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AP17:053

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 4, 2017
Contact:
Jesse Melgar or Sam Mahood
(916) 653-6575

Proposed Initiative Enters Circulation

Parole Consideration for Elderly Prison Inmates. Initiative Statute.

SACRAMENTO – Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced the proponent of a new initiative was cleared to begin collecting petition signatures yesterday. 

The Attorney General prepares the legal title and summary that is required to appear on initiative petitions. When the official language is complete, the Attorney General forwards it to the proponent and to the Secretary of State, and the initiative may be circulated for signatures. The Secretary of State then provides calendar deadlines to the proponent and to county elections officials. The Attorney General’s official title and summary for the measure is as follows: 

PAROLE CONSIDERATION FOR ELDERLY PRISON INMATES. INITIATIVE STATUTE. Requires parole consideration for inmates 80 years old or older who have served at least ten years of current sentence and who have not previously been denied parole. Excludes: inmates serving sentences of death or life imprisonment without possibility of parole; inmates serving sentences for first or second degree murder, prior to serving minimum prison term; and inmates whose parole rights are restricted under any initiative statute, such as inmates serving sentences under the three strikes law. Requires parole consideration to include elderly inmates’ age, time served, and any diminished physical capacity. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: Net state savings likely in the hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, primarily due to individuals serving shorter prison terms. Minor county costs due to an increase in the probation population. (17-0006.) 

The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 1802 and the Attorney General’s tracking number is 17-0006. 

The proponent of the measure, Charles W. Funaro II, must collect the signatures of 365,880 registered voters (five percent of the total votes cast for Governor in the November 2014 general election) in order to qualify it for the ballot. The proponent has 180 days to circulate petitions for the measure, meaning the signatures must be submitted to county elections officials no later than January 30, 2018. The proponent can be reached at (626) 578-0440 or charlesfunaro@hotmail.com. 

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