Thursday, 03/06/2008 Print Version |
Transcript of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Speaking at Female Inmate Carpenter Graduation
CHUCK
PATTILLO: My name is Chuck
Pattillo, I'm the General Manager of PIA and the Executive Officer of the
Prisons Reward. On behalf of the members of the board and the staff of the PIA,
I welcome you all to the second graduating class of the Female Carpentry
Pre-Apprenticeship Carpentry Program. Before we go any further, I'd like to
acknowledge a couple of folks that are here. We do have the Governor here
today, and that alone makes it a day. (Applause)
We have Secretary Tilton
with us here; he'll be speaking in a moment. I also wanted to mention that
Corey Calaycay from Senator Margett's office, Mayor Yates from the City of
Chino, Mr.
Leonard Greenstone, who is a member of our board -- and I don't see him here yet
-- but he's the longest serving volunteer in the Department of Corrections, over
40 years. And I also want to mention today one of our graduating class, Laura
Dent -- Secretary Tilton will speak about her -- is paroling today. (Applause)
Just to recap what this
program is, this is a program sponsored by the Prison Industry Authority, made
possible by the Recidivism Reduction Strategy funds allocated by the Governor in
his budget, in the CDCR budget, and sponsored by Secretary Tilton and the Prison
Industry Board. This program provides carpentry pre-apprenticeship training for
six months. These ladies will parole, and when they do parole, they will
receive a tool belt with all their tools. They will also receive all their
union dues for a year, if they go into a union program.
With that, I'd like to
introduce Secretary Jim Tilton, Chair of the Prison Industry Board. (Applause)
SECRETARY
TILTON: Chuck, thank you much.
Governor, I appreciate your getting to see today what you've been talking
about. And you challenged me to put programs in prisons that have real success,
and this is, in my view, one of those success points. Besides Laura Dent, who
is paroling, I wanted to recognize Darlene. There is an inmate here who I met
last time, Governor, and she approached me. We had these same pink hats, and
she asked me whether or not we could give the hats to the graduating class as
souvenirs, so they could send them home, and we did that. But Darlene is still
in the program; she's a mentor for the rest of the inmates. And I believe the
inmates have the same feeling I have for her. Without examples and role models
in these programs they won't be successful. Where is Darlene? I don't see
her. (Applause)
Darlene was in the first
graduating class. But Darlene, thanks for your efforts. We know it helps all
the rest get through these programs.
This is an exciting time
for us in the Department of Corrections. We're putting back -- we changed our
name a couple of years ago. It's not just putting an 'R' in the title. This is
an example of what we're talking about, is providing opportunities for inmates
to take responsibility for their lives, take that responsibility and transfer it
into a real job skill, get their GEDs, and come out of this program with an
apprenticeship program in the community and providing real jobs.
And not just waiting
until they get out; if you walk around this facility you'll see examples of
their good construction work. I used to be in charge of the state's capital
outlay process, and I'm just thrilled when I walk through a building and see
good quality standard construction that will last this department a long, long
time. And so I want to thank you for your efforts; I want to thank the staff
who provide the training for you.
And a couple comments I
have for you. One is, we're moving forward in putting in rehabilitation
programs. But I want to challenge you to be successful when you get out. If
you're not successful, if you don't take advantage of these programs, then the
people behind you won't have the resources necessary to do the same thing. So
your success is going to be our success, so please get out there, get those good
jobs, support your families, and prove what we think about you, and the
confidence that just because you've been in the prison system doesn't mean you
can't be a good, productive member of society.
And we know you will.
You've already established those principles here in the program. So please
don't come back except for a visit. We don't need you back in the prison
system. But take advantage of these opportunities, because I think coming out,
especially in these time, construction jobs -- get out there, get that good job,
and make us proud. We know you will.
With that, I was going
to introduce Larry Frank, but let me talk about the other part of this program.
We put out a grant through the Mayor's Office in Los Angeles. It's one thing to get training
and to come out of the prison, but if you don't get that real job when you get
out you won't be successful. So I want to thank the Mayor's Office, who has
been working with this program to assist inmates in getting real jobs in the
community. Without that connectivity to the communities CDCR can't do it by
itself. So we need communities to stand up and recognize that their citizens
are coming back to their communities, and they need to be part of that effort to
assist those individuals who have developed some skills to get a job, get a
place to live, and support themselves and their families. So, I want to thank
the Mayor's Office and Larry for that effort.
With that, let me
introduce the Governor of the state of California, who has championed the issue of
reforms in prisons. He's been to prison before; this is not a new exercise for
him. But when I first met the Governor, the first thing he told me -- I was
briefing him on a budget issue -- was, "Jim --" And he was talking to me and my
predecessor, Rod Hickman. "Before we talk about all this budget stuff, I want
you to put programs back in the prisons. Provide an opportunity for inmates who
take responsibility for their lives to be better when they come out of the
prison system, not worse." So Governor, I thank you for the challenge. We're
working on it, and now we have the proof that we're making progress implementing
those programs.
So with that, the
Governor of the state of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Applause)
GOVERNOR
SCHWARZENEGGER: Thank you very much,
Jim. I want to thank you for your great leadership. You have done an
outstanding job. And I also like the idea that you believe, as much as I do, in
rehabilitation. And I think that's why we added the word 'Rehabilitation' to
the name Department of Corrections, because this is what it ought to be. It's
not about putting people in a prison and then letting them sit around. We have
to figure out how to get them out as quickly as possible with skills so they can
connect, so they can make money on the outside, they can be proud of themselves,
a sense of accomplishment. All of those things are important to every human
being. It doesn't matter where you are, who you are, what color you are, if
you're female or male. We all want to feel productive, and we all want to have
people look at us and say, "Wow, you're great. I see you, I hear you, I admire
you. You're incredible." We all like to hear that, and I think that this
program is about that.
And so I want to say
thank you, Jim, for the great work that you have done. I also want to say thank
you to Deputy Mayor Larry Frank. I want to say thank you to Chuck Pattillo, who
is the General Manager of Prison Industries, for doing a great job and making
this possible. I want to thank also the Northern California Carpenters Union.
They have been great partners in teaching you, and waiting for you to get out,
and receive you with open arms and get you a job. So I think the whole thing
has been a win/win situation.
Now, I tell you that I
have gone to a lot of movie premieres, and today reminds me a little bit of
going to a movie premiere, when I come here, because at a movie premiere you
have the press, you have a red carpet, and you have stars. Now, we don't have
the red carpet here, but we have the press and we have the stars. You are the
stars. (Applause) You are the stars today.
And I know that over
there -- and I walked over there and talked to all of you a little bit to
congratulate you. There are two classes sitting over there. The first round of
graduates are sitting behind. (Applause) And then the second round, which is
sitting in the front, with all those beautiful pink shirts on. So I want to
give you a big, big hand for the great work, for graduating here today.
(Applause)
You are stars because
you made a commitment. You made a commitment and you said, "I'm going to do
something with myself." They provided the opportunities here, Prison
Industries, and the Carpenters Union, but you took the opportunity, and when
that door of opportunity opened up, you walked in. And that takes a lot of
will, that takes a lot of vision, that you see yourself as a trained carpenter.
And then I walked around
this facility here that you just built. It was extraordinary. The workmanship
is extraordinary. I'm proud of you when I saw this. Every single thing, if it
was the walls, the installation of the plumbing, and all of this, the toilets,
the way everything is, the kitchen, the kitchenette, all of the furniture,
everything is just so spectacular. So for you to do that, this is really
incredible.
And this is a great
benefit to society, because when you get out you're going to be a great
contribution to the community, you're going to be a great contribution to your
family, to yourself. And that saves the state money, and it also protects
everybody. And it saves you money, and it saves you a lot of aggravation.
So I say to you,
congratulations for such an extraordinary job. I am proud of you, and I think
that this is going to be a great program. I asked Jim to put money into this
program. He did put money into this program, and we're going to put money into
this program all over the state of California. (Applause)
And I just want you to
know that I have -- this is not the first time I have been here. I have been
all over, just about. I have visited every prison and every facility in the
state of California, because in the '70s when I was a
bodybuilding champion I came here. And as a matter of fact, in Pumping Iron, in
the documentary, you see a scene in there where I'm in one of the women's
institutions, and I'm posing, I'm showing off my body, as I usually always did.
And I did the posing, and there was one woman there that then started taking my
shirt off. It's all on film in Pumping Iron, just to show to you that I went
around to all the facilities.
I always felt that we
should pay more attention to inmates, and to people that are inside these
institutions, and to give them the ability to progress and to do something with
themselves. And my version in the '70s was to help them with their training,
because I was a big believer that when we helped them with the weight training
and with fitness training, and making them exercise and all of those things,
that they will get out and they at least can be in shape and go to a gymnasium
and feel proud of their body, and feel proud of what they have accomplished.
But this is even better, what we are doing now, and I'm lucky to be governor
now, that I can set you in this direction, and have you all have the opportunity
to go and train and to learn something like this.
So, thank you very much
for the great work you're doing, and I'll be back. Thank you very much. Thank
you.
SECRETARY
TILTON: Let me introduce Larry
Frank, as I mentioned before he got here, the excitement and the competence, and
how proud we are working with you and the Mayor's Office to connect these
individuals who are being trained and CIW, to come out and get jobs. So Larry
Frank, Deputy Mayor of Los
Angeles. (Applause)
DEPUTY
MAYOR FRANK: I was here in June when
this was just a shell of a building. I haven't gotten my tour. This started
early today; I'm very impressed with this event. It's great to see everybody
here. It was probably about 1995. The Mayor of Los Angeles was then the
Speaker of the Assembly, and he appointed a couple of us to the Prison Industry
Board, and I've been on the Prison Industry Board since about 1995. We started
the Inmate Employability Programs, we started the certification pieces. And
wouldn't you know that in 2005 the Speaker becomes the Mayor of Los Angeles, and
I get a chance to work with him in building workforce development.
So in my mind, from Day
1, is how do we create the pipeline that's all the people that are working
inside of Prison Industries, that are working inside our custodial facilities,
have a chance to get the jobs in the community? So in Los Angeles, thanks to the
Department of Corrections, to the Governor, we have the resources to do case
management. So I want to introduce two people -- that's my main reason for
being here. Is PVJOBS here, by any chance? Were they invited this time
around? So is anybody here from Playa Vista Jobs? They have a recent grant,
and the purpose of their grant is -- it's called Women in Apprenticeship in
Nontraditional Occupations. Their job is to help you get placements in the
construction careers. That's their responsibility. So I have all their fliers
with me today. (Applause) Anybody that's here in the audience, and your family
members -- make sure if you have family members that are participating in your
graduation that they approach myself. I want to introduce the people from
PVJOBS.
Also, Susan Quigley, are
you here from CDD? Okay, back in the red. She wore red today. But I want you
to get from her also the additional fliers about all of the programmatic work
that we're doing in Los
Angeles around construction careers. One of the things
that we've actually focused on is putting together local hire requirements for
public construction in Los
Angeles. We have local hire requirements built into
almost all of our construction projects, and so, since July 1st of 2006, we've
been able to get over 800 L.A. area residents into apprenticeship,
full-time paid apprenticeship jobs, inside the construction trades. And this is
the work we put in place getting ready to build this pipeline. So officially,
in workforce terms, you are in the pipeline now. Our job is to make that
pipeline work for you.
So we just had -- I
don't know if you know, is it Sequentia Waterford (Phonetic)? She was a recent
person who came from PIA. She came from actually doing some welding here, I
believe. But we got a call from her about two weeks ago. We got her through
our employment boot camp, which is run by Friends Outside. We got her in a
HAZMAT training program this week, and next week she's going to be starting --
she wants to work in a refinery. We're going to be able to get her her first
job. (Applause) But we have a number of people that are coming right from this
facility that we are connecting up to employment, and that's our responsibly
tint he City of Los
Angeles.
So I just want to say
that there are folks outside that are waiting for you to get there, that really
have some of the resources, thanks to the state of California, that has
invested in building these pipelines, thanks to the Workforce Investment Act
that is building these pipelines. We have the capacity, we have people that are
what is called -- you know what a case manager is, right? You come to us,
you're going to get a case manager that will work with you until you get that
first, and then that second, job.
So I just want to
congratulate PIA, congratulate the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation,
and really shake his hand, the Governor of the state of California, for his
leadership in bringing rehabilitation to the equation. That is what this
governor has done for the state of California. And by highlighting these kinds
of programs, the success in these kinds of programs, he's going to be able to, I
believe, take our state in the direction it needs to
go.
So I just want to thank
everybody for being here, and we look forward to -- make sure you get the
materials. I have materials, I'm going to make sure I get them out to you as
well from PVJOBS and from the Community Development Department and our Community
Faith-based Construction Initiative here in the City of Los Angeles. So anybody
coming to L.A.,
make sure we connect. (Applause)
CHUCK
PATTILLO: We're ready to hand out
the Certificates of Completion. And if I could have Wendy Still come up? Wendy
is the Assistant Director of Women's Programs for the state of California. (Applause)
If I could have the
graduates stand? (Applause)
WENDY
STILL: Ladies, we are so proud
of you. This just warms my heart, the second graduating class.
With that, can Parlene
Asavedo please come up? (Applause)
Kelly Blakeley.
(Applause)
Noel Battersby.
(Applause)
Tracy Jo Cook. Tracy Jo
Cook? (Applause)
Jamie Cribbs.
Congratulations to Jamie, who paroled. (Applause)
Jennifer Dominguez.
(Applause)
Laura Dent. (Applause)
Paula Garo. She's out.
Congratulations, Paula. (Applause)
Luanda Garret.
(Applause)
Susan Manner.
(Applause)
Maria Fan. (Applause)
Rochelle Schwartz.
(Applause)
Sheryl Thomas.
(Applause)
Sheryl
Way. (Applause)
Kathryn West.
(Applause)
Ladies, congratulations
for taking a major step on your new life path. (Applause)
GOVERNOR
SCHWARZENEGGER: Why don't we have the
whole class come out here and let's take a group shot together, right here in
front, okay? Who? There's one more. There's no certificate? You're going to
have to make one.
CHUCK
PATTILLO: If I can get the
graduates to come up to the front of the podium. And at this time I'd like to
thank all of the trainers from the Southern California Carpenters Union, the
Northern California Carpenters Union, the Laborers Union and the Ironworkers
Union, as well as the staff of PIA and the staff of CIW. (Applause) Thank you
very much. (Applause) Could we have the firefighters come up, please? Single
file? Could you guys cut a line for them, Tim? Oh, I'm sorry. The graduate
firefighters, I'm sorry. On the other side. (Applause)
GOVERNOR
SCHWARZENEGGER: Got it. Beautiful.
Keep up the good work, okay? All right. Have a good
day.
CHUCK
PATTILLO: Thank you again,
everybody, for coming. And especially, thank you to the Governor for taking the
time out of his schedule and acknowledge the work that this institution, these
ladies have done, as well as the Department of Corrections, the staff of CIW,
and PIA. Thank you.
