An estimated one out of three California adults has an arrest or conviction record, according to the nonprofit National Employment Law Project. If employers weed out applicants who check "yes" for the Have you ever been convicted of a crime? question on a job application, they could be preventing millions of Golden State residents from getting a paycheck.
These applicants also tend to be people of color, since African-Americans and Latinos are arrested at much higher rates, often for crimes committed in equal numbers by whites.
Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed sweeping "ban-the-box" legislation that, starting Jan. 1, prevents employers from asking applicants about conviction history on an initial application for employment. The bill's lead author, Assemblyman Kevin McCarty of Sacramento, said in a statement that it "will eliminate barriers to employment, reduce recidivism and give people with conviction histories an opportunity to demonstrate their ability to become productive, contributing members of our society."
Local co-authors of the legislation include Assemblyman Chris Holden of Pasadena, Assemblyman Mike Gipson of Carson and Sen. Steven Bradford of Gardena.
[For more on this story by DENNIS ROMERO, go to http://www.laweekly.com/news/n...riminal-past-8760230]
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