Call or write to the members of the Personnel Committee and tell them you/your organization supports the Fair Employment Resolution. See the sample support letter below.
Councilmember Dennis Zine, District 3 200 N. Spring St., Room 450 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Legislative Deputy: Brian Perry 213-473-7003 Councilmember Tony Cardenas, District 6 200 N. Spring St., Room 455 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Legislative Deputy: Eduardo Hewitt 213-473-7006 Councilmember Herb Wesson, Jr., District 10 200 N. Spring St., Room 430 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Legislative Deputy: Ed Johnson 213-473-7010
[DATE] Councilmember Dennis Zine, District 3 Fax: (213) 485-8988 200 N. Spring St., Room 450 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Dear Councilmember Zine: We are writing in strong support of the Fair Employment Resolution, sponsored by Council members Perry, Garcetti, and Rosendahl, which calls on the City of Los Angeles to remove the criminal conviction question from the City’s employment application. [Insert here the name of your organization and how the Resolution relates to your work] The Fair Employment Resolution will help remove unreasonable barriers to employment of people with past convictions. With the nation’s largest population of people leaving prison and returning to their communities seeking employment, Los Angeles has a vital interest in breaking down barriers facing people with criminal records as they try to rejoin their communities. Employment can make all the difference. People with prior convictions who are employed are three times more likely to avoid criminal activity. Indeed, once a persons’ record has been clean for five years a person with a criminal record is as unlikely to commit a crime as someone with a clean record. Yet far too many qualified people are deterred from applying for employment with the City of Los Angeles and with the City’s private employers because job applications require them to disclose past convictions before they have had the opportunity to prove their qualifications for the job. As one of the largest employers in our community, the Fair Employment Resolution would require the City of Los Angeles to pave the way for private employers to remove unnecessary barriers to employment. Specifically, the Resolution calls on the City to move the criminal conviction history question from the initial application to the later stages of the hiring process, after the individual has been evaluated based on his or her qualifications for the job. After studying the Resolution and similar innovative policies adopted by other major cities across the U.S., the City’s Personnel Department issued a report to the City Council supporting Councilmember Perry’s motion. According to the Personnel Department’s analysis, “removal of the conviction history question from the civil service application will not prevent the City from meeting its responsibility to citizens and employees. This is so because each candidate’s conviction history will continue to be evaluated; however, this review and evaluation will occur later in the selection process, when the candidate is being considered for appointment.” Further, the Personnel Department recommended that enhancements be made to the City’s system to ensure that all employees are fingerprinted before being placed on payroll. Across the U.S., major cities, including Boston, Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and San Francisco, have adopted model hiring reforms similar to the Los Angeles City Council initiative that reduce unfair barriers to employment of people with criminal records while protecting the integrity of their City hiring process and enhancing public safety. We hope that you will stand with the more than 50 community based organizations such as ours, representing thousands of Los Angeles residents, in support of the Fair Employment Resolution. Sincerely, Name, Title, Organization Cc: Councilmember Herb Wesson, Jr. Councilmember Tony Cardenas Councilmember Jan Perry Councilmember Bill Rosendahl Council President Eric Garcetti