Dan Kapelovitz, Green for Recall Governor
August 4, 2021
Greens and others from around the state and beyond joined Dan Kapelovitz Sunday afternoon to get to know our fellow Green who is running for Governor in the upcoming recall election.
Green Party of California delegates will soon be deciding whether the party will support, oppose, or take no position on the recall, and additionally, will decide on a candidate endorsement. Green Party of Sacramento County has not yet taken any positions at the time of this writing.
Update, August 29, 2021: The Green Party of Sacramento County endorses Dan Kapelovitz for Governor.
Who is Dan Kapelovitz?
Dan Kapelovitz, a criminal defense attorney in Los Angeles, was drawn to the issue of Animal Rights during his time studying law at UCLA. He has defended animal liberation activists, pro bono! Originally from Colorado, Dan has lived in California since the ‘90’s. As well Animal Rights being a significant interest to Dan, he also holds concern over Prison and Criminal Justice reform.
Below are some highlights from today’s Zoom meet, and the issues which were discussed. Please be sure to follow Dan’s media for more on where he stands:
Dan Kapelovitz encourages Californians to vote No on the recall, and vote for Dan Kapelovitz or any other progressive. He urges voters: Do not leave ballots blank in case the recall effort is successful!
Dan Kapelovitz supports Ranked Choice Voting
He sees the need for a systemic change which would affect future elections, helping Greens and others, helping to eliminate the “spoiler” argument and other issues smaller parties face.
When asked about the California Wildfires, Dan expressed a need for long-term strategy, a need for a Green New Deal, which would encourage renewable energy to help prevent the conditions which are currently contributing to the climate changes which drive these fires.
Resources must go toward updating the infrastructure of underground power lines. There must be a means to discontinue new construction in fire zones, and there is a need for constant maintenance of brush both long term and immediately. He also sees a need in funding measures to continue to fight the fires when they burn.
On Police Reform
Dan Kapelovitz believes we need total reform of the police from the ground up.
He sees issues with training, and believes better practices need to be implemented to encourage de-escalation, and additionally, feels that a major problem exists where many of the calls to law enforcement should be directed to mental health professionals rather than law enforcement which is not trained to handle certain situations.
Dan Kapelovitz expresses a desire to reduce sentencing overall, and feels that people are often over-sentenced, citing that most offenders stop offending after their forties, as they age, and in many cases, there is no need to have seventy and eighty-year-olds still incarcerated long after they are likely to be a threat to society. He feels that long sentencing mostly has the purpose of securing jobs in the prison system, and firmly believes that prison and jail should never be run for profit.
Dan Kapelovitz believes that reforms to sentencing, and fairly proportioned sentencing would help many. He believes in ending the “war on drugs,” which needlessly incarcerates so many, by decriminalizing drugs, and putting the focus on programs to help individuals overcome these issues, rather than continuing with punitive measures, as we often still do in this state.
Dan Kapelovitz wants to move towards abolishing prisons and focusing on preventing crime rather than punishing it afterward. He believes we start by not building new prisons, and start getting rid of existing ones.
Dan Kapelovitz became interested in animal rights after taking an Animal Law course in law school. He volunteers his time as a legal observer at demonstrations, and says he’s had every criminal case thrown out, of which he’s defended from protest arrests.
Dan Kapelovitz discusses a link between factory farming and environmental issues, as well, saying that not only are these factories horrific in regard to the treatment and living conditions of animals, but these factories are also producing waste, pollution, and contribute to overuse of water, which is becoming more and more of a scarce resource.
These are just a brief summary of Dan Kapelovitz's positions on issues, please follow his media for more, and please always vote your conscience!
Dan Kapelovitz, Green for Governor in the California Recall Election
Healthcare is a human right
Supports Ranked Choice Voting and Electoral Reform
Supports major police reform in California
Supports defunding and redirecting police duties to health professionals
Supports Animal Rights and has provided free legal defense to animal liberators
Supports decriminalizing substances and ending the War on Drugs
Opponent of disproportionate sentencing