In 2020, Californians can fight systemic racism, uphold justice reforms. Here’s how

The following are The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board’s endorsements for the criminal justice measures on the ballot in the 2020 general election:

Yes on Prop. 17

The right to vote is sacred for every American.

Under current California law, people convicted of felonies are stripped of the right to vote until they finish their parole.

This means that citizens who are attempting to return to the path of good citizenship are barred from participating in every citizen’s most solemn responsibility: voting.

Sadly, but not surprisingly, this disproportionately disenfranchises Black and Latino voters. It’s yet another ugly vestige of the deep-rooted, systemic racism that continues to haunt our nation — and our state — today.

Proposition 17 would restore the right of parolees to vote, thus increasing voter turnout and encouraging the convicted to embrace the highest ideals of citizenship.

People who make serious mistakes and serve their time behind bars deserve the right to participate in our democratic process.

The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board urges Californians to vote yes on Prop. 17.

No on Prop. 20

Should California abandon its historic criminal justice reforms and return to the bad old days of overcrowded prisons full of Black and brown people?

Since those criminal justice reforms are working, we think the answer is a resounding “no.” That’s why voters should reject Prop. 20, which would undo the sensible reforms adopted under former Gov. Jerry Brown.

After years of a declining prison population — and declining crime — some of the usual “lock em’ up” special interests (like the prison guard union) want to overturn prison reform laws like Prop. 47 and Prop. 57, which Californians overwhelmingly approved in 2014 and 2016, respectively.

Prop. 20 would drastically increase penalties for a wide range of crimes, expanding the definition of “felony” to include some crimes currently considered misdemeanors, filling up our prisons and costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars a year.

That’s why the California Correctional Peace Officers Association is spending millions to pass Prop. 20. After all, more Californians behind bars mean more jobs for prison guards.

Californian voters should reject this cynical and shameful spending scam. California embraced criminal justice reform because the state’s prisons had become humanitarian disaster zones that cost billions of dollars a year to maintain.

Though opponents promised bloody waves of crime if these reforms passed, that didn’t happen. Last year, in fact, crime in California fell to its lowest level in recorded state history.

California’s criminal justice reforms are working. Any necessary improvements can be handled without Prop. 20’s attempt to restore the ghastly prison industrial complex.

Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert and Elk Grove Assemblyman Jim Cooper, both strong supporters of Prop. 20, should be ashamed of themselves. As California and the nation grapple with the legacy of systemic racism in the aftermath of Black Lives Matter protests against the police killing of George Floyd, the timing for Prop. 20 couldn’t be worse.

California’s prison reforms are working. This is no time to turn our backs on justice. The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board urges Californians to vote no on racist and retrograde Prop. 20.

Yes on Prop. 25

California’s old bail system, which kept people behind bars if they could not pay thousands of dollars to remain free while awaiting trial, was outdated, unfair and racist.

A study of the bail system in San Francisco revealed that it disproportionately harmed African Americans and Latinos.

“The groups account for just 21 percent of the city’s population, but 63 percent of those paying bail,” reported Marisa Lagos of KQED.

That’s why the California State Legislature made the right move by reforming the state’s broken bail system with Senate Bill 10 in 2018. In 2020, California voters must vote yes on Proposition 25 to uphold these crucial reforms.

Prop. 25 would uphold the bail reforms California enacted in SB 10. It would replace cash bail with “risk assessments” to determine whether an arrested individual should be released. A person determined to be a low risk to public safety could remain free pending further court proceedings. Those determined to be in the medium category could be released or held behind bars.

Those considered “high-risk” “would remain in custody until their arraignment, as would “anyone who has committed certain sex crimes or violent felonies, is arrested for driving under the influence for the third time in less than 10 years, is already under supervision by the courts or has violated any conditions of pretrial release in the previous five years,” according to a Sacramento Bee story about the reforms.

Bail reform was long overdue, but the bail bond industry — which profits from the misery of the broken system — opposes reform. They gathered enough signatures to force a referendum on SB 10. Now, California voters must decide whether to move forward with justice reform by passing Prop. 25.

Prop. 25 will uphold California’s sensible bail reform law. The Sacramento Bee recommends a vote of yes on Prop. 25.