STATEMENT: Justice Equity Alliance (JEA) Celebrates Measure J and Welcomes the Implementation of Inclusive, Equitable Justice Reinvestment in L.A. County

LOS ANGELES, CA – The people have spoken. The overwhelming passage of Measure J – strongly supported by our Justice Equity Alliance (JEA) member organizations – signals a new day in Los Angeles County.  

This underlines county residents’ commitment to dismantle the world’s largest jail system and move toward a care first, jails last approach but also to providing the essential resources necessary to make that approach successful.  

Building on county voters’ strong support of Measure R earlier this year, the Board of Supervisors has a powerful mandate to upend the status quo of suppression and incarceration and build a properly funded system of community-based care and support in its place. Along with improved budget and procedural accountability of the Sheriff Department, the JEA is eager to see the fiscal resources made possible by Measures R and J turn into lasting change for those most harmed by decades of a jail-first approach. 

We welcome the Board of Supervisors’ thoughtful, strategic Measure J implementation plan. Now it’s time to get to work – together – on creating a care-first county.   

We support the Board to ensure this transformational process: 

• Collaboratively brings community and departmental expertise to bear on our most pressing challenges. 
• Continues its vigilant oversight of the Sheriff’s department, whose poor leadership and contempt of community are emblematic of a failed approach to “public safety.” 
• Improves service capacity by partnering with these essential providers. 
• Uses data to equitably allocate funding to communities that need it most – low income and communities of color burdened by the old, jail-first approach. 

We must also ensure that our budget continues to reflect our values – that every Measure J dollar shifted to our communities goes toward alternatives to incarceration, increasing access to capital for Black-owned businesses, youth development programs, as well as housing and renter supports.  

This victory could not have been achieved without the leadership of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors nor the Reimagine LA coalition of advocates, organizers, and neighbors clamoring for alternatives to incarceration. County residents, Board leadership, community advocacy, and taxpayer commitments have brought us to the brink of transformational change – a truly reimagined landscape of justice, safety, racial equity, and well-being in Los Angeles County. The JEA stands with you and the communities we partner with to ensure this vision becomes the everyday reality of all Angelenos. 

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LA Justice Equity Alliance (a coalition of partners include Community Coalition, Advancement Project California, and LA Voice) 

The Justice Equity Alliance champions public safety and better economic outcomes for all. Over the last 30 years, society has put the blame on the individual as huge numbers of Black & Brown people were incarcerated. It’s resulted in a humanitarian and financial crisis because the individual isn’t the root cause of the problem — it’s the system generated poverty coupled with disinvestment from public health resources. It’s time for real justice reinvestment and proven public safety measures such as community-based rehabilitation and prevention services. 

Community Coalition 

For nearly 30 years, Community Coalition has provided a hub to elevate South LA’s voice and empower residents to take control over the future of their neighborhood. Community Coalition works with residents to build a prosperous and healthy South LA with safe neighborhoods, quality schools, a strong social safety net. The coalition continues to work on positive economic development that reduces crime, poverty and substance abuse in South LA through resident organizing, direct advocacy, and community support services. www.cocosouthla.org  

Advancement Project California 

Advancement Project California is a multi-racial, multi-generational racial justice organization with expertise in research, advocacy, and policy. We work with partners and communities to expand educational opportunities for California’s children, create healthy and safe neighborhoods, ensure communities of color have a voice in our democracy, strengthen movement-building, and shift public investments toward programs that benefit all Californians—not just the privileged few.

For more information, visit www.advancementprojectca.org or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

LA Voice 

LA Voice is a multi-racial, multi-faith community organization that awakens people to their own power, training them to speak, act, and work together to transform our County into one that reflects the dignity of all people. The organization believes that all people have power and a voice. Every day we amplify that power by uniting diverse faith voices to stand up for what their communities need, winning changes that improve the lives of all Angelenos. www.lavoice.org