Rubicon in the News

East Bay Times: Share the Spirit: Woman’s career goal back on track thanks to Rubicon Programs

December 2023

RICHMOND — Warnisha Smith knew she had to dramatically change her life — not only for herself but for her children, ages 4 and 6.

Hampered by an incorrectly listed criminal charge on a pre-employment background check, the 28-year-old single mother was having trouble finding permanent work. Her hopes for the future were fading: She once dreamed of being able to open her own care facility for the elderly and disabled.

She heard about Rubicon Programs from a family friend and went to the Richmond-based organization in 2019 to get back on her feet and connect to resources that would help her move forward.

The Richmond Standard: Reentry Success Center to unveil ‘Art of Peace Richmond’ sculpture

April 2023

Richmond’s Reentry Success Center (RSC), which helps justice-impacted people and their families with free services, is unveiling an “Art of Peace Richmond” sculpture 11 a.m. Sat., April 29 at the center, 912 Macdonald Ave. in Richmond.

The sculpture, the creation of which was led by artist Maxon Zorro McCarter and members of RSC’s Restorative Art Program, was made using decommissioned firearms from Richmond buyback programs and guns obtained as evidence in statewide California crimes, per Rubicon Programs, which runs RSC.

SiliconValley.com: Antioch approves operating agreement for new cannabis business

January 2023

Natural Supplements, a cannabis cultivation, manufacture, retail and distribution business, has been approved by Antioch’s City Council.

The council OK’d the operating agreement Tuesday on a 3-to-2 vote, with Councilmembers Lori Ogorchock and Mike Barbanica dissenting.

City Attorney Thomas Smith said the operating agreement provides benefits to the city in several ways, including fees that increase each year for the first four years.

Under the 10-year operating agreement, which includes two possible five-year extensions, the operator will pay a percentage of its gross revenue to the city each month.

Another benefit to the city, Smith said, is in a social equity program that’s attached to the agreement, in which the business helps support a local nonprofit.

“The social equity program gives the business a chance to give back to the community,” Smith said.

Under the agreement, the operator has chosen Rubicon Programs, an anti-poverty program that provides workforce services to justice-impacted job seekers, many of whom were formerly incarcerated and impacted by the War on Drugs.

AFAR: This Napa Winery Wants to Talk to You About Prison Reform

January 2023

As soon as I stepped past the slate-colored exterior and into the wood-and-metal, industrially designed lounge, I knew this wasn’t going to be a typical Napa wine experience—a hunch later confirmed midway through our tasting. After filling our empty wine glasses with their signature bold, red blends while running through the usual tasting notes and details about terroir, our sommelier then deftly transitioned the conversation to the importance of prison reform.

Yes. Prison reform. At a winetasting.

Though unconventional, this is exactly the kind of conversation you might have while visiting The Prisoner Wine Company, a Napa winery that, after years of working to make the luxury wine industry more inclusive by marketing to—and welcoming—a more diverse set of wine drinkers, has expanded its impact to the broader community. In 2022, it released the wine collection Corrections, which promotes awareness of—and raises funds for—prison reform.

ReWork the Bay: Congratulations, AB 628 Grant Awardees!

January 2023

The Foundation for California Community Colleges, in partnership with the California Workforce Development Board and the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, have announced the projects that will be funded in the initial round of the Breaking Barriers to Employment Initiative grant program. Included in the projects funded by the $21+ million program was our EWC member, Rubicon Programs! Please join us in congratulating them and the rest of the grant awardees!

Inside Hook: NBA Star Tobias Harris Is Using Wine to Advocate for Prison Reform

January 2023

A member of the unofficial wine club that formed in the NBA bubble during the league’s Florida reboot in the summer of 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the country, Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris also used his time and his platform in the bubble’s spotlight to advocate against police brutality and systemic racism as the Black Lives Matter movement emerged onto the national stage.

In June of 2022, Harris was able to merge those two passions as one of the players who partnered with the Prisoner Wine Company and the National Basketball Players Association for the premiere of Game Change Game at the Tribeca Film Festival. Featuring Harris and other players including CJ McCollum, Malcolm Brogdon and Donovan Mitchell, the documentary takes viewers inside the Florida bubble as a social justice reckoning played out during the unprecedented 2020 NBA season.

Months after the release of the film, Harris partnered up with the Prisoner once again to promote the California-based winery’s newest launch, Corrections, a limited-edition three-pack of wine featuring labels drawn by LA-based artist Chris Burnett. Comprised of a 2021 Tempranillo, Malbec and Viognier, Corrections is priced at $225 with a portion of proceeds from the project going to Rubicon Programs, a nonprofit based in the Bay Area that provides essential services for impoverished communities disproportionately impacted by the inequity of the U.S. justice system.

SF Chronicle: The Prisoner Wine Co. says it’s reforming its problematic imagery. Is it enough?

December 2022

About a year ago, I wrote a big story about the Prisoner Wine Co., a winery that has become wildly successful while appearing to glamorize tropes of incarceration. I was struck by how distasteful it seemed that the St. Helena tasting room was outfitted in shackles and prison cell-like bars, and that the company released wines with lurid names like Derange and Eternally Silenced — all of which seemed to trivialize the harsh realities of mass incarceration in our society.

That’s particularly significant because the Prisoner isn’t just any wine. It’s one of the most powerful wines in existence: Last year its flagship red blend was the third-best-selling wine over $25 in the U.S., according to data analytics firm Information Resources Inc. Its success has spawned copycat brands, all aiming to capture the Prisoner’s viral combination of dark, edgy labeling and rich-tasting red wine. This wine has a unique responsibility — and a unique opportunity.

East County Today: Antioch Set to Award $180k Contract For Mayors Apprenticeship Program

November 2022

On Tuesday, the Antioch City Council will vote on selecting Rubicon Programs as its third-party provider for professional services for the Mayor’s Apprenticeship Program.

If approved, Rubicon Programs would provide professional services beginning January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023 for an amount not to exceed $180,000. The funds is coming from the American Rescue Plan Act.

The Mayor’s Apprenticeship Program (MAP) is a paid program in the City of Antioch for young adults ages 18-26. The pilot program will employ 20 participants who are underemployed, underserved and underestimated.

The young adults selected will have multiple barriers that they are facing and may be justice involved, unhoused, former foster youth and more. Sixty (60) hours of workforce development training will take place prior to placement.