Thank you for supporting AB 218 Ban the Box

All of Us or None-San Diego

10/14/2113

 RE: SUPPORTERS OF AB 218 THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!

 All of Us or None-San Diego a movement of dedicated formerly incarcerated individuals who have earned our place back into society doing all we can make our communities a safe place for everyone.

Studies have shown that stable employment significantly lowers recidivism and promotes public safety. All of California will benefit when people with criminal records are no longer shut out of jobs and can financially support their families and contribute to a strong economic recovery.

Because people of color are especially hard hit, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently endorsed as a best practice removing the question about conviction histories from job applications to maximize compliance with federal civil rights law.  

AB 218 following the lead of six states and over 40 U.S. cities and counties that have removed the conviction history inquiry from initial job applications in public employment and instead delayed a criminal background check until the later stages of hiring. AB 218 allows people with a conviction history to compete fairly for employment without compromising safety and security at the workplace. The bill exempts jobs for which a criminal background check is legally required and law enforcement related positions.

Public sector employers in California have a special obligation to pave the way for the private sector to reduce barriers to employment of people with criminal records. For these reasons, we must continue to mobilizing for justice and organizing for real equality; All of Us or None.

Thank you,

Rev. Dennis Malone, Lead Organizer
All of Us or None-San Diego 

Letter from our National Director, please continue to next page…..

Dear Friends,

The signing of AB 218, the Fair Chance Employment Act, by Governor Brown creates enormous potential for California, formerly incarcerated people, and the community as a whole.  Now people with records will have a better chance to become employed, and thus to sustain themselves, their families, and contribute to their larger community. 
 
Criminal background checks undermine fair hiring practices and discriminate against a class of people solely based on prior conviction history. The new law prohibits initial inquiry about convictions on job applications for state agencies and local government jobs, postponing any background check until later in the hiring process.
 
Legal Services for Prisoners with Children and All of Us or None have been on a march to secure the full restoration of the civil and human rights of formerly incarcerated people for approximately 10 years. Our dedication to this mission is why we have been fighting to end structural discrimination in hiring and housing, represented by the question, “Have you been convicted...”
 
Over 10 years ago, All of Us or None initiated our Ban The Box campaign, which aims to prohibit employers, housing providers, and other quality-of-life providers from discriminating against people with records. Now thousands of individuals and hundreds of organizations, service providers, and elected officials around the country have joined in the campaign for fair chances in employment.

We are grateful for everyone’s contribution no matter how large or small. We want to thank Governor Brown for signing AB 218, and Assemblymember Dickinson for authoring it and being a champion for the bill. Most of all we appreciate the hard work and tireless efforts of our co-sponsors, the National Employment Law Project and PICO California. With them, we mobilized people all over the nation to support an end to discrimination based on prior records, and to opening up employment opportunities in California for people with past convictions. This new law is a tremendous victory for all of us.
 
Real public safety and public health means that everyone has access to sustainable employment, affordable housing, and a productive quality of life absent of any forms of discrimination.

The signing of AB 218 is one step towards equality. We now need to prohibit others, including private companies and contractors, from legally eliminating people with conviction histories from job opportunities. We need to create more meaningful and accessible jobs so that people returning to our communities can have a legitimate way to support themselves, and contribute to our society as a whole.

In pursuit of justice,

Dorsey Nunn
Executive Director