SOME LA PAROLEES AND PROBATIONERS WILL NOW BE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE SECTION 8 VOUCHERS
On Tuesday, the LA County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 in favor of opening up Section 8 program eligibility to parolees and probationers whose low-level drug crime convictions are more than two years old. Supe. Hilda Solis voted alongside Sheila Kuehl and Mark Ridley-Thomas who introduced the motion.
Until now, just one small drug crime, even from five or six years prior, excluded people on community supervision from accessing housing vouchers through the Section 8 program.
Although this is an important step toward reducing recidivism and equipping former offenders with the right tools to successfully reenter their communities, the current waitlist for housing vouchers has 43,000 names on it, and is expected to be closed to new applicants for at least the next few years. And the approximately 1,200 spots expected to open up over the next year will not make a dent.
To be clear, this decision does not change eligibility requirements for living in any of the 3000 public housing units managed by the county. Specifically, it allows people on probation and parole to apply for what are called “housing choice vouchers,” through which participants choose their own residence (as long as the housing meets certain program requirements).
While those on community supervision will no longer be blocked from the voucher program, landlords still have the right to perform background checks on prospective housing voucher tenants.
LA County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl spoke with KPCC’s Larry Mantle on AirTalk before the board’s decision. Here are some clips of what Kuehl said about the particulars of the motion and why it’s so important.
[Regarding LA’s homeless population]: We hear a lot about veterans, but we don’t hear a lot about people coming out of jail, or for that matter, young people coming out of our probation camps at the age of 18. We didn’t want to bar them if they qualified in every other way for housing vouchers.
[SNIP]
They haven’t shown any proof that public housing is safer because they’re barring people on probation or parole. As a matter of fact, if you ask any of the probation officers, their impression is that it would be safer, because these men and women have to report to them quite often… There’s much more checking-up than there is on any other kind of resident. And having people camping out in the homeless population nearby doesn’t make you any safer either.
The data shows that you’re far less likely to recidivate…if you have a permanent place to live. So it seems like we’re cutting off our nose to spite our face by barring people who have served their time.
Listen to the rest of Kuehl’s interview with Larry Mantle.
REPORT: “NOT JUST A FERGUSON PROBLEM — HOW TRAFFIC COURTS DRIVE INEQUALITY IN CALIFORNIA”
In a system that is not dissimilar to Ferguson, MO’s target="_blank">policing-for-profit strategy, California traffic courts frequently suspend drivers licenses of those who are unable to pay outsized fines for minor tickets, according to a report released Wednesday by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area. It’s no surprise that the practice has a disproportionately negative impact on poor and minority Californians, costing people their jobs when they can’t drive to work and creating an often insurmountable pile of debt via lost wages and late fees.
According to the report California is home to nearly four million people with suspended licenses (that’s 17% of the state’s licensed adults), and has racked up more than $10 billion in uncollected court-ordered debt.
The New York Times’ Timothy Williams has more on the issue. Here are some clips:
In an Alameda County traffic court case, for example, a $25 ticket given to a motorist who had failed to update the home address on her driver’s license within the state law’s allotted 10 days led a traffic court judge to suspend her license when she was unable to pay the fine.
The accumulation of fees and penalties for late payment increased her fine to $2,900, and the woman — identified in the report only as “Alyssa” — was fired from her job as a bus driver because she no longer possessed a valid driver’s license and is now receiving public assistance, according to the report, which was prepared by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, which worked in conjunction with other California legal aid groups.
“These suspensions make it harder for people to get and keep jobs, further impeding their ability to pay their debt,” the report said. “Ultimately, they keep people in long cycles of poverty that are difficult, if not impossible to overcome.”
[SNIP]
Ferguson’s policies, the Justice Department report said, resulted in a disproportionate number of arrests, citations and traffic stops of African-Americans and was among the factors in the public anger that led to weeks of demonstrations there after Mr. Brown’s death.
In California, a 2012 state analysis unrelated to the new report found that assessments tacked onto tickets by California lawmakers meant that a $500 traffic ticket actually cost $1,953 — even if it was paid on time. A $100 ticket for failure to have proof of auto insurance cost $490 — and increased to $815 if the motorist missed the initial deadline to appear in court or to pay the ticket.
Among the fees included in the cost of a traffic ticket were assessments for court operations, court construction and DNA collection.
YEARS AFTER THEIR RELEASE, FORMER OFFENDERS STILL FACE EXTREME HURDLES TO ENTERING (AND STAYING IN) THE WORKFORCE
Al Jazeera America’s Naureen Khan has some excellent reporting on the impenetrability of America’s workforce for former offenders seeking employment.
Khan’s story follows Jesse Killings who has spent years trying to land steady and stable work after fighting over his wife with another man. Jesse wins small victories over the stigma of his criminal record, but when a job or internship ends, he lands right back where he started. And his story is far from uncommon.
Here are some clips:
…on a March night in 2001, he drove to his mother-in-law’s house, he says, to see if he and his wife could work through their problems. Instead, he found another man under the same roof. Killings admits that he was the one to throw the first punch. “My emotions went through the roof,” he said. “I bee lined to where he was. We were two rams.”
In the flurry of fists that followed, Killings’ dreams were caving in around him. He was charged with felony counts of burglary — for entering his mother-in-law’s home — and assault.
“I did that, I’m guilty,” Killings said.
He served for only three months through a plea deal his public defender urged him to take, but Killings says the felony convictions have cast an immeasurably long shadow on his life since then. He lost his scholarship. He’s had to rely on homeless shelters and draw from food banks. In 2005, he was so desperate that he stole $200 from the till of a bookstore he was temporarily staffing after he says his employers did not pay him.
Killings says he accepts responsibility for the mistakes of his past and only wants to rebuild his life. But redemption is hard to find when his decade-old record stands in the way of a steady employment and a decent wage, even after he moved across the country to Fredericksburg for a fresh start.
TONIGHT: FIRST TOWN HALL MEETING TO GATHER INPUT ON CITIZEN’S OVERSIGHT COMMISSION FOR LA SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT
The working group tasked with advising the LA County Board of Supervisors on the structure, power, and objective of a civilian oversight commission for the sheriff’s department are holding town hall meetings to gather community input on the issue. Over the next few weeks, in nine different locations across the county, citizens will be able to share comments and recommendations with the working group and thus take part (or take an active role) in the creation of the oversight panel.
Here’s the info for a few of the upcoming meetings (the first one is tonight):
April 9: Florence Firestone Service Center
6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Community Room
7807 S. Compton Ave.
Los Angeles, 90001April 14: El Cariso Community Regional Center
6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
13100 Hubbard Street
Sylmar, 91342April 15: Bassett Community Center
6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
510 North Vineland Ave.
La Puente, 91746
For those who care about this oversight issue, find the location nearest to you and contribute to the discussion. Here’s the full list.
Speaking of Oversight.
Jeff Steck {ALADS President} When are YOU going to come CLEAN with ALADS Finances?
1) Explain the $830.00 monthly Auto Allowance for you and your Vice President.
2) Explain why the civilian office manager{secretary} makes $8000.00 monthly.
These are 2 of many questions that the membership should be aware of. More to follow.
Jeff Steck: {ALADS President} To emphasize your constant speech of TRANSPARENCY. …Feel free to make membership aware of the continuous financial picture at/of ALADS.
1) In addition to the monthly $830.00 Auto Allowance, explain to membership why you and the V.P. also have separate GAS CARDS for fuel. Explain to membership that ALADS has a Company Vehicle (separate gas card) which is used consistently by you. (Former President Floyd Hayhurst bought a Maserati)
2) Explain to membership that ANY legal representation (even within scope of duty) is not automatic and must be VOTED upon by the Board of Directors.
Jeff Steck {ALADS President}
1) Does /did membership approve a pay raise to you and V.P. on top of the 5% that you receive as a full release time employee on loan to ALADS? You made a small blip of that in a previous issue of the Dispatcher.
2) Have you made known to membership the cost of ALL legal fees? Have you responded to members who suggested additional Attorneys in lieu of yearly 2 million plus…. services of Dick Shinee.
Jeff Steck {ALADS President} Regarding Transparency:
1)When will you open the election to the ALADS Board of Directors to all members. The current rule for deputies requiring 75% attendance rule as a representative is in VIOLATION of the Corporations Code. Alads is a Corporation.
2) Have you made members aware of the $20.00 (paid every December) paid to Alads representatives for every meeting attended. (Max $240.00)
@ 2. I’m not surprised.
Two heads of Law enforcement Agencies (Charleston P.D & San Bernardino Sheriff Department) stated that the actions of their officers was troubling.
I find that statements above concerning ALADS, troubling. Perhaps ALADS should confirm or deny. Looks to me like “the cat is out the bag”. Do tell.
@ Alads Uncensored. Concerning Oversight, Transparency and ALADS in the same room…….
Good luck with that. Your odds of 777 in Vegas is are way better & more likely.
@ 1-4. Dues are paid, Promises made. Deputies don’t mind, pretty much blind.
It appears what is going on with ALADS is the same old story with any union that has access to big bucks.
The union leadership exploits it and uses their positions to pad their pockets and live the high life on the union’s dime. Does anybody really need it explained to them why the office secretary makes 96k a year? That doesn’t need to be explained, it’s self explanatory. It simply needs to be exposed.
For those of you who have ever sat back and asked yourself why those guys would fight so hard for union leadership positions, while you think to yourself: “Who needs the hassle”?, the answer is very simple. It pays VERY well. It just doesn’t come in the form of a traditional paycheck. It’s disguised as Auto Allowance, gas cards, take home cars, and a union credit card in your wallet that picks up 90% of your meals (if not more), including your bar tab.
The ALADS President and VP live like a “Big shot”. The ALADS BOD knows this and they keep it to themselves. They aren’t about to kill the Golden Goose. Their time in one of those positions is right around the corner.
No need for reforms, transparency or explanations from ALADS. Deputies still 100% aligned (how be it, reluctantly) are complacent and comfortable.
The smarter Deputies walk away and join LASPA. This is not an endorsement for LASPA, however it is the viable option.
When a person or group are truly “TIRED” then they “Do Something”. So much for sheep being led off the cliff.
No response needed.
Oh Well: Your comments on ALADS is 100% Fact.
I and many others have called them on it. We then received the “Scarlet Letter”, then were banished . I’ll bet my retirement that the previous stated numbers are right on the money.
For those who don’t know….ALADS offices are worth 6 million. (No mortgage)
Love those monthly dues.
Meals of ALADS cardholders (All seven on Board of Directors have a credit card) are 100% covered. That includes the so-called “business constituents” whom they court, conducting business. Imagine that.
How else could the former President Hayhurst of ALADS flaunt a Maserati after a eight year tenure at ALADS.
All I see is complaining about ALADS. Like I have said before, there is about a 10% to 12% return on the ballots concerning voting for Directors. That doesn’t exactly scream “we’re watching!” How many of you complainers are Reps. Go down there and do something about it.
@ HUH…..You’re totally clueless. Ask Steck to confirm or deny, the above stated entries. Get facts before you flap your gums. Typical.
@Huh….Your task, Student..is to (you yourself) ask the HARD QUESTIONS at a REP meeting.. The masses (department wide)are not exposed to what really goes on in ALADS.
LASPA starters originally were ALADS REPS who asked the HARD QUESTIONS. The rest is history Ignorance is bliss, repeated warnings are life saving.
The challenge & change will only come through exposure. It appears as though that is whats happening on the his thread.
Read through the lines and “ASK THE HARD QUESTIONS” Until then…Carry On.
For those who are slowly catching on, don’t be mislead. The current Board of Directors at ALADS are loyal Hayhurst followers who quenche their thirst out his punch bowl. Trust me on this. Current rep meetings are the funniest shows in Town
Sleepers wake up and get fresh coffee. Those 3 who were appointed (not voted in) will be off the board in November.
Mark this date and refer back to it in November. It’s just a matter of time.
@ALADS News Uncensored: This is where you coward mud slingers always lose any following you might have originally had. Go back and read my post. I didn’t say anything to dispute what you call facts. All I did was challenge you and the membership to get more involved, and some how that makes me “clueless!” The problem is you and the rest of the cowards who want to “expose” ALADS, do it from the cheap seats, but that’s the extent of your involvement. They’re taking almost a hundred dollars a month from you and all you can do is complain on this blog.
Huh……It is evident that the truth hurts you. #15 gave you explicit instructions, waiting on your answers. Don’t knock this blog. Witness L.A. exposed the idiots at LASD.Trust me, before the ball drops on the corruption at ALADS, and it will. Celeste will get first wave of the facts,(It won’t be the first time). After that I’ll treat you to a beer or ice cream cone. For your example, look at the different individuals (deputies to commanders) who had valid info about LASD that was met on deaf ears. Nothing happened, until WLA made it known. You may hate “Rags” but they definitely bring exposure
It was dubbed PANDORA’S BOX. The rest is history.
@ALADS News Uncensored: “It is evident the truth hurts you!” Really? Exactly were is it evident? I’ll say it slowly, I am not disputing that ALADS is a mess. I am challenging all you blow hards to get involved!
As far as #15 giving me explicit instructions, “Student,” that just makes me laugh. Been there done that! I got tired of being the only one talking openly, in their face while the rest of you complained behind the scenes, but never did anything. If you knew me, you’d be chowing down on some crow right about now, so quit making assumptions. I’ve moved on, because guys like you just blow smoke. Your the same type of person who calls for police service, but doesn’t want to be contacted.
As far as WLA playing a major part in exposing our corruption, you’re damn right they did, and they did a good job. And, I was vocal then,too! Your assumption that I hate this site is once again you jumping to conclusions.
The only thing I don’t like has nothing to do with them. What I don’t like is the realization of how many cowards are on the department who speak out of both sides of their mouth. I say this because there are a whole lot of people on here complaining, but I have yet to meet anyone in person who actually is doing something to fix ALADS and/or our Department. Everyone I know wants to lay low and fly under the radar, kiss ass to get that next promotion or leave it up to the next guy to fix, and I would be remiss if I did not mention the hardworking line Deps who just want to take people to jail, but most of them don’t want to help fix anything either!
@ Huh……Based upon what you say and what I know, I will introduce myself and show you HARD EVIDENCE of the fight & preparation behind the scenes, when these clowns are exposed to membership. You will be surprised.
@ALADS News Uncensored: I doubt anything would surprise me, anymore! But, I look forward to you telling me something I don’t know/suspect. And, I look forward to you exposing “the clowns!”