October 28, 2008
Judge sets deadline for prison payment
Federal District Court Judge Thelton Henderson on Monday ordered state officials to pay $250 million toward construction of new prison healthcare facilities by Nov. 5.
If Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger or Controller John Chiang do not comply, Henderson scheduled a Nov. 12 hearing in his San Francisco courtroom at which they would have to show cause why they should not be held in contempt of court. If they are held in contempt of court, they could face fines of up to $3 million a day.
The order followed a hearing earlier in the day at which Assistant Attorney General Daniel Powell argued the court does not have the authority to "simply seize that money…"
LINK - VenturaCountyStar.com
