Rudy Howell, Impact Coach at the Rubicon Education Partnership (REP), was approved as the newest commissioner on the Oakland Police Commission (OPC) at last Tuesday's city council meeting. Howell will become the third justice-impacted community member to sit on the OPC since its establishment in 2016. 

"My initial motivation was just trying to be involved in the community," Howell said. "I just wanted to be able to explain my position as somebody impacted by a lot of these laws and policies that seem to really target minority communities. A lot of times, people who create policies don't know how they impact people. They're not really affected by certain policies because they're somewhat removed from the situations they're making the rules for." 

In his role on the OPC, Howell will be tasked with reviewing and proposing changes to the Oakland Police Department's policies and procedures related to police use of force, profiling, and right to assemble, among other responsibilities outlined in the city's charter.  

Howell's focus on civic engagement will play a key part in his work on the OPC. "I think it's important that the way gets paved for formerly incarcerated people to engage civically," Howell said. "Oakland is a very important place for as far as civil rights. There's been a lot of movement in Oakland about being equitable and having a fair shake. It's not enough to talk about it; let's be about it. Let's put in the work, and let's make policies that help everybody." 

In his position at REP, Howell connects justice-impacted individuals with resources to advance their education and obtain college degrees. "My role with Rubicon is to strengthen the community with education," Howell said. "Education is not a short-term endeavor. It's a long-term investment of mind, body, and soul. It's all about the community and improving the community. The Police Commission's work is also about improving communities." 

While he was incarcerated, Howell received his A.A. in Business Administration from Lassen College and was accepted into San Francisco State University, where he began taking classes immediately upon his release. He earned a B.A. in Criminal Justice in 2016 before joining Rubicon Programs as an Impact Coach. 

Despite his success in college, Howell acknowledges that studying the justice system is not a substitute for life experience. "No book will teach any criminal justice major the impact of these policies," Howell said. "I think I'm able to articulate the impact of certain policies that are in place. Let's revise those to make it more equitable for everybody in the community." 

The process to join the OPC began in April, when Howell first applied for the role that he will take over next month. In addition to the initial application, the selection process consisted of a public statement at an OPC Selection Panel meeting, interviews with the OPC Selection Panel, background and reference checks, and a final review and approval by the Oakland City Council. Commissioners on the OPC serve three-year terms and can be selected for up to two consecutive terms.  

As the Bay Area continues to gradually reopen with restrictions, Rubicon Programs and the San Lorenzo Adult School are teaming up with a group of over 30 community partners to host the Welcome Back Outdoor Resource/Job Fair on October 5. This is the first event of its kind at the school since late 2019.

“This pandemic has isolated people, and it’s prevented them from reaching out for help, for whatever reason,” San Lorenzo Adult School Principal Sharita Williams said. “I want to start to help break down that isolation in the community.”

Rubicon staff will be on site to connect attendees with the organization’s resources. In addition to engaging the community with Rubicon’s core programs and supportive services, staff will have information about COVID-19 relief grants and unique work opportunities available because of pandemic funding.

In addition to Rubicon, at least 33 confirmed vendors, many with job openings they are looking to fill, will be at the event. Diane Jesus, Workforce Development Navigator for Rubicon Programs, sees the event as a way to inspire participants who have struggled through the pandemic. “We are coming together to give hope to the community that has been in a pandemic for the past 18 months,” Jesus said. “I feel that our community needs empowerment and hope, and we are all coming together to let them know that there are valuable resources out here, and there are a lot of employers willing to hire.”

Other community-based organizations will also be on site to connect attendees with resources. Among them will be El Shaddai Ministries from San Lorenzo, whose volunteers will be distributing 80 to 100 nonperishable food boxes. Information about COVID-19 vaccinations and testing will also be available to all attendees, and a number of vendors will conduct giveaways throughout the event.

Trish Jetson, Transition Specialist for San Lorenzo Adult School, wants the event to show people that there are resources available for them in their own neighborhoods. “We are opening our doors for in-person lessons for the first time since we closed for the pandemic in March of 2020,” Jetson said. “Sometimes people don’t know that they are living around a valuable resource, and that’s what I know this school is.”

The fair is free and open to the public. Precautions are being taken to ensure that the outdoor event remains safe for attendees, including expanded space between vendors, a mask requirement for all on site, and low-touch activities to reduce contact with communal surfaces.

Rubicon Programs and San Lorenzo Adult School have collaborated together for the past eight years to bolster one another’s services for the community. The two agencies work in partnership to provide job skills training and employment resources to students and community members, among other services.

San Lorenzo Adult School offers a variety of free classes for the community, including a high school diploma program, and courses in Adult Basic Education/GED prep, English as a second language, computer skills, discussion and conversation skills, sewing, fashion design, and more. “We want people to know that we are here and open for the community,” Williams said. “We have a lot of free classes and resources that we can provide, and we want people to know that we are here for them.”

For questions or to get your organization involved in the event, contact Diane Jesus at dianej@rubiconprograms.org.

Rubicon’s Workforce Services team provides top-notch employment services to local Bay Area businesses looking to expand their workforce at no cost.

Our team connects you with pre-screened, qualified job applicants at no cost to the employer. Serving a geographic area spanning the entire East Bay with offices in Hayward, Richmond, Concord, and Antioch, we draw on a roster of over five hundred job seekers to find people who meet your unique hiring needs. Our business clients range from multi-national corporations to local small business owners.

Our Workforce Liaisons provide a comprehensive array of staffing services to employers including:

• Customized direct staffing assistance
• Pre-screening and referrals of qualified candidates
• Free distribution and advertising of current job postings
• Virtual recruiting and hiring events
• Pre and post-employment support
• Employee retention assistance

Wage Reimbursements:

• Mitigate new hire costs
• Wage reimbursements up to $5,000

No-cost Labor Assistance:

• Temporary labor assignments 
• Increase workplace productivity 

If you are a business owner or hiring manager and would like to learn more about how Rubicon can help solve your staffing needs at no cost to you, please contact:

Business Service Manager, Workforce Services 
Gloribel Pastrana
gloribelp@rubiconprograms.org

Many at Rubicon don’t have to stretch their imaginations very far to picture the horrific conditions in California prisons in the face of the COVID pandemic and, now, the raging wildfires—they’ve been there. For Participant Advisory Board (PAB) and staff member Gail Thomas, hearing about the death and suffering of inmates is like a punch to the gut. “That could have been me. That could have been my family members. Those are my family members,” she says.   

Gail spent seven years in Chowchilla and another state prison, where she worked as an infirmary porter, and her husband, Alex Thomas, also a Rubicon participant, was a janitor in the infirmary during his time in San Quentin. From these collective experiences, and from talking to loved ones who are currently incarcerated, she knows one thing for sure: “There is no way they can do social distancing.”  

Gail’s voice hardens as she recalls packed cafeterias, cramped, understaffed medical facilities, and terminally ill prisoners dying alone.  

This personal connection is one reason Gail, Alex, and other members of the PAB have joined the movement to demand the release of elderly and medically vulnerable prisoners specifically and, more generally, to depopulate California prisons. Through writing letters, speaking out in public forums, and getting their personal stories out there, they are putting the pressure on Governor Gavin Newsom and other state policymakers to rethink the prison-industrial status quo during this unprecedented public health disaster.   

The push to depopulate the state’s overcrowded prisons has become an urgent outcry during the pandemic; the virus has turned prisons into hot zones, killing incarcerated people and staff alike at rates that are outstripping the rest of the country. According to a New York Times database, San Quentin has become one of the country's largest virus clusters with more than 2,200 infections and 26 deaths, and other facilities are not far behind. In June, after touring San Quentin and observing unsafe conditions that were allowing the virus to rage through the population, University of California health experts advised the prison to cut its population by 50%. Other overcrowded state prisons should follow suit, the experts said.  

The total number of people incarcerated in California prisons is about 100,000. The state has released or plans to release approximately 11,500 inmates by the end of the month–mostly “non-violent offenders with less than a year to serve,” according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.    

Rubicon Impact Coach Roosevelt Terry sees the state’s mishandling of the pandemic in the prison system as a gross human rights violation. Roosevelt’s son, who is serving 17 years in California State Prison-Solano, tells his father about daily protests in the yard demanding the release of sick and vulnerable inmates. “The constant fear of contracting the virus is eminent, and the idea of surviving in extended isolation lockdowns to mitigate the spreading virus is haunting [my son],” Roosevelt says.   

Roosevelt hopes corporations and other entities will step up to the plate to help with the greatest problem facing inmates who are released early: housing. As of now, it is up to relatives, probation officers, and community organizers, who are scrambling to solve the housing crisis for early-release inmates, some of whom pose a public health risk because they have been paroled while still contagious, according to the LA Times. 

There are no easy solutions, but for Gail and Roosevelt, depopulation is an imperative first step. The PAB is currently working to ensure they are poised to impact legislation. As she continues to hear horror stories from loved ones who are incarcerated, Gail is feeling the urgency of the moment. “I don’t just want to do something—I have to do something,” she says.    

Bobby has been involved with Rubicon since 2017 as a participant, mentor, and active member of the Participant Advisory Board. Bobby has served on interview panels and strategic plan work groups to provide feedback to the organization and seeks any and all opportunities to give back.

Bobby recently visited Rubicon to speak to Job Club members about ACE Hardware, where he has been employed for the past two years. ACE is a background-friendly employer – it assesses job candidates based on their qualifications without regard to past criminal justice involvement -- and it is recruiting for multiple positions in the East Bay. Bobby talked about his role at ACE and was generous in offering tips to participants who were interested in applying -- everything from how to communicate with the hiring manager to the typical clientele at local stores. He was relatable, honest, supportive, encouraging, and ready to advocate for anyone from Rubicon.

Following a line of participants who asked Bobby to review their resumes and put in a good word for their applications, Bobby predicted that at least 1-2 would have a job that same day! He said he could see it on their faces that they were ready for the opportunity: “They’re eager, they ask questions, and they’re ready to take it to the next level.”

When asked what brought him to Job Club, Bobby said “paying it forward makes me happy. This program helped me, and I am at a place now where I have the opportunity to be of help. It all starts with one person, and I want to be that person for somebody.”

Growing up on a horse ranch in Oakley, California, Bobby learned a lot of valuable skills; he taught himself how to be handy, and he also learned to communicate well with people from backgrounds different than his own.

Before coming to Rubicon Programs, Bobby knew how to get a job, and he had done it before. He had the skills to be successful on his own; he was resourceful, insightful, and eager to share his experiences. What was missing at the time he initially came to Rubicon, according to Bobby, was confidence.

Coming out of incarceration, Bobby was unsure of himself and his future prospects. His involvement with the system left him feeling like there was no room for mistakes, and that everyone was expecting perfection. Bobby was looking for someone to relate to, someone who could help build his confidence and see what was possible for his future.

“I’m a people-person, I get along well with people, but Rubicon staff were different. They are everyday people…they made the workshops interesting and fun, and they kept it real -- 100% honest, and I respect that.”

Bobby began working with his Impact Coach, Sam, during his participation in Rubicon’s foundations workshops. The Impact Coach serves as the primary relationship for each participant, providing support and guidance through the duration of their work with Rubicon. At Rubicon, we believe that the relationship is the intervention, and the intervention is the relationship. As Bobby put it, “when someone believes in you, you believe in yourself.”

Bobby quickly emerged as a leader in his cohort. Shortly after completing the two-week intensive workshops, Bobby worked with his Employment Coach to search for a job and secured a position at ACE Hardware. Within his first year of employment, Bobby was promoted to a supervisory position.

When asked what he likes most about his job at ACE, Bobby responded, “I like the customers. I have a gift that people radiate to me; they really like talking to me.”

Bobby described one particular customer, an older woman, who came into the store right after Bobby left to take his lunch break. She insisted on only dealing with Bobby and waited the full hour until he returned, eager for him to help her.

Another customer who visited the store asked for Bobby by name. She explained that her sister recently got some help with a landscaping project. “Her lawn looks gorgeous!” she exclaimed. “She told me I had to come and see you.”

“It gives me a really good feeling to help someone and to see them smile,” said Bobby.

Bobby’s own experience and successes enable him to see the same great potential in the participants walking through Rubicon’s doors today. As Bobby described one participant whom he already connected to a job opportunity, he said “I take chances on people. In prison, you work hard and you don’t show up late. Once you have a real job, you already know how to get work done and the value of getting paid for it.”

As a leader on Rubicon’s Participant Advisory Board (PAB), Bobby assists with developing the agenda for monthly meetings, facilitating meetings, recruiting his peers to the PAB, and setting a positive example for all new members. Rubicon’s Connections Manager said, “Bobby has set his sights on reaching back to assist participants with developing skill sets that they had not focused on developing before.”

When Rubicon set out to develop and refine our Theory of Change, Bobby was invited to the table to contribute his ideas. Bobby shared his experiences and the positive impact that Rubicon’s model had on his life; he vocalized the needs of his peers and ways that the program model could further assist program participants on their road to success.

Reflecting on his future, Bobby shared that “having the right supports and someone to push you makes the difference.” Rubicon was that difference for Bobby, and now he is the difference for so many others.

As he got up to leave, Bobby paused and then reached into his pocket and pulled out a smooth, clear stone. “They gave me this stone at my Rubicon Stepping Stones Ceremony. I carry it with me every day, everywhere I go – it’s a reminder to take everything one step at a time.”