Ashely, a 34-year-old single mother of two boys from Pomona, California, grew up in a typical middle-class family. She was a cheerleader in school and spent summers playing basketball with friends. But returning home from incarceration presented a reality far different from her youth. Reentry was never going to be ...
A new Marin County Civil Grand Jury report highlights major gaps in employment support for people leaving jail, calling for stronger coordination between county agencies and reentry organizations like CEO to reduce recidivism and improve job outcomes.
The Center for Employment Opportunities' (CEO) transition team seeks to help people in San José returning home after serving time in prison. "For people on parole or probation, the program helps them find work while they go to clean the highways," explained Fernando Hurtado, supervisor.
Center for Employment Opportunities and the San Diego Homeless Court come together to acknowledge and celebrate the achievement of helping justice-impacted individuals turn their lives around.
Caltrans and a San Rafael-based nonprofit, the Center for Employment Opportunities, have struck a partnership that regularly sends out cleanup crews whose time alongside our freeways provides members with income while they are receiving job training and counseling.
Growing up in northern California, Angie was always into music. When she was younger, she would record and perform her own material and dreamed of attending the Los Angeles Film School to study music production. However, as Angie got older, she started making more and more of the wrong decisions ...
In talking to Heather, it is easy to understand how she has always been a teacher, a lifelong learner, and a natural leader. When Heather was released from incarceration, she was determined to use those strengths to build a better future for herself and others like her. Still, despite her ...
Growing up in Los Angeles, Dina faced her teenage years chasing distractions rather than diplomas. Those early choices led her into the criminal justice system and eventually incarceration. But when she returned home, ready to rebuild her life, Dina quickly encountered the harsh financial realities of reentry. She knew change ...
The Los Angeles County homelessness budget approved last week included tens of millions in cuts to established services, including a 78% reduction in funding for the region’s main homeless workforce development program.
More than 30 organizations sent a letter to state lawmakers this morning voicing concern over the lack of funding for reentry programs in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal, as the prison population is expected to increase following the passage of a tough-on-crime ballot measure last year known as Proposition 36.
On January 7, 2025, a brush fire fueled by high winds ignited the Eaton Canyon area in Pasadena, California, forcing evacuations and turning entire subdivisions into ash. The next day, while the amber peaks of the San Gabriel Mountains poked through the morning haze, and the charred towns in the ...
John grew up in South Sacramento, California, and saw things that a young boy just shouldn’t see. “It became normal to see drug dealing, drug use, violent crimes, people getting messed up, people getting shot,” said John. “It’s what I thought life was like.” A child of divorce, John lived ...
In 2023, Clyde was released from Solidad State prison in California after serving 28 years of a 30 years-to-life sentence. He walked out of prison looking for the best way to get back on his feet: a job. But, after nearly three decades of living behind bars, Dudley was on ...
One of the most challenging positions to play in baseball is third base. The hot corner requires great hand-eye coordination, quick thinking, and speed. Pascual had all three and was being scouted by colleges when he was in high school, something every boy dreams of. "I loved playing ball. Growing ...
Javier never imagined that welding would become his passion. But sometimes, the right opportunities come from the most unexpected places. After completing a drug court rehabilitation program, Javier’s probation officer introduced him to an opportunity that would change his life – a paid welding class. Although welding wasn’t something Javier ...
William grew up in an underserved community in south central Los Angeles with limited opportunities. He was raised by his hardworking mother, who juggled multiple jobs to support him and his 10 siblings. Like many others raised in similar situations, when his mother passed away at just 42, William struggled ...
Meet Azariah, the heart behind Lifting Spirits Higher Ministries. Growing up on the tough streets of West Side Chicago, Azariah faced more than his fair share of challenges. After spending time in prison, he turned his life around and found his calling in ministry. Now, Azariah runs Lifting Spirits Higher ...
Some people like working in customer service, but not Brian. Brian loves it. In fact, it’s his passion. A native of the West Coast beaches, Brian recalls working in customer service since he was 16. “I started as a cashier at a local burger joint and stayed for ten years,” ...
When mail call came on the U.S. Naval carrier each week, every sailor would get quiet and listen closely for their name being called, hoping that someone from home – a sweetheart, a parent, a friend – would write to them and break the monotony of the six-week voyage to ...
Anthony is in disbelief. He doesn't understand what has changed since speaking to the landlord on the phone that morning. He’s been living in a transition house for the last nine months, but Anthony only has one week until he has to move out. Then he will be homeless, and ...
Darneicea Day, Site Director of the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) Los Angeles location, has journeyed down a winding and resilient road to reach her current position. A Los Angeles native, Darneicea’s career has continuously grown and evolved. She began as a paralegal, working in various legal fields such as ...
A new County ordinance builds on the state’s Fair Chance Act to give people with a criminal past a better chance of gaining jobs in the unincorporated area.
The first time David stood on a stage and looked out at an auditorium filled with rambunctious kids, he was 27 and in the custody of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). He was sweating under the bright lights and a little nervous, but David knew he was ...
Growing up in sunny San Diego, Anthony T. excelled in every sport he played: soccer, baseball, surfing, track. Raised by a loving single mom, Anthony worked hard at school but eventually ended up following the wrong crowd. But sports had taught him integrity and teamwork, traits that would help him ...
In 1997, Tommy Eugene Lewis III was sentenced to 41 years to life in state prison for attempted murder after he shot and injured another driver. He was 18 years old. Three years ago, at 43, Lewis was released from prison. He’d spent his entire adult life behind bars and ...
More than 150 people attended an employer seminar and job fair this week for National Second Chance Month. The job fair is designed to help justice-involved individuals reenter the workforce through committed fair chance employers.
If you looked up the word motivated in the dictionary, you would see a picture of Matthew when he came home after 20 years inside – he worked full time on a transitional work crew for the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO), used his lunch break to study for the ...
In the journey of recovery, one of the most powerful tenets is the idea of reaching back to help those who are still struggling, forging bonds of unity and selflessness within a community. Terissa M., a member of Voting Access For All Coalition, personifies this philosophy through her remarkable journey.
One of the main tenets of a recovery program is to reach back and help the person struggling behind you, creating a sense of unity and selflessness that builds a community. After Terissa M. nearly lost her life in a car accident two years ago and suffered a tragic personal ...
It’s been a year of accomplishments for Chris, a former participant at the San Jose office of the Center for Employment Opportunity (CEO). He has not only completed a year of employment post-incarceration, but he also earned his Commercial Drivers License (CDL) this spring. In fact, Chris was the first ...
Joseph is a big reader, completing dozens of books a year. He shares that his two favorites are The Winds of War and War and Remembrance by Herman Rouk, historical novels that tell a sweeping story of World War II, but he says he’ll read almost anything. This dedication to ...
This spring, Azariah performed a prestigious rite of passage: he spoke at the graduation ceremony for a program he’d been a part of called the Advocacy Leadership Committee (ALC). What makes it even more special is that he’d just recently been released from incarceration. “Here I am less than four ...
State prison yards may not look much like college quads. But some activists and educators want to bring a piece of the collegiate experience to incarcerated people in California, allowing them to earn degrees and job training behind prison walls — and potentially reducing their likelihood of returning to prison ...
Allen didn't just have himself to worry about at home—he had Max, his new dog. "He suffers from such bad separation anxiety when I'm gone," Allen said. "Every day I'm going to work, I have a little camera in my living room for Max. I call it my Max cam." ...
After a challenging year, Jerel is thrilled with the change in his luck. "I really can't believe I'm in the position I'm in—that I'm getting paid to learn," he says. Jerel is part of a new advanced training opportunity through the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO). Through this program, CEO ...
As part of National Second Chance Month, more than 200 people, many of whom had been previously incarcerated and are now looking for a fair chance to be part of the workforce, attended an employer seminar and job fair.
After serving almost four decades in prison, I look at my wonderful life and can’t believe how blessed I am to have a career, a home and a loving fiance. It wasn’t a given, and it took hard work and a commitment to learn that helped me get on a ...
When the pandemic took hold in 2020, remote work became a reality for millions of Americans — making digital skills even more necessary for job seekers.
Some of my happiest memories are of my days playing baseball in San Diego’s Logan Heights, as the pitcher on my Little League team, the Little Padres, at Memorial Park. My mom loved to watch me and my older brother, who was our catcher.
When Bella grew up in Los Angeles, there were payphones everywhere. Then, returning to the city in 2018 after being incarcerated for twelve years, she said it was like she had “stepped into a different world.”
Ronnie knows something about hard work. Growing up on a small farm in Yuba County, Calif., Ronnie and his four younger siblings helped care for the family’s chickens and other animals, including milking the cow every morning and evening. “We never went to the store to buy lunch meat,” Ronnie ...
Dozens of people gathered last week for a health fair in Solano County, California. The fair was hosted by the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) and provided CEO participants and other formerly incarcerated individuals in the local community with access to free health screenings, wellness information, and food. Maura Torkildson ...
When distractions don’t cloud your eyes, the world is bright, and your road is clear as day. This is the newfound perspective of Karina from Los Angeles, California. Although the landscape and climate of the region make for a perfect day every day, that was not always Karina’s reality. Karina ...
Free health screenings are part of a community health fair for residents who were formerly incarcerated.
The fair, which will be hosted by the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) will provide access to free health screenings, wellness information and food to CEO participants and other formerly incarcerated individuals in the local community.
PBS NewsHour story on the importance of re-entry cash assistance featuring our RCS recipients Thanh and Allan and our CEO Sam Schaeffer.
Billy has been enjoying spending time with his family, including his two boys, who are both in their twenties now, as well as learning to appreciate new outdoor activities, like camping, hiking, and visits to the beach. Things were much harder when he was released. “When I first got out ...
It’s been 22 years since I walked out of prison with a GED diploma, a handful of program certificates I earned “inside” and a mixture of fear and optimism about what was ahead of me. Looking back from the place where I now get to help people who are in ...
In June 2019, a South County Superior Court judge gave me a choice between accepting 12 years to life in prison or choosing the stringent conditions of a plea agreement and rebuilding my life after a burglary charge. I chose my life. After a year in the George Bailey Detention ...
Kurt Phillips, who was formerly incarcerated, works for a company that tries to help people like himself find jobs and support.
Last April, Google launched Grow with Google Career Readiness for Reentry, a program created in partnership with nonprofits to offer job readiness and digital skills training for formerly incarcerated individuals. As a part of an expansion, Google today announced that it’ll invest just over $8 million in organizations helping “justice-impacted” ...
Today, CEO was thrilled to host Grow With Google at our Oakland location to announce the expansion of their career readiness program for justice-Impacted communities. CEO will scale digital skills training into our job-readiness programming at all 31 locations. Former CEO program participants, practitioners, and Bay Area justice reformation partners ...
Programs like the Center for Employment Opportunities make all the difference in the lives of formerly incarcerated people, like Christopher Williams, 37, who now works as an assistant at the CEO office in Fresno, doing office work and filling in wherever he is needed.
Timothy Rodriguez was serving a 20 years to life jail term when Gov. Gavin Newsom commuted his sentence in March 2021 because of his age (68) and vulnerability to COVID.
Jordan, a Center for Employment Opportunities participant in San Diego, didn't think he'd need access to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). While transitioning back home, Jordan's sober living facility provided meals. Even if he had been eligible, Jordan didn't want to apply for a benefit he didn't need ...
When 37-year-old Christopher Williams was released from the Corcoran State Prison after serving 15 years for second-degree murder, he found his trials were far from over.
As director of the Solano County Center for Employment Opportunities, Dr. Marcus Mills and his team have seen firsthand the impact immediate and effective employment services can have on individuals with justice backgrounds.
When Mariah Nance, 31, of Vallejo was arrested and released on bail in 2017, the once storage rental company manager found herself jobless.
After five years of incarceration, Erica Kucinskas walked out of prison in January 2021. She had her freedom, but no job.
“Growing up, I always wanted to be popular and fit in,” Jose says. “That’s basically how it all started.” Raised in South Sacramento, he insists the desire for acceptance early in life contributed to his incarceration. Eventually, Jose started hanging out with some local gang members, mostly for the parties ...
Americans love rags-to-riches stories. But Fresno, like many cities in the U.S., has not shown itself to be a city of opportunities, especially for certain populations. Social and economic mobility are limited — a lingering product of Fresno’s history of racism, segregation and redlining.
A California lawmaker wants to increase the allowance that people released from prison receive to cover basic needs for the first time in nearly 50 years.
“I come from a gang background,” Aaron says. “I’ve always had a street mentality, that was just my life.” Growing up surrounded by street gangs in Northern California’s East Bay, Aaron says that he always expected to end up in prison one day, and unfortunately, his fears eventually became a ...
What happens if the state gives direct cash assistance—$2,750 spread out over three payments to released prisoners? This is what the state of California is trying out. A law now allows prosecutors to recommend incarcerated people for release if that person received a particularly excessive sentence, or has shown that ...
Gate money: The concept of “gate money” — a little bit of cash upon leaving prison — isn’t new. In fact, a lot of states send prisoners home with some funds in their pocket, generally at least enough for bus fare and a meal. But for most, the cash barely ...
Commentary by Sam Schaeffer and Ivonne Garcia: Navigating a return from prison or jail is hard even at the best of times. But during a pandemic it can be daunting. Scott, who was released from a California prison this year after serving six and a half years of a 10-year ...
Scott first heard about the Returning Citizen Stimulus (RCS) program while staying at a transition house near the San Bernardino Mountains in California. Since all of his family lived across the country, he didn’t have much support when returning from incarceration. A mortgage underwriter originally from Florida, Scott had been ...
In California, a law allows prosecutors to recommend incarcerated people for release if that person received a particularly excessive sentence, or has shown that they’ve rehabilitated themselves while in prison. Now, 50 people who are released under that law will be part of a test: What happens if they also ...
Employers across California are asking, “Where can we find workers?” The truth is that many hundreds of thousands of Californians are locked out of opportunity. And it doesn’t have to be that way. Many of our state’s most pressing economic challenges are the consequence of inaction. In this case, more ...
Alexa Harris (She/Her)Program Innovation Specialist, Career DevelopmentCEO Los Angeles
Betty McKayFormer ParticipantCEO Oakland
Three years into a citywide effort to keep San Diego clean and safe, Mayor Kevin Faulconer brought together partners of the city’s Clean SD program Tuesday to highlight the progress in removing more than 7,000 tons of trash, debris and waste from public spaces across the city.
One local organization is giving jobs to hundreds of people who were formerly incarcerated. Elizabeth Alvarez was live with Robert Smith from the Center for Employment Opportunities to talk about how the organization helps former inmates get back on their feet after prison.
SAN BERNARDINO – Inside an inconspicuous building on South E Street, Michael Wahome, Larry Bethea, Armando Lopez and a team of others are attempting to lower recidivism statistics one parolee, one probationer, one person at a time. Those at the Center for Employment Opportunities know what they’re up against: A ...
