So Many Roadblocks: California’s Program Fees System Traps Low-Income Drivers
Many Californians drive to get to work, care for their families, and to do everyday activities. But people across the state are unable to drive legally because they cannot afford the expensive fees to reinstate a suspended license.
California law automatically suspends the driver’s licenses of people convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) and requires completion of a state-licensed alcohol and drug education program to reinstate a license.
A new report by the ACLU SoCal, “So Many Roadblocks: How California’s Program Fees System Traps Low-Income Drivers," investigates and uncovers predatory and illegal practices in 45 of the 55 licensed DUI programs in Los Angeles County. Such practices leave many Californians’ licenses suspended for years due to their lack of financial means.
We are urging lawmakers to make alcohol and education programs publicly funded services and remove indefinite license-reinstatement barriers that do not serve public safety.
Read the full report
The report finds that:
- Program costs are not transparent, predatory, and too high for Californians. Fees can range from $400 to over $3,000.
- Programs exploit and profit off low-income people, people of color, unhoused and undocumented people.
- Private, non-profit, and government-run DUI programs routinely violate state regulations meant to protect low-income people.
Driving shouldn’t be for the privileged who can afford program costs and predatory fees. Low-income Californians need access to programs to pursue economic opportunities and move forward with their lives.
Read the full report
Date
Thursday, September 22, 2022 - 6:15am
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Food Oppression in the Orange County Jails
For almost two years, people incarcerated in Orange County jails have been issued bagged, cold meals every day consisting of slimy bologna, no matter if it’s for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. And all too often, it is served on bread that is rotting, moldy and even, at times, infested with bugs.
Not only are these meals hugely unappetizing, they are also unhealthy because of their extremely high levels of sodium and cholesterol.
A new report, “Cold, Rotting, & Moldy Meals: Food Oppression in the Orange County Jails,” was produced by the Stop the Musick Coalition that investigated the inhumane food situation in the jails overseen by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD).
Download the report (.pdf)
Coalition members used a Public Records Act request to obtain official documents from the OCSD and they conducted interviews with people who had been incarcerated in the jail system.
The report finds that:
- The jail kitchens were closed in March 2020, and hot meals still have not been fully reinstated.
- The jails have been serving cold and frequently moldy or rotting bologna sandwiches for every meal.
- The meals offer poor nutrition and contain excessive levels of sodium.
- During this time, OCSD has saved significant funds (almost $1 million in 2020) allocated to the food service budget.
- During this time, despite an almost-50 percent drop in the jail population, the commissary store has continued to bring in consistently high revenue by selling snack food items that many incarcerated people, if they can afford it, purchase to supplement the bagged meals.
The Stop the Musick Coalition consists of individuals and organizations committed to decarceration in Orange County. The coalition opposes the reopening and expansion of the now empty James A. Musick Facility that would add more than 3,000 jail beds to OC’s current jail capacity and cost more than $280 million in state and county funds.
Members of the coalition that contributed to this jails food report include the ACLU SoCal, CLUE: Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice, Housing is a Human Right OC, Orange County Rapid Response Network, Transforming Justice OC, and Underground Grit.
Date
Tuesday, December 14, 2021 - 4:00pm
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The Legal War Against Unhoused People
The plight of people who are unhoused has reached horrific proportions in California, but instead of embarking on a resurgence of affordable housing, communities have instead instituted policies and regulations that target unhoused people by harassing, citing, segregating, banishing, and even imprisoning them.
A new, comprehensive report, “Outside the Law: The Legal War Against Unhoused People,” by the ACLU Foundations of Northern California, Southern California, and San Diego & Imperial Counties spotlights the discriminatory tactics that cities and counties throughout California have instituted to target unhoused people, ignoring the bedrock principle of equal treatment under the law. It calls upon communities to amend anti-discrimination laws to include unhoused people and acknowledge their fundamental human rights.
Read the full report
The report finds that:
- Discrimination against unhoused people is spreading and becoming more commonplace, especially due to local governments exploiting legal loopholes and sharing their tactics with one another.
- Municipalities are increasingly imposing fines and fees — even for sitting in a public park for only a few minutes — far beyond an unhoused person’s ability to pay.
- Cities are targeting not just unhoused people, but also the humanitarian organizations that provide critical aid such as food, water, clothing, and blankets.
- Unhoused people are being forcibly banished to remote areas, including harsh desert landscapes, outside city borders, and far from lifesaving resources such as water, food, and health care.
The ordinances and regulations adopted by cities are often purposely vague as to allow for harassment. An example cited in the report is from the city of Novato where camping was banned in city parks, open spaces, within 50 feet of “critical infrastructure,” etc. When asked where unhoused people could exist, the city manager answered, “Anywhere it’s not illegal would be legal.”
Other California cities whose policies and practices against unhoused people are cited in the report include: Chico, Laguna Beach, Lancaster, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Ana, and Santa Cruz.
Read the full report
Date
Tuesday, October 26, 2021 - 6:15am
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