Initiate Justice Action

Power Building: Our mission is focused on building the political power of system-impacted Californians because those harmed by the carceral system are closest to the solutions.More than tripled IJ Actions total membership base, starting 2023 with 46 members and ending the year with 162 members (average of 10.5 new members per month).Held four in-person events including the first-ever Community Impact Awards honoringthe incredible work of community leaders furthering IJ Actions mission.Provided four political organizing opportunities including ones where members were able to travel to Sacramento for lobby days and advocacy.Held monthly trainings for members on topics ranging from advocacy 101 to building apolitical campaign or ballot measure.Civic Engagement: A core function of IJ Actions work is ensuring impacted Californians and their families are civically engaged and empowered to participate in the political arena.Facilitated nine civic engagement workshops at various reentry facilities.Workshops were held across three cities with hundreds of system-impacted participants.During the civic engagement workshops, we encouraged 129 participants to fill out assessments before and after our training. Major findings include:o Before the workshop, more than 26% of participants mistakenly thought people on parole did not have the right to vote. This number decreased to 1% in the post-assessment.o Before the workshop, 67% of respondents identified voting as very important, but that number increased to 89% after the workshop. o After our workshop, 81% of respondents committed to voting in the next election.Policy Advocacy: IJ Action made significant headway in policy advocacy in 2023 from leading legislative coalitions to strengthening co-governance with our state elected officials.Led a broad coalition to introduce ACA 4 by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, which would refer a measure to the November 2024 ballot to restore voting rights for Californians completing a prison sentence.Submitted letters of support or opposition on nearly 40 public safety bills in the State Assembly and Senate, and two to Governor Newsom urging more prison closures.Published our Abolitionist Policy Platform, outlining a legislative roadmap for achieving true public safety without the need for destructive carceral systems.Published the first-ever Legislative Scorecard analyzing California lawmakers specifically on their public safety voting records. Elections: Every election season, IJ Action seeks to deepen the bench of leaders in Sacramento who are committed to championing abolitionist policies that invest in our communities and move us away from failed carceral approaches.Facilitated three virtual candidate forums giving our members the opportunity to hear directly from State Assembly and Senate candidates about their public safety priorities. Thirty-four candidates from across the state participated in all.Researched and developed a Voter Guide for the March 5, 2024 Presidential Primary Election encompassing all 327 certified candidates for State Assembly and State Senate.Laid the groundwork for Candidate Endorsements for the 2024 cycle, set to begin after the primary elections are completed.