But the Legislature still needs to get Gov. Gavin Newsom on board.<\/p>\n
With the scheduled closure of a prison in Riverside County later this year, Newsom will have closed five prisons during his tenure. And based on the May revision Newsom proposed last month, it does not appear the governor is eager to shut down another facility in the coming fiscal year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the coming days, discussions with the Legislature will continue on resolving the outstanding differences between the two versions of the budget,\u201d Finance Department spokesperson HD Palmer said in a statement.<\/p>\n
During a May budget hearing,<\/a> a finance official said the administration is already in the process of shuttering the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco and planning to close two facilities in a single fiscal year \u201cwould be a really big undertaking\u201d for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.<\/p>\n Despite California\u2019s incarcerated population shrinking by half over the last 20 years, the state\u2019s prison spending remains persistently high, largely due to employee compensation and rising healthcare costs. The Newsom administration has attempted creative efforts to shrink CDCR\u2019s budget, such as hiring outside consultants to find operations efficiencies, but those endeavors have resulted in less savings than initially anticipated<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sen. Laura Richardson, D- San Pedro, who chairs a Senate budget subcommittee on corrections, said in an interview that California has roughly 9,000 extra beds and plenty of space that would allow it to safely close another prison.<\/p>\n Richardson said there has not been a date set, or a specific prison identified for closure, but she and her colleagues hope to move forward with shutting another facility in next year\u2019s budget.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst\u2019s Office recommended closing<\/a> the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad to avoid expensive infrastructure repairs.<\/p>\n Asked whether the governor is receptive to the Legislature\u2019s proposal, Richardson said she thinks the Newsom administration understands that prison costs need to be cut but did not indicate that the Legislature and the governor have found agreement on the issue. She noted that closing prisons could result in fewer opportunities<\/a> for incarcerated people to have their own cells.<\/p>\n The union that represents correctional officers has a simple message for those hoping to keep closing prisons.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Legislature\u2019s plan to close another state prison is a bad idea. They\u2019ve promised their constituents a system that does a better job preparing people in prison to come home rehabilitated. They can\u2019t keep that promise while continuing to shut down the places where that work is done,\u201d California Correctional Peace Officers Association President Neil Flood said in a statement.<\/p>\n Flood said the savings weren\u2019t even that significant given California spends billions on corrections and closing a facility is estimated to save the state $150 million.<\/p>\n The loss of stable jobs in communities where prisons are located requires prison staff to either transfer facilities or find employment elsewhere. The number of staffers working in each of California\u2019s 31 prisons ranges between<\/a> 1,000 and 2,000 depending on the facility\u2019s size.<\/p>\n Despite Newsom\u2019s track record of closing facilities, CCPOA has been a strong supporter of the governor. Since he was elected, CCPOA has given Newsom millions, including over $1.7 million<\/a> to support the governor\u2019s 2021 anti-recall campaign.<\/p>\n But advocates for prison closure argue that the upcoming budget, which is Newsom\u2019s last, is a good opportunity to continue shutting down facilities and lowering CDCR\u2019s budget.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re still scraping for dollars for programs that are vital for folks, and so we\u2019re really hoping that the governor sees this opportunity to save some funds for the people,\u201d said Amber-Rose Howard, the executive director of Californians United for a Responsible Budget, a nonprofit that advocates for reducing prison spending by decreasing the state\u2019s incarcerated population.<\/p>\n But Howard said she was not sure Newsom would agree to close another prison.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s been so hesitant and kind of tiptoeing around prison closure this year,\u201d she said. \u201cThe Legislature is setting him up to do it beautifully. They\u2019re giving him the backing.\u201d<\/p>\n Howard said she was also supportive of the Legislature\u2019s proposal to reject additional funding for a single cell \u201chonor housing unit\u201d at Corcoran State Prison that the governor proposed in his latest budget proposal.<\/p>\n The governor proposed an additional $10 million in the upcoming budget to help pay for this effort as part of the broader criminal justice reform effort known as the California Model. CURB and the Legislature both oppose this proposal.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to keep closed yards closed and actually figure out how to stop doing these sorts of \u2018swiss-cheese\u2019 prisons, and figure out how to close full prisons and maximize spaces on the prisons that remain open,\u201d Howard said.<\/p>\n Reporter Stephen Hobbs contributed to this story.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \n Attorneys say the Chino CO failed to supervise the inmate despite being told the kitchen supervisor was entering the walk-in freezer area\n <\/p>\n June 15, 2026 05:28 PM<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \n After losing 12 officers to retirement in the past year, the Cayuga County sheriff is urging county leaders to prioritize retention and recruitment\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \n Rex Heuermann remains under close supervision, spends time reading murder mysteries and shows no visible remorse, according to Suffolk County jail officials\n <\/p>\n \u00a92026 The Sacramento Bee. Visit sacbee.com<\/a>. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"hqdefault.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1781964560_766_.jpeg\")
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