Convention delegates say measure would facilitate the prosecution of more youth as adults

The Federation joins dozens of organizations in opposing a measure claiming to increase public safety that the non-partisan Legislative Analyst has estimated will cost $1 billion the first year and $500 million every year thereafter in pursuit of failed policies that have led the state to the current budget crisis.

Dubbed the “Runner Initiative,” after one of its authors Republican Senator George Runner (Antelope Valley), the measure would seriously cripple the California budget by directing $20 billion tax dollars over 40 years to prisons, probation, and police, and putting additional unfunded mandates on local and county governments.

CFT opposes the costly measure on the grounds that it would facilitate the prosecution of more youth as adults, increase penalties for drug-related or gang-related offenses, create mandatory criminal background checks for housing subsidy recipients, and prohibit bail for undocumented immigrants charged with “gang related” felonies.

Instead of investing in proven community-based solutions, the initiative concentrates on punishment and will divert money from public schools and social services to prisons.

The measure was recently submitted to the Secretary of State for qualification for the state ballot. Other organizations and leaders opposing the Runner Initiative include the ACLU, California NAACP, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Youth Justice Coalition, Community Justice Network for Youth, Dolores Huerta and the Dolores Huerta Foundation, and Congresswoman Barbara Lee.