Brown's Billion Dollar Prison Plan Released

Yesterday, California Governor Jerry Brown announced his to raid budget reserves meant to restore anti-poverty programs for more prison expansion.

He wants to spend $315 million immediately, and billions over the next five years building and leasing prison and jail space up and down the state, and across the nation.

We're in for a brutal, fast-moving, but simple fight: either we force the Legislature to stand up to the Governor, or we lock in another decade of prison expansion.

There are 3 urgent steps to take as soon as you can:

1) Watch the video and send a message to your elected leaders TODAY
http://youtu.be/e8hmSp0GiK8

2) Help us Twitter BOMB the Assembly Dems: (#StoptheCABudgetRaid for #prison expansion? Join thousands and tell @AssemblyDems "no way!" http://bit.ly/17ebQwa #restoreca #cabudget)
https://twitter.com/CURB_Prisons

3) Please call the selected Assemblymembers before it's too late
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/51040/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=11877

Once again, Brown is using extreme fear mongering to try to preserve his prison regime at the expense of vital social programs and the health and wellbeing of our communities. He is cozying up to law enforcement agencies stoking images of a “mass release” of “predators.”

But, the good news is that because we're making tons of noise, pulling together a massive coalition of allies, and getting our story out in dozens of press outlets, we have a real shot to defeat this.

By Thursday, the legislature will start debating the plan. That gives us 48 hours to turn the tide: we need a plan that shrinks the prison system through common sense sentencing reforms, and the expansion of elder parole, medical parole and good time credits.

California was on a path to begin restoring the devastating cuts that have been made to families, students, and children. If this goes through, it derails that possibility for years to come.

Let's stop it.

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Hello my name is _________ and I am calling to let you know that I am disgusted by Gov. Brown's plan to spend billions of dollars to expand our prison capacity. I believe the only sustainable solution to reducing overcrowding is to reduce the number of people who are imprisoned in California. I hope that instead of dipping into the state budget reserve to finance additional prison beds that you will look at more cost effective methods of releasing people from our overcrowded prisons. There is overwhelming support for your administration to release people from our overcrowded prisons immediately and we need your leadership today!

Assemblywomen Nancy Skinner:
(916) 319-2015

Assemblywomen Toni Atkins
(916) 319-2078

Assemblymember Anthony Rendon
(916) 319-2063

Assemblymember Roger Dickinson
(916) 319 - 2007

Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer
(916) 319-2059

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Education, Health and Human Service and Criminal Justice advocates from across California are fighting back! Californians United for a Responsible Budget is working with the California Partnership, CourageCampaign.org, PICO California, ACLU, California Families to Abolish Solitary Confinement, Friends Committee on Legislation California, 9 to 5 Working Women, California Coalition for Women Prisoners, CAPPA Children's Foundation, American Friends Service Committee, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, A New PATH, FACTS Education Fund, Families to Amend California's Three Strikes, Fair Chance Project, San Francisco Bay View National Black Newspaper, Sin Barras, Critical Resistance LA, Critical Resistance Oakland, Lutheran Office of Public Policy- California, Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, Justice Not Jails, California Latinas for Reproductive Justice, Women's Council of the CA Chapter of the National Association Of Social Workers, SJRA Advocate, BANANAS, Child Care Links and more.