UNITED CORE ALLIANCE
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : k****l@u*********e.o*g
Mission Statement
The United CORE Alliance (UCA) is a 501c3 organization created by social equity advocates. We serve disadvantaged communities adversely impacted by the war on drugs and the continuing racial bias in the cannabis industry. The UCA creates opportunities for economic mobility through policy advocacy, workforce training and expungement services.
About This Cause
Our Purpose The UCA’s purpose is to eliminate the pervasive barriers to entry in the cannabis industry. We aim to change policies precipitated by historical political and social sanctions that unjustly targeted communities of color. Our organization engages populations and communities most impacted by the War on Drugs to create economic opportunities in emerging cannabis markets, facilitates educational job training, legal support, and provides relevant tools to the constituents to which we serve. Our Focus Areas The UCA’s main focus areas are 1) Increasing diversity in ownership and workforce within the cannabis industry; 2) Restoring the lives of systems impacted individuals from the war on drugs through legal support services; 3) Developing and supporting the small and equity business environment through collaboration and aggregation of resources; and 4) Assist cities with the creation of policies and procedures that promote equity business ownership for cannabis equity entrepreneurs. UCA Expungement Clinic In 2020, UCA began its first outreach program, The Oak Park Monthly Expungement Clinic. Through our clinic, we provide pro-bono expungement support through our network of volunteers from the legal profession. The UCA collects data through the Expungement Clinic registration forms. The organization uses an online form (Google Form) to register prospective clients for the monthly clinics. Google forms are readily available, mobile friendly, and easy to read no matter the electronic device a prospective client is using. In 2020, the UCA’s Expungement Clinic Program received 142 respondents to our community outreach survey, the following data was synthesized using Microsoft Excel. The data shows that the Black population was over-represented in the data, making up approximately 62.7 percent of the participants. However, the data was incomplete as the Latinx population is underrepresented in the data making up 18.3 percent of survey respondents. Further outreach needs to be conducted to the peripheral communities surrounding Oak Park. To augment expungement services in Sacramento, California, UCA is building a streamlined expungement service model to decrease the unemployment rate in Oak Park & Del Paso Heights neighborhoods and improve access to new employment opportunities and income. Expungement clinics will focus on serving individuals with convictions received during the War on Drugs. The UCA estimates that for a family of 3 earning $10,000/year prior to expungement will earn $13,000 post-expungement. If 100 people at this income bracket completed an expungement, an additional $150,000/year would be circulated throughout each neighborhood. Clinics will provide traditional forms of record cleaning relief, related to penal codes 1203.4,1203.4a, 1203.41,1203.42, 17 (b), 17(d), Prop 64, Prop 47. Statutory Law California Penal Code section 1203.45(g) provides: A person who is 26 years of age or older and petitions for an order sealing a record under this section may be required to reimburse the court for the actual cost of services rendered, whether or not the petition is granted and the records are sealed or expunged, at a rate to be determined by the court, not to exceed one hundred fifty dollars ($150), and to reimburse the county for the actual cost of services rendered, whether or not the petition is granted and the records are sealed or expunged, at a rate to be determined by the county board of supervisors, not to exceed one hundred fifty dollars ($150), and to reimburse any city for the actual cost of services rendered, whether or not the petition is granted and the records are sealed or expunged, at a rate to be determined by the city council, not to exceed one hundred fifty dollars ($150). Ability to make this reimbursement shall be determined by the court using the standards set forth in paragraph (2) of subdivision (g) of Section 987.8 and shall not be a prerequisite to a person’s eligibility under this section. The court may order reimbursement in a case in which the petitioner appears to have the ability to pay, without undue hardship, all or any portion of the cost for services established pursuant to this subdivision. Sacramento County takes partial advantage of this statute as it charges $120 per felony expungement filing and $60 per misdemeanor expungement filing. The UCA’s studies on barriers in the expungement process have revealed a need to collect owed restitution data. If an individual still has a balance owed towards their restitution, then a judge has the discretion to nullify petition to file for expungement. To that end, the UCA began collecting restitution data after beginning the collection of expungement participant data. However, out of 56 respondents, we were able to collect restitution data from 30 participants; 6 of which currently owe restitution ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 dollars. The income level of our participants follows the trend of the economic yield of expungement data developed at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. 48.6 percent of participants report an income of $20,000 or less. While 23.9 percent of respondents possess an income between $20,000 and $34,999 – showing that 72.5 percent of expungement participants earn an income of less than $35,000. This data supports the need to increase expungements for this demographic which could result in higher consumption and increased economic growth within Sacramento County. In response to identifying restitution as a barrier to accessing expungements, the UCA along with community partners that make up the Debt Free Justice Coalition sponsored SB 1106, Wiener. Criminal resentencing: restitution demarcated as the Fresh Start Act. The Fresh Start Act was signed into law by Governor Newsom and will prevent unpaid restitution from being the sole barrier to accessing record relief (expungements). Additionally, going into effect on January 3, 2023, SB 731, Durazo. Criminal records: relief, demarcated as the Sunsets Law provides most Californians with old records who have fully completed their sentence have gone four (4) years without further contact with the justice with the opportunity to have their record expunged. More than one-million Californians will be able to apply for record relief under this new law.