Issue Position: Criminal Justice Reform

Issue Position

The heart of many conversations about criminal justice is how to balance fairness to the less advantaged, with the safety of our communities. I believe we can achieve both. Many of the most vulnerable among us in society -- the poor, people of color, the youth, etc. -- are most at risk when it comes to our criminal justice system.

We must always strive to improve our justice system to ensure due process and equity, starting even before someone enters the system. We must continue to be open about ways to train and support our law enforcement partners, and replace the "us vs. them" paradigm with a "we" mindset.

One of the reasons I became a Trustee on the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) Board is because the community college system is one of the best second-chance options in society. We need to continue to look at how we handle juveniles, the poor and the fragile.

Right now, we have a system that can be daunting for people who are poor, or who come from certain communities. As president of the LACCD Board of Trustees, I have seen what it is like when students receive another chance -- people take them. I want to help create more of those second chance opportunities.

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