Panel of national leaders aims for bipartisan justice reform

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A new criminal justice reform group brings together Democratic and Republican governors, a Black Lives Matter organizer and a Koch Industries vice president in an unlikely collaboration aimed at harnessing momentum following a bipartisan overhaul last year.

The 25 trustees of the Council on Criminal Justice that launches Tuesday include California Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat who left office in January, and Mark Holden, senior vice president and general counsel for the Kansas-based energy conglomerate of billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, who advocate for conservative causes.

The group is an outgrowth of the federal First Steps Act, a major criminal justice overhaul that won bipartisan support in Congress and was signed by President Donald Trump.

The council’s goal is to make recommendations that can win bipartisan support.