legal Services, a nonprofit law firm specializing in human rights and poverty justice.

Court dedicated her career as a lawyer to civil rights and social development. She led and contributed to several projects at the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and the American Civil Liberties Union in Southern California. The judge earned her Juris Doctor in 1993 from the Loyola Law School at the Loyola Marymount University, and she received her bachelor’s in 1988 from Pomona College.

“The Central District of California serves roughly seventeen million people, making it the largest federal district by population in the entire United States. The judges who serve these Californians are currently facing an unprecedented number of filings, making the need to fill the court’s vacancies all that more urgent. It is commonly said that ‘justice delayed is justice denied,’ and at this moment the people of California’s Central District are indeed being denied justice as a direct result of these judicial vacancies,” said Butler in her statement on the Senate Floor urging her colleagues to approve Court’s nomination.

Butler also praised Court’s commitment to justice and track record of serving the state of California.

“Her nomination is an important step towards building trust in our legal system by ensuring that our federal courts reflect and represent the diversity of the people it serves,” he said regarding Judge Court’s career serving in the state’s justice system.