Thread by @BiancaTylek

This is really infuriating. @GavinNewsom’s decision to veto #SB555, which would have connected families with incarcerated loved ones and lessened their financial burden, was misguided and unconscionable on so many levels. Here’s why.

First and foremost, @GavinNewsom acknowledged that sheriffs siphon money from families by charging egregious rates for jail phone calls and decided it was ok. In fact, he went out of his way to override a decision by the state legislature that it was not. Feel free to stop here.

Vetoes should be the exception not the default.

People elect their representatives to represent them in lengthy and arduous legislative processes and pass important legislation. The CA legislature reviewed SB 555 for two years before passing the bill—with several amendments.

.@GavinNewsom didn’t even read the final bill before vetoing it.

His statement responds to a prior draft of the bill, falsely claiming that it would prohibit commissions on jail phone calls. To the frustration of advocates, SB 555 *only* introduced a rate cap on calls.

Instituting a rate cap for jail phone calls is not novel or progressive. It’s the most conservative reform that would create relief for families. The FCC and nearly a dozen other states, from Illinois to Alabama, have instituted rate caps on prison and jail phone calls.

But decreasing the cost of jail calls doesn’t just protect families from exploitation, it also increases communication. For the business-minded, @GavinNewsom, any loss in jail revenue stemming from reduced rates would be, in large part, made up by the increase in call volume.

In other words, the argument that the bill would meaningfully reduce funding for programs—a talking point lobbied by sheriffs—is completely false. And still, a wildly inappropriate argument. Families should *NOT* be responsible for funding jails.

There’s nothing that proves prisons and jails are not intended to rehabilitate people like the admission by elected officials and law enforcement that rehabilitative programs are not part of their core operating budget, and must instead be funded by those who can least afford it.

One in three families goes into debt paying to stay in touch with an incarcerated loved one. 87% of those carrying the burden are women, largely Black and Brown women. This is not just a criminal justice issue, it’s an economic justice, gender justice, and racial justice issue.

And communication is necessary for people to successfully reenter society upon release. It is the most widely accessible and most cost-effective service in prisons and jails to routinely have shown positive outcomes for incarcerated people, families, and public safety.

But this talking point about programs is a really an entire sham. In reality, CA sheriffs are allowed to use as much as 49% of the money they make off phone calls to pay anything they want—like jail maintenance or new equipment and weapons.

Finally, @GavinNewsom claims he wants to work with legislators to address the high cost of calls, but that’s not true. He had 2 years to familiarize himself with the issue during which we had several meetings with his office. Not to mention, the bill passed more than a month ago.

Instead, he folded to complaints from law enforcement that they don't have enough money—at a time when our communities are reeling from the police murders of Black people and calling for the defunding of police.

Bottom line: @GavinNewsom, you're no progressive and you're just pretty terrible at your job.