Color Of Change PAC: "Local Wins By Progressive Candidates Will Strengthen Black Communities Across the Country"

Today, the Color Of Change PAC released the following statement from Arisha Hatch, executive director of Color Of Change PAC, congratulating George Gascon, Harold Pryor, Monique Worrell, Holly Mitchell, Patsy Austin-Gaston and Shalena Cook Jones on their wins and celebrating votes on amendments and propositions in Florida and California:

"Across the country, Black people have made their voices loud and clear by electing leaders with strong, specific policies to strengthen our communities. We know that electing leaders with real connections to our communities who not only listen to our concerns and demands but act accordingly is key to growing our opportunities, improving our livelihoods and establishing strong foundations for future generations.

We congratulate the following Color Of Change PAC-endorsed candidates on their wins and look forward to working alongside them as they make the needs of their Black constituents and racial equity a priority once they are elected:

George Gascon, District Attorney in Los Angeles County, CA: Gascon will continue his criminal justice reform efforts, such as implementing a Crime Strategies Unit (CSU), a multi-disciplinary team of prosecutors, analysts and investigators that use a data-driven approach to resourcefully address chronic crime and repeat offenders, as he did in San Francisco.

Holly Mitchell, County Supervisor in Los Angeles, CA: Mitchell will implement a broad swath of progressive criminal justice reforms, including reducing jail phone call rates and eliminating commissary markups statewide.

Patsy Austin-Gatson, District Attorney in Gwinnett County, GA: Austin-Gaston plans to establish a conviction integrity unit within the first 100 days of her administration, as informed by her 30 years of experience as an attorney.

Shalena Cook Jones, District Attorney in Chatham County, GA: Cook Jones will bring equity to the criminal justice system, in part by expanding the use of accountability courts for nonviolent offenders with mental illness or addiction.

Harold Pryor, State Attorney in Broward County, FL: Pryor seeks to decarcerate poverty and initiate ground level criminal justice reform while not compromising the safety of communities.

Monique Worrell, State Attorney in Orange & Osceola County, FL: Worrell has pledged to implement policies to hold police officers accountable for misconduct, end the use of cash bail, expand programs to divert children and adults away from jail, partner with community programs to address mental health and substance abuse issues and advocate for resources to support the needs of crime survivors.

Deborah Gonzalez, who ran on a criminal justice platform containing much-needed innovations for a county that has had just two district attorneys in the last 48 years, is heading to a runoff in Georgia on December 1, 2020. Color Of Change PAC will continue to support Gonzalez in her bid to become District Attorney in Athens-Clarke & Oconee, GA.

Color Of Change PAC also issued judgements on amendments and propositions in California and Florida and is excited to see voters achieved the following results:

Florida

Yes on Amendment 2: The cost of living has increased, but wages haven't. Amendment 2 will increase Florida's minimum wage to $10/hour in 2021 and increase the minimum wage annually by $1 until it reaches $15/hour by 2026, resulting in a 75 percent increase of minimum wage over the next six years.

No on Amendment 4: When lawmakers fail to pass laws that reflect our values, we vote on the changes we want to see. Amendment 4 will make voter-approved changes to the constitution invalid unless the amendment is passed a second time in the next election.

California

Yes on Measure J (in L.A. County): Measure J will begin to address generations of racial inequity by investing in our community. Measure J will allocate 10% of L.A. County's local, unrestricted revenues toward alternatives to incarceration & community investment-- including affordable housing, youth development programs, community counseling, mental health services, small businesses and job creation.

Yes on Proposition 17: Voting is a right that should not be taken away for political games. Proposition 17 allows people who are still on parole for felony convictions to vote. This amendment will affect roughly 55k people with felony convictions currently on parole and make California the 19th state to no longer disenfranchise anyone who is not incarcerated.

This election Color Of Change PAC, one of the nation's largest Black-led racial justice organizations, set out to shift how the public views prosecutors and how prosecutors do their jobs is more salient today than ever before. We led an educational campaign to inform voters about the link between criminal justice and voting reform and supported our endorsed candidates by building enthusiasm and mobilizing voters who are often left out."