Read to learn more about the history of family policing and family reunification in SoCal and beyond.

Findings focus on prior failed effort to consider the establishment of an independent committee, workplace discrimination complaints and in-custody deaths

"Education is power. It allowed me to examine the world I'm living in and make decisions that are beneficial for me and my family, and help other people at the same time."

Jurors found that 'internal processes alone have proven insufficient to ensure transparency or accountability'

The City of Riverside highlighted Starting Over Inc as part of the Green Business Network, which helps local businesses reduce costs, improve efficiency, and go green—at no cost to enroll. Starting Over, Inc. shares how the program helped them save money, upgrade their facility, and create a healthier workplace. From energy-efficient upgrades to commuter benefits, the impact is already making a difference.

Local organizers have been brainstorming ways to maintain pressure on the Riverside City Council after weeks of failed attempts to convince the majority of the members to reconsider accepting millions in state funding for an affordable housing project. 

Tired of hearing the Inland Empire reduced to crime, homelessness and warehouses, three community-led nonprofits have launched the Our IE campaign, using polling, canvassing, billboards and roughly 900,000 digital ad impressions to shift how residents see their 49-city region — and their power to change it.

The campaign brings together Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE), Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice (IC4IJ) and Starting Over Inc., a Riverside-based organization led by formerly incarcerated people. The three groups teamed up after attending a narrative change convening in Long Beach as part of a Million Voters Project grant and its MVP Echoes Academy, deciding to build a regional effort focused squarely on how people talk and think about the Inland Empire.

Starting Over Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to ending poverty and incarceration, announced the launch of their Ruchell Cinqué Magee Community Land Trust (CLT) Capital Campaign last year. The land trust named in honor of Magee; one of the longest-held US political prisoners, aims to build a space for returning residents to build belonging, opportunity and generational wealth through homeownership and equity.

Shelterforce: CLT named after Ruchell "Cinqué" Magee, considered by many to have been the longest-held political prisoner in the United States, aims to create not just affordability, but belonging.

Supervisor Jose Medina proudly hosted the annual Women of Distinction Luncheon on March 21, 2025, at the Riverside Marriott in Downtown Riverside. The event honored ten exceptional women from Riverside County’s First Supervisorial District, celebrating their leadership, service, and profound impact on their communities.

Distrust, significant risk of bias, and lack of transparency are growing issues within the combined sheriff/coroner’s office. Read an opinion piece by Starting Over, Inc. director Vonya Quarles on the need to separate the Riverside County sheriff and coroner’s offices.

On December 5th, after hearing from impacted community (including Lisa Matus, whose son died in Riverside custody, and Vonya Quarles, director of Starting Over), the Riverside County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to conduct a study on separating the Sheriff and Coroner’s office. Separating these offices is a long-awaited step toward closure and accountability for the families of community members who died in custody.