On March 3, 2021, we unveiled our Getting Back to Work: Revamping the Economy by Removing Past Records report with Californians for Safety and Justice. We were joined by Senator Maria Elena Durazo, who introduced SB 731, along with co-authors Sen. Nancy Skinner and Sen. Steven Bradford.

UNITE-LA and Californians for Safety and Justice have been working to reduce the barriers that people with records face when they are looking to enter the workforce. Together, they commissioned this study to understand the scale of the problem in California. Working with data analysts and researchers, this study estimates the number of people with past records and the impact these records have on California’s economy.

SB 731 shows there is a bold solution that can eliminate these strict barriers and give people a chance to attain meaningful redemption. The bill aims to establish an automatic process that uses a standard operating procedure to expunge or seal past arrests or convictions by “sunsetting” convictions.