Prop 20 could devastate families and incarcerate more Californians under the guise of community safety. We aren't standing for it. 

"California Rabbis Against Proposition 20" (Letter signed by more than 80 rabbis)

Take Action

Phone Bank with the No on 20 coalition between now and election day.

Media

"Prop. 20 Will Take California Backwards" by Alison Sloan (Bay Area Chapter)

"Vote no on Prop. 20’s prison reform rollback" (South Bay Chapter)

"No on Prop. 20" (SoCal Chapter)

What are we fighting for?

In 2014 and 2016, Bend the Arc: Jewish Action fought for the passage of props 47 and 57. These propositions contributed to some of the lowest incarceration rates in our state’s history. Prop 20 threatens to roll back the gains made by these initiatives.

We fought for props 47 and 57 because we’re committed to ending mass incarceration. We work through a racial justice lens, recognizing mass incarceration's roots in white supremacy and anti-blackness. We value the leadership of partner organizations representing communities most directly impacted by mass incarceration. For these reasons, we are committed to working with our partners to protect the gains we've made in decarcerating California by defeating prop 20.

Why we oppose Prop 20

Prop 20 would prolong prison sentences, block parole opportunities, limit rehabilitation, and push parolees back into the prison system. This would:

• Devastate families and communities, particularly communities of color by incarcerating more Californians and saddling them with a felony record. 
• Crowd the state’s prisons and jails, resulting in unsafe living conditions – in the Covid-19 outbreaks we are already seeing terrible consequences of unsafe prison conditions.

• Cost hundreds of millions of dollars per year and divert resources from social programs and community-based services. 

Our partner organizations

Bend the Arc proudly organizes against prop 20 within a statewide coalition of community organizations, unions and elected officials. Coalition members include:

• ACLU of California
• California Democratic Party
• Californians for Safety and Justice
• California Partnership to End Domestic Violence
• California Teachers Association
• Chief Probation Officers of California
• Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice
• Governor Jerry Brown
• National Center for Victims of Crime 
• SEIU California

For more information about the coalition, visit https://noprop20.vote/.

Act Locally

Bay Area
Bay Area Organizing Meetings

Volunteer Signup Form

San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo Organizing Meetings

Volunteer Signup Form

Southern California
SoCal Organizing Meetings

South Bay
South Bay Organizing Meetings

Volunteer Signup Form

Resources

• "Investing in Failure," A report on the ramifications of passing Prop 20 by the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
• "Prop 20 Would Fuel Racial Injustice," A report that finds passing Prop 20 would disproportionately hurt Californians of Color.