Statement on Adoption of Fair Chance Ordinance in San Diego Ensuring 14,000+ Private Employers Comply with State Fair Chance Hiring Laws
Ordinance Opens the Doors to Employment for Hundreds of Thousands of Justice-Impacted Residents
CEO Media Contact:
Claire Gross, Sr. Manager of Public Relations
[email protected] | 646) 370-8292
New York, NY– August 27, 2024 –Today, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted to adopt a Fair Chance Ordinance into the County Code of Regulatory Ordinances, ensuring over 14,000 private employers comply with state fair chance hiring laws. Rob Smith, Center for Employment Opportunities’ San Diego Site Director testified at the meeting and released the following statement:
"For too long, people like me – and the thousands of participants the Center for Employment Opportunities has served in San Diego - have been judged and denied employment, not for who we are today, but for who we were at our lowest point. When I returned home over 20 years ago, despite my best efforts and qualifications, I faced constant rejection from employers due to my record.
“Today’s vote to adopt a Fair Chance Ordinance ensures that we are given a fighting chance to prove ourselves by authorizing the Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement to assist job seekers with their claims, provide educational outreach to businesses on the law, and ensure employers are compliant. This vote is about so much more than removing barriers to employment–it’s about giving families and communities the chance at a better future where they can thrive.
“The adoption of this Ordinance has the potential to impact over 14,000 private employers in San Diego County, opening doors to thousands of current and past CEO San Diego participants and other justice-impacted people. Beyond the personal impact, this vote will offset significant economic costs caused by ongoing employment discrimination against people with past convictions. In California alone, eight million people–one in five state residents–are living with a past conviction and continue to face insurmountable barriers to employment.
“By not hiring people with past convictions, companies are not only missing out on hardworking, qualified employees but also contributing to unnecessary economic loss. The Fair Chance Hiring Ordinance will reverse this trend by removing unjust barriers to employment, allowing more people to contribute to the workforce, and ultimately strengthening our economy.
“The Center for Employment Opportunities commends the San Diego Board of Supervisors for voting to change the lives of so many in their community. Everyone deserves a fair chance, and this ordinance helps make that a reality.”
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About the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO)
The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) provides immediate, effective, and comprehensive employment services exclusively to people recently released from incarceration. CEO currently operates in 30 cities in 12 states and is dedicated to ensuring that justice-impacted people have opportunities and careers to achieve socioeconomic mobility. For more information, please visit: ceoworks.org.
