BREAKING NEWS: STATE SENATOR HOLLY MITCHELL ENDORSES BALLOT MEASURE AIMED AT L.A. COUNTY JAILS Senate Budget Chair Holly Mitchell endorses Reform L.A. Jails for the March 2020 ballot

Los Angeles, CA - August 27, 2019 - Just two weeks after their historic victory against L.A. County with the cancellation of a $1.7 billion design and build contract with McCarthy Builders to replace the Men’s Central Jail in Downtown , Reform L.A. Jails has announced the endorsement of California State Senator and Senate Budget Committee Chair Holly Mitchell for their March 2020 ballot measure. The ballot measure will give the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Civilian Oversight Commission subpoena power to help fight deputy misconduct and corruption as well as force the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to first produce a study that looks at reducing the jail populations and redirecting the cost savings to alternatives to incarceration to reduce recidivism, prevent crime, and permanently lessen the population of people cycling into and out of jail that are experiencing mental health, drug dependency, or chronic homelessness issues before spending over $3.5 billion on building new jails.

"We know that jails alone are not the answer,” said Senator Mitchell who represents a large swath of L.A. County including Culver City, Ladera Heights, and a large part of South L.A. "If we are serious about rehabilitation, prevention and improving our communities, then we must invest in local organizations and evidenced based practices that are effective. I support the work Reform L.A. Jails is doing to ensure our Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission has the power to be transparent and accountable to the community."

Senator Mitchell has been one of the most pivotal advocates for criminal justice reform in the state by having successfully passed the Equality and Justice Package, 10 criminal justice reform bills that placed a greater emphasis on prevention, rehabilitation and maintaining family cohesion. "Having Senator Holly Mitchell endorse this campaign is another great victory on the forefront of Reform L.A. Jail’s fight against building new jails and providing much needed alternatives to those experiencing a mental health crisis,” said Patrisse Cullors, Reform L.A. Jails Chair. Reform L.A. Jails ballot measure eliminates the option for the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department to deny the Civilian Oversight Commission access to Sheriff’s Department records, policies, and facilities and mandates that the Commission develops a comprehensive Public Safety Reinvestment Plan and Feasibility Study to reduce jail populations particular with homeless individuals and the mentally ill. L.A. County’s Sheriff’s Department’s existing practices of not sharing information with the Civilian Oversight Commission doesn't work for anybody. The public suffers by not being able to get answers to critical questions causing the Sheriff’s Department and L.A. County to fail to meet their stated mutual goal of improving public transparency and accountability. At the same time, thousands of people whose mental health problems go unaddressed get arrested for conduct they often can’t control. They sit in jail, awaiting trial. They are convicted, return to jail, serve a few weeks or months, and are released with no continuing care and often no place to live but the street. With their illnesses still untreated, they offend again, and the cycle repeats. The sick remain sick, the streets and jails fill, the costs mount which isn’t good for anyone--those suffering from mental illness who go in and out of jail, Los Angeles County taxpayers, L.A. County or the Sheriff’s Department. Senator Mitchell joins a growing list of Los Angeles County elected officials, influencers and community organizations that are rallying around Reform L.A. Jails. The Reform L.A. Jails ballot measure will appear on the March 3, 2020 ballot in L.A. County. For more information, please visit www.reformlajails.com

### Notable coverage on #CancelMcCarthyContract Campaign & Reform LA Jails Below:

NY Times “Why Los Angeles Officials Voted to Cancel An Almost 2 Billion Contract” The Root “Patrisse Cullors, Reform LA Jails Lead the Charge to Decriminalize Mental Health with #CancelMcCarthyContract Campaign” LA Times “$1.7-Billion Jail Project Could Be Scrapped by L.A. County to Focus on Mental Health”

Los Angeles Daily News “LA County Supervisors Scrap $1.7 billion Contract to Replace Jail: ‘It’s time to do the right thing’” BET.com “LA County Scraps Mental Health Jail After Protests Led By Reform LA Jails” About Reform L.A. County Jails:

Reform L.A. County Jails is a committee formed to support a 2020 county-wide ballot initiative to grant the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department Civilian Oversight Commission with subpoena power to effectively and independently investigate misconduct and to develop a plan to reduce jail populations and to redirect the cost savings into alternatives to incarceration. Reform L.A. County Jails represents a coalition of citizens, community leaders, businesses, and organizations that recognize we need a more effective strategy to reduce recidivism, prevent crime, and permanently reduce the population of people cycling in and out of jail that are experiencing mental health, drug dependency or chronic homelessness issues.

Brittany Concannon Senior Director of Publicity FYI Brand Group 212-586-2240