On October 10, social justice advocates and community members gathered to discuss the state of social justice reform in California.

The state legislature cut funding this year to Prop 36, California's treatment-instead-of-incarceration law, which won 61 percent of the vote in 2000. In 2004, the people rejected Prop 66, a Three Strikes reform initiative. In order to examine the barriers to social justice reform, advocates gathered at the Drug Policy Alliance's Southern California office, where they looked back on attempted reforms as well as ahead to momentum-building and the movement's next steps. 

Over dinner, about 25 advocates and community members spent the first part of the evening venting their frustration at recent failed reforms. The group noted all that went wrong with Three Strikes reform in 2004: an imperfectly drafted initiative, a troubled pro-reform coalition, and finally, in the last moments of the campaign, an unprecedented multi-million dollar opposition ad campaign.

Treatment providers in the audience then analyzed the under-funding of Prop 36 this year: treatment providers were distracted and divided, law enforcement was pushing hard for zero funding, and legislators fell back on politics as usual rather than sound policy.

With the past failures and problems out in the open, the discussion turned toward next steps. The refunding of Prop 36 in June 2007 surfaced as the movement's next opportunity for victory. Margaret Dooley of DPA Southern California, who led the discussion, said, "This meeting gave us an important opportunity to regroup, reassess and reenergize. After the discussion, our consensus was that we can learn from our experiences this year and do better in 2007, when Prop 36 funding is up for renewal again."

Participants in the discussion represented the range of groups working on this issue: Dave Fratello, co-author of Prop 36, Campaign for New Drug Policies; Luis Lozano, Executive Director, The Beacon House; Susan Burton, Executive Director, A New Way of Life; Cheryl Branch, Chair, AAAOD; Gretchen Bergman, Executive Director, A New PATH; Peter Laarman, Director, Progressive Christians Uniting; Cynthia McDonald, Prop 36 graduate, San Diego County; Tony Jackson, Prop 36 graduate, Orange County; Alberto Mendoza, DPA Southern California Director.