Reminder to Take Action - SB300 Hearing Upcoming

The Sentencing Reform Act - SB300, sponsored by California State Senator Dave Cortese, is set to be heard in front of the California State Assembly Committee on Appropriations on Wednesday, August 3rd at 9am. This is the next step to see the bill through the California State Legislature on its way to passage. We need your support in continuing to contact your California State Assemblyperson and register your support for their YES vote on this bill.

You can find your legislator HERE, and you can use the example script below during your call:

"Hi, my name is ____ and I live in _____. I’m a constituent of Assemblyperson ___________. I am strongly urging a YES vote on SB300. Thank you!"

SB 300 addresses the injustice of the felony murder special circumstance law by allowing for a sentence other than the death penalty or life in prison without parole for a person who did not kill anyone, nor intend for anyone to die. The penalty would be 25-to-life, a very severe penalty, for persons who participated in an underlying felony, but did not kill someone or intend for any person to die.

This bill restores judicial discretion to impose a sentence of 25-years-to-life, rather than death or LWOP, when the judge rules that it serves the interest of justice in a case where a special circumstance is charged. 

You can download your SB300 information packet and action toolkit here, available in Google Docs format.