In November, Inland Empire residents will vote whether to fully ban slavery.
The California Constitution currently bans slavery, except as punishment for a crime.
“Slavery is prohibited. Involuntary servitude is prohibited except to punish crime,” Article I, Section 6, of the California Constitution reads.
Proposition 6, if passed, would prohibit slavery in any form.
Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) authored the proposed amendment.
“Today, slavery takes on the modern form of involuntary servitude, including forced labor in prison. Slavery is wrong in all forms, and California should be clear in denouncing that in its constitution. This should not be controversial. It is often assumed that slavery and forced labor are things of the past, but to our detriment, we continue practices today that have their roots in a carceral system that maintains vestiges of slavery,” Wilson said on the Assembly floor Jun 27.
California Constitutional amendments have to be approved by both houses before they are put before California voters.
It passed the Assembly June 27 with 68 ayes to 11 votes not recorded.
From the Inland Empire, Assemblymembers. Bill Essayli (R-Corona), Tom Lackey (R-Apple Valley) and Kate Sanchez (R-Murrieta) did not vote.
It passed the Senate the same day, with 33 ayes, 3 noes and 4 votes not recorded.
From the Inland Empire, Sen. Kelly Seyarto (R-Murrieta) voted against the bill, and Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa) did not vote.
California is one of 16 states that still allows slavery as punishment. Oregon removed theirs in 2022.
The amendment is supported by 149 organizations, with no listed opposition. Those supporting organizations include Riverside All of Us or None, Inland Empire United, League Of Women Voters of California, Legal Aid at Work, SEIU California, California Public Defenders Association
The proposition was attempted in 2022, but failed to pass the Senate before the Assembly left Sacramento for the year.
The California Department of Finance opposed the amendment. In their analysis, the DOF said that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations had almost 65,000 work assignments. If the CDCR were required to pay those inmates a minimum wage of $15 per hour, it could cost $1.5 billion, the analysis said.
The analysis also questioned whether a judge’s assignment of community service could be considered involuntary servitude.
The proposition text said that the amendment would not increase spending by more than tens of millions of dollars, or less than 1% of California’s general fund. Prisons and jails could encourage inmates to work by giving more time credits for labor, or by increasing pay, the proposition said.
Samual Brown, a former inmate and California State University, Los Angeles alumni, led the effort to ban slavery in prisons in 2022.
“This bill is about … plac(ing) rehabilitation and public safety over forced labor,” Brown told the news organization CalMatters. “As long as slavery is on the books, then rehabilitation is second.”
Top photo: Samual Brown, 45, crafted the proposal to remove involuntary servitude from the California Constitution. “What we are fighting for in this bill is a monumental piece of legislation in our generation,” Brown said. Photo by Pablo Unzueta for CalMatters
