As the dust settles from this election, some may rush to declare that Proposition 36’s passage or other results mark ‘the end of criminal justice reform in California.’ This view is not just misleading—it is dangerous. Now, more than ever, our state cannot afford to embrace more fear-driven, regressive policies. To truly protect our communities, we must actively resist this path and recommit to solutions that move us forward, not pull us back.
The passage of Prop. 36 is not the death of progress—it is a setback carefully orchestrated by powerful special interest groups. Our coalition of more than 80 organizations remains unwavering in its resolve to reduce toxic incarceration and to fight for a future rooted in community and dignity. We are energized, unwavering, and prepared to resist at every level—local, county, and state.
Prop. 36 is a misguided attempt to revive the failed War on Drugs and will divert resources from the services Californians urgently need. The Yes side, heavily funded by corporate giants, was so well-resourced that the ‘nonpartisan’ effort contributed $1 million to the Republican Party while continuing to solicit small donors for cash just days before the election. Prop. 36 is a prison spending scam—one that leaves Californians on the hook for another wave of racist incarceration. This is occurring amid a budget deficit, with the state allocating $19 billion annually to corrections and costing $132,000 each year to incarcerate a single person. Prop. 36 will cost California hundreds of millions each year and drain essential funds from vital services like mental health care, housing, and substance use treatment.
This election is part of a cyclical backlash that consistently follows significant social progress. It is driven by deliberate misinformation and the state’s repeated failure to meet its responsibilities, leaving voters to react out of fear. We know advocates who worked tirelessly to inform voters about Prop. 36, leading many to reconsider their support. However, the Yes campaign, with more than twice the funding, held a significant advantage over small, stretched-thin nonprofits on the No side. Media coverage further reinforced the Yes narrative by repeatedly assuring the public that Proposition 36’s passage was inevitable.
We are frustrated with national and state leaders who have missed the opportunity to be bold on this issue and many others. Governor Newsom, for example, spoke out against Prop.36 but ultimately claimed he was “too busy” campaigning for Vice President Harris to actively support the No campaign, leaving Californians without the strong leadership needed in this critical moment. He was also ineffective: Harris lost the majority of the states he recently visited. We urge him—and other elected leaders—to move beyond the cautious politics that hold our country back and fully commit to the lifesaving policies our communities urgently need.
California stands at a critical crossroads. The state’s own Legislative Analyst’s Office projects 15,000 empty prison beds in the 2024-25 fiscal year, increasing to 20,000 by 2027. With Prop 36 expected to add 2,000 to 5,000 people to the prison population, the nonpartisan office has yet to adjust its recommendation to close up to five more state prisons. And yet, Governor Newsom has thus far refused to act—missing a chance to save billions that could be reinvested into community-based, care-focused solutions proven to reduce crime.
Governor Newsom’s so-called ‘California Model’ for ‘kinder, gentler’ prisons is, at best, a distraction. It does nothing to reduce the state’s sprawling carceral footprint or curb the spiraling costs of incarceration. Instead, it offers a veneer of compassion to soothe the discomfort of those uneasy with mass incarceration, allowing them to rationalize its continuation. It’s the kind of moral cover that will be easily repurposed to advance deeply authoritarian agendas. We’re already seeing politicians and pundits clamor for this kind of superficial reform, cloaking prison expansion in the language of care.
Initiatives like the California Model and Care Court are deeply flawed frameworks rooted in ‘carceral humanism’—a perilous ideology that tries to dress punitive systems in the language of support, all while sidestepping the underlying causes of our social crises. We recognize that Governor Newsom may sincerely believe he’s taking California down the right path. But if this is the path we choose, we risk ushering in a new era of prison spending unseen since the boom of the 1970s. California needs visionary leadership, not window-dressing that simply makes mass incarceration easier to tolerate. The moment calls for courage: to close prisons, invest in true care, and articulate a different, transformative vision for public safety.
Prop. 36 backers promised an ‘era of mass treatment’ without committing a single dollar of new funding to achieve these goals. Now, it’s up to elected officials—supporters and opponents alike—to confront this reality and dramatically increase investments for non-carceral, community-based care.
This election will be a rallying point for organizers. In our community, we are forging stronger alliances and doubling down on our commitment to dismantling harmful systems. Criminal justice reform advocates are prepared with serious, data-backed policy solutions. We are undeterred. We know the drill, and we are on the right side of history. National and state leadership may have failed us this time, but our movement won’t. We won’t stop until every California resident has the opportunity to thrive.
Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB)—a statewide coalition of more than 80 organizations advocating to reduce prison and jail spending in favor of community-centered policies—issued a public statement in response to the passage of Proposition 36.
