đź—ł While it’s still too early to call many of yesterday’s election races, early results show that California voters are ready to stand in solidarity and vote for #progressive #CareFirst policies, accountability, and candidates who work for our communities instead of perpetuating harmful systems of oppression.
💥 We are so proud of the showing all four @tdoj2022 Defenders of Justice have made in the polls in this election cycle. Through this campaign and political education the Defenders themselves and the Transforming the Judiciary team did, voters have a new awareness of the importance of judicial races. Because of their commitment to progressive values, their work in service to our communities, their vulnerability, and the groundbreaking campaign they ran, we are now having real public conversations about equitable representation on the bench. And we’re looking forward to seeing, for the first time in CA history, a public defender elected to the CA Superior Court. It’s also not lost on us that each of these candidates bring not only diversity of professional background to the bench, but also diversity of life experience and identity. We’re proud of #TheDefenders for living their intersectional identities with pride in the face of patriarchy and anti-Public Defender bias.
➡️ We’ve demanded real accountability from law enforcement, which shows in the huge support for Measure A ( @YesOnALA for sheriff accountability), and in the race for LA Sheriff, where there’s a good chance Robert Luna will hold onto his current large lead over corrupt LA Sheriff Alex Villanueva. The voters have spoken: Angelenos are continuing to demand divestment of funding and power from law enforcement, following in the tradition of Measure J, and saying that no one – especially NOT a Sheriff – is above the law.
💖 The codification of reproductive freedom into the CA State Constitution through CA Measure 1 will likely pass by a large margin, signaling CA voters’ commitments to gender justice and human rights. And Measure ULA, despite a coordinated misinformation campaign by the opposition, also received strong support from voters who know we must address the root causes of the housing crisis and houselessness, instead of displacing and criminalizing our loved ones.
đź’– Thanks in large part to the tireless work of community advocates and #grassroots #organizers, voters understand police and punishment don’t keep us safe, and that investment into community-based services like healthcare, housing, youth justice, and alternatives to incarceration do.
💖 Our deep gratitude to all the poll workers, volunteers, text bankers, and canvassers who made these successes possible. 🙌🏼
đź—ł The next round of ballots drops this Friday at 11AM. Watch this space for more analysis after that electoral update!
