California Governor 2026: Sheriff Bianco Prison Agenda vs. Sharifah Hardie Vision for Jobs and Reform

As the 2026 California Governor's race intensifies, voters face a clear and urgent choice: a future built on hope, opportunity, and innovation with Sharifah Hardie and her California Forward Plan, or a return to failed "lock them up" politics from Sheriff Chad Bianco.

While Sheriff Bianco vows to reopen shuttered prisons and build more correctional facilities, California is grappling with a mass exodus of corporations and the erosion of its manufacturing base. According to multiple reports, major employers are leaving the state at a record pace, taking good-paying jobs and much-needed tax revenue with them. Instead of tackling the root causes of job loss, Sheriff Bianco's prison-first agenda offers only more incarceration and deeper economic wounds.

"We don't manufacture anything anymore," says Hardie. "And while our jobs and companies are leaving, Sheriff Bianco's answer is to lock up more Californians. Is this really the future we want for our state?"

Crime Is Down-The Real Crisis Is Economic
Despite Sheriff Bianco's claims, data from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) show that:

California's violent crime rate has dropped nearly 47% since 1993, the lowest in generations.

Early 2024 saw a further 10% decrease in violent crime, with homicides down 22.7%, rape down 17.7%, robbery down 13.6%, and property crime down 13.1%.

San Francisco's crime rate is at a two-decade low (San Francisco Chronicle), and San Diego's homicides fell 22% in 2024 (Axios).

Instead of fear, Californians need leadership rooted in facts and focused on the real crisis: the loss of economic opportunity.

The California Forward Plan: Opportunity, Not Incarceration
Sharifah Hardie's California Forward Plan delivers a bold vision to rebuild California's economy, keep families safe, and create lasting prosperity:

Reinvigorate California's manufacturing sector to reverse the corporate exodus and restore good jobs.

Invest in workforce training, education, and small business growth, not more prisons.

Advance modern, data-driven public safety reforms to keep communities safe without returning to mass incarceration.

Support mental health, youth opportunity, and neighborhood revitalization as smarter, safer alternatives to prison expansion.

"We need to move California forward, not back to the broken systems that failed so many of our families," says Hardie. "My California Forward Plan is about restoring jobs, rebuilding industry, and investing in our people. Sheriff Bianco offers only more prisons and more of the past."

A Turning Point for California's Future
With the state at a crossroads, Californians deserve a governor with a real plan for economic recovery and justice reform, not outdated policies that perpetuate the school-to-prison pipeline.

To build a brighter future, support Sharifah Hardie for Governor. Learn more and donate at: https://www.SharifahHardieForGovernor.com

111 West Ocean Blvd
Long Beach, CA 90802

Sharifah Hardie is a candidate for California governor.

This release was published on openPR.