“We must shape a restorative justice system that does not seek to criminalize whole communities, but instead creates opportunities for prevention and integration. Most importantly, this system must be grounded in the fundamental premise that all people are innocent until proven guilty and that all of us deserve a fair second chance.”

American labor union official and former politician

Laphonza Butler is an American labor union official and former politician. She served as a United States senator from California from 2023 to 2024, and has worked in labor and Democratic politics for much of her career. She began as a union organizer and later led the California SEIU State Council from 2013 to 2018. Butler was also a regent of the University of California system from 2018 to 2021, and served as president of EMILY's List from 2021 to 2023.