January 2010 News
January 31, 2010
Parolee in stolen car arrested at DUI checkpoint
Police arrested nine people at a Saturday night driver's license and sobriety checkpoint, an Escondido police lieutenant said.
The checkpoint at East El Norte Parkway and Ash Street ran from 6 p.m. Saturday to 1 a.m. Sunday, Lt. Chris Wynn said.
Wynn said 2,132 vehicles entered the checkpoint and police screened 1,057.
Police arrested six suspected drunken drivers and one parolee driving a stolen car, Wynn said. One person was arrested for public drunkenness, and another was arrested for possession of false documents, he said…
LINK - NCTimes.com
January 31, 2010
Opinion: Two-time state inmate wants private prisons?
Gordon Hinkle, spokesman for the State Corrections Department, says the state spends $52,000 a year for each inmate and $16,000 to $18,000 for medical on each inmate.
The two times I was a guest of the state, I received no medical treatment whatsoever, and 75 percent of all inmates I know didn't receive any treatment, either.
Sure, some inmates have special needs and need treatment, but most inmates do not…
LINK - WhittierDailyNews.com
January 30, 2010
Suspects In Store Clerk’s Stabbing Had Been On Parole
Two men arrested in the stabbing of an El Monte store clerk last month had been on parole — one was later put on probation — and could be considered the kind of "non-violent, low-level offender" now being unleashed as part of the state's budget-minded "parole reform" that would release as many as 21,000 prisoners over the next two years.
According to court and county jail records, suspect Allen Tran had been released on parole earlier in December before being placed on probation Dec. 17 for identity theft. The second suspect in the case, Johhny Ngo, had been released on parole Dec. 20, 2008 after serving time for petty theft with prior convictions.
Police allege that one of the men stabbed a clerk at Ted's Quality Market in El Monte Dec. 26. Tran, 28, showed up the night of the stabbing at County-USC Medical Center, where the victim was being treated…
LINK - LAWeekly.com
January 30, 2010
Redlands police chief expects crime increase with Gov’s early inmate release plan
Law enforcement officials throughout the region and across the state are bracing for a possible spike in crime as thousands of state and county prisoners are returned to the streets under a new law aimed at cutting government expenses.
More than 130 non-violent San Bernardino County jail inmates have been turned loose early since Monday and more than 1,000 others could soon join them on the outside.
That's in addition to 6,500 non-violent state prison inmates who are slated for early release in the next 12 months.
"Even though the prisoners that will be released may not be violent offenders, they're still offenders and I don't think we should be surprised to see our property crimes increase," Redlands Police Chief Jim Bueermann said…
LINK - SBSun.com (The San Bernadino Sun)
January 30, 2010
CHP union exec: lower pensions for new hires?
The chief executive of the trendsetting California Highway Patrol union told a CalPERS forum last week that he is thinking about negotiating lower pension benefits for new hires, a move to protect them from a greater rollback by a future initiative.
Jon Hamm, the CEO of the California Association of Highway Patrolmen, said he is concerned about "pension envy" among private-sector workers with dwindling retirement security as corporations switch to 401(k) individual investment plans.
Hamm said "public employee unions are becoming villains" because some are playing on public fears. He also said assuming that economic growth will return to "normal" and generate the big pension investment earnings of the past could backfire…
LINK - CalPensions.com
January 30, 2010
More local, state lawmakers critical of Gov’s early inmate releases
In the growing furor over the early release of thousands of inmates by the cash-strapped corrections system, Assemblyman Ted Lieu on Friday accused officials of trying to deceive the public by defending the plan.
Lieu sent a letter to Matthew Cate, secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, "demanding that CDCR stop misleading the public."
"In my over 15 years of public service, including serving on active duty to defend our country, I have never before seen this scale of deception and misleading statements being made by a California governmental agency to the media," said Lieu, D-Torrance…
LINK - ContraCostaTimes.com
January 28, 2010
Parolee release siphons into county
About 200 unsupervised parolees are anticipated to be returned to Butte County gradually this year under a state plan to save money and reduce prison overcrowding.
That was the assessment Chico police chief Mike Maloney said he received during a meeting with other law enforcement and parole officials prior to the new prison reduction measures going into effect Monday.
"We haven't been given a lot of detail about what is happening and it's implication, but the release of that many unsupervised parolees causes us significant concern," Maloney said…
LINK - ChicoER.com
January 28, 2010
Private prison company CCA finds gold in CA (thanks, Gov)
In the intensifying debate over budget-driven releases of state prison inmates, the state's cash problems are well known. But at least one private correctional company is reaping major rewards.
In three years, a private-prison construction and management company, the Corrections Corporation of America, has seen the value of its contracts with the state soar from nearly $23 million in 2006 to about $700 million three months ago – all without competitive bidding. Even in a state accustomed to high-dollar contracts, the 31-fold increase over three years is dramatic.
During the same period, the company's campaign donations rose exponentially, from $36,750 in 2006, of which $25,000 went to the state Republican Party, to $233,500 in 2007-08 and nearly $139,000 in 2009. The donations have gone to Democrats, Republicans and ballot measures. The company's largest single contribution, $100,000, went to an unsuccessful budget-reform package pushed last year by Gov. Schwarzenegger…
LINK - CapitolWeekly.net
January 28, 2010
Ruling assailed allowing felons to have armor
A state appellate court decision allowing violent felons to possess body armor has touched off a firestorm in law enforcement, legal and legislative circles.
The ruling could set up a showdown before the state Supreme Court and puts once-overlooked legislation sponsored by the San Diego County District Attorney's Office in the spotlight.
Authorities and lawmakers argue that the armor gives convicts unnecessary protection during gun battles with police…
LINK - SignOnSanDiego. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
January 28, 2010
LA County Sheriff Lee Baca critical of Gov’s early release law, Gov’s proposed budget
OUR economic problems and California's budget crisis have impacted every level of government: state, county and city. Painful cuts have been and will continue to be made in all areas. Inevitably up and down the state, counties and local governments are looking at another year of reduced budgets and additional cuts. I write this to share with you what impacts these cuts will have on public safety and on our communities.
Legislators wrote and passed Senate Bill 18 (SBX3 18), which took effect Monday. This measure was written as a way for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to decrease its budget by cutting the amount of time sentenced inmates serve in prison by increasing sentencing credits for jail and prison inmates. It also removes certain prisoners who would normally be released on a supervised parole, meaning the parolee would have a parole agent and a detailed program of re-entry, and places them on unsupervised parole, better known as summary parole…
LINK - DailyNews.com
January 27, 2010
O.C. officials wary of state prisoner release
State officials this week began releasing the first of 6,500 inmates from state prisons — a move designed to save the state money.
Orange County law enforcement officials said the move is merely shifting the burden to local governments.
The move will allow low-risk offenders and those convicted of nonviolent crimes to earn credits in prison to reduce their time served – up to six weeks for each year served. Credits earned by prisoners for such things as fighting forest fires and completing drug and alcohol programs…
LINK - OCRegister.com
January 27, 2010
Sen. Tom Harman, Atty Gen candidate on Gov’s early release plan
In his recent State of the State address, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger addressed our fiscal deficits. He lamented that the budget for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has doubled on his watch.
Moreover, the governor is tired of California being a donor state. Recent estimates suggest that California gets back 78 cents for every tax dollar sent to Washington. His answer?: "We need to work with the federal government to build a more fair and equitable financial relationship."
I couldn't agree more. One obvious place to start has been staring California in the face for years — illegal immigrants in our prisons. While in Washington D.C. this week, Schwarzenegger should be sure to include this important issue in his discussions with federal leaders…
LINK - DailyPilot.com
January 26, 2010
Schwarzenegger, Mexico and private prisons?
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Monday that the state could save $1 billion by building and operating prisons in Mexico to house undocumented felons who are currently imprisoned in California.
The governor floated the idea during an appearance at the Sacramento Press Club in response to a question about controlling state spending. His speech came on the same day that changes in prisoner parole and credits for time served took effect.
"We pay them to build the prisons down in Mexico and then we have those undocumented immigrants be down there in a prison. … And all this, it would be half the cost to build the prisons and half the cost to run the prisons," Schwarzenegger said, predicting it would save the state $1 billion that could be spent on higher education…
LINK - SFGate.com
January 26, 2010
REGION: Hundreds of jail inmates freed
A few hundred convicted criminals walked out of county jails Monday, their time behind bars cut short as part of a new law that aims to save money and thin California prisons.
In San Diego County, about 260 inmates left jail with their sentences shaved by as much as two months under the new law, which went into effect across the state on Monday. About 30 had been held at the Vista jail.
In Riverside County, about 127 jail inmates were released, officials said…
LINK - NCTimes.com
January 26, 2010
Cate calls inmate early release plan “a win-win” and “a landmark achievement”
A new law aimed at reducing the state's inmate population took effect yesterday and had an immediate effect in San Diego County, where about 260 nonviolent offenders were released.
The convicts here — all doing time for offenses such as drug possession or petty theft — were let go under a provision that forces local officials to retroactively recalculate how they shorten sentences for good behavior and other credits.
Local law enforcement and court officials reviewed the files of 1,600 inmates, including those in county jails, to determine who should get out early, said Lisa Rodriguez, a deputy district attorney. Those convicted of serious, violent or sex crimes aren't eligible for the accelerated credits, Rodriguez said…
LINK - SignOnSanDiego.com (San Diego Union-Tribune)
January 26, 2010
57 yr-old parolee arrested for more than a dozen robberies
Los Angeles police today announced the arrest of a 57-year-old parolee believed to have committed more than a dozen robberies in Los Angeles and Kern counties attributed to the "fake mustache bandit."
James Brammer, who was paroled last April after serving time for robbery, was taken into custody without incident Sunday near Quakertown Avenue and Vanowen Street in Winnetka by the LAPD's Topanga Division gang unit.
His bail was set at $250,000.
Evidence seized from the suspect's Reseda home allegedly links him to 14 robberies committed since November, according to the LAPD…
LINK - DailyNews.com
January 26, 2010
Costs for CCA’s out-of-state private prisoner contract soars
The price tag for California's out-of-state prisoners has jumped in three years from $20 million in late 2006, to $630 million in 2009-10.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) as well as the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) addressed rising out-of-state prisoner costs in a recent hearing by the Assembly Committee on Accountability and Administrative Review.
California was ordered in 2006 by the federal government to relieve the overcrowding in California prisons, which at the time, was nearly 200 percent of planned prison capacity, according to Scott Kernan with the CDCR. The recent final federal order was issued Jan. 13, 2010 by a three-judge District Court panel requiring a cut in prison population to 137.5 percent of design capacity within two years — a reduction of approximately 40,000 inmates…
LINK - CalWatchDog.com
January 26, 2010
Parolee carjacks driver at gun point, gets arrested
A parolee who allegedly stole a BMW at gunpoint was arrested after officers picked up the LoJack signal coming from the car.
The suspect's name and age weren't available Tuesday night. The Los Angeles resident was taken into custody by Los Angeles police and booked on suspicion of carjacking.
The carjacking happened about 2 p.m. in the 300 block of Pasadena Avenue.
A Pasadena resident was dropping off real estate fliers when an armed man got into his 2008 BMW and said he was taking the car, according to South Pasadena Police Sgt. Tony Abdalla…
LINK - PasadenaStarNews.com
January 26, 2010
Governor looks south of the border for prisons
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Monday that the state could save $1 billion by building and operating prisons in Mexico to house undocumented felons who are currently imprisoned in California.
The governor floated the idea during an appearance at the Sacramento Press Club in response to a question about controlling state spending. His speech came on the same day that changes in prisoner parole and credits for time served took effect.
"We pay them to build the prisons down in Mexico and then we have those undocumented immigrants be down there in a prison. … And all this, it would be half the cost to build the prisons and half the cost to run the prisons," Schwarzenegger said, predicting it would save the state $1 billion that could be spent on higher education…
LINK - SFGate.com (The San Francisco Gate)
January 26, 2010
Stockton v. Kelso Lawsuit “on hold”
A jurisdictional decision involving a lawsuit against federal prison health care receiver J. Clark Kelso will have to wait eight more weeks.
U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton said Monday that he will rule March 22 on the motion by Stockton attorney Steve Herum, who wants his lawsuit over construction of an inmate medical center to be heard in San Joaquin County Superior Court.
[…]
Herum wants to force the state to pay millions in concessions to ensure the facility does as little harm as possible to the community…
LINK - RecordNet.com
January 25, 2010
Gov wants to build private prisons in Mexico for CA’s criminal aliens
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger floated an unusual suggestion Monday on how to cut the state's bloated prison costs with a private venture — build a private prison in Mexico.
"We pay them to build the prison down in Mexico, and then we have those undocumented immigrants be down there in prison," Schwarzenegger told a gathering of the Sacramento Press Club. "And with the prison guards and all this, it would be half the cost."
The governor's remark came amid alarm from law enforcement and crime victim groups about a new program meant to thin the state's prison population through early release…
LINK - KCRA.com
January 25, 2010
Prison Plan Reduces 30,000 Less Inmates Than Estimated
Instead of reducing prison overcrowding by 43,500 inmates, Schwarzenegger administration policy changes and legislation signed in October to thin the state's inmate population will only result in a 13,400 decrease in inmates over two years, the Legislative Analyst said in a report issued January 25.
That total is well short of the maximum number of inmates set two weeks ago by a federal three-judge panel which ordered the state to lower its prison population from roughly 168,000 to 128,000. California is appealing the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In the budget plan he presented January 8, the GOP governor proposes sending persons with no prior violent offenses who are convicted of various property and drug felonies to county jails for up to 366 days. Schwarzenegger says that would reduce the number of state prison inmates by 15,100 – when fully implemented…
LINK - CaliforniasCapitol.com
January 25, 2010
A Letter to Matt Cate
On behalf of Bargaining Unit 6 Members, CCPOA's Executive Vice President Chuck Alexander has written a letter to Matthew Cate, Secretary of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation with regard to furloughs...
January 25, 2010
Schwarzenegger: Send illegal immigrant inmates to Mexico
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday offered yet another way California can save on incarcerating illegal immigrants: send them to Mexico.
The Republican governor said he will not raise taxes for a second year in a row during a speech at the Sacramento Press Club. Instead, he suggested that the state can find plenty of money in other ways such as cutting pension costs, allowing offshore oil drilling and lowering prison expenditures.
Schwarzenegger's budget plan calls for an $880 million infusion from the federal government to pay for housing illegal immigrant prisoners who have committed crimes in California. The governor also wants to rely more on private prison companies to run the state's corrections facilities…
LINK - SacBee.com
January 25, 2010
Parolee arrested, charged with 13 armed robberies
Deputies have arrested the man who they say robbed different stores in the Frazier Park, Los Angeles and Santa Clarita areas.
On the evening of Jan. 21, a Frazier Park Substation deputy was contacted by a Los Angeles Sheriff's Department detective who was investigating an armed robbery that occurred in Santa Clarita a few days after the Frazier Park Market robbery.
Detectives said the man in the Santa Clarita robbery matched the general description, wore a similar disguise and brandished a similar handgun as the suspect in the Frazier Park robbery…
LINK - Turnto23.com
January 25, 2010
Schwarzenegger coming after unions - again
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has put organized labor squarely in his cross-hairs in 2010, opening a fight that will largely determine the shape of his final year in office.
Schwarzenegger's proposals would cut the size of the union workforce, reduce pay, shrink future pensions and roll back job protections won through collective bargaining.
Labor and the unions' Democratic allies are already girding for battle.
"It's a continuing jihad against organized labor," said Steve Maviglio, a Sacramento-based Democratic strategist. "The governor thinks public employee unions are Enemy No. 1."…
LINK - LATimes.com
January 25, 2010
California inmate release plan begins
The state's controversial plan to reduce its prison population by 6,500 inmates over the next year begins today, with victims and law enforcement groups once again warning it will increase crime.
"We are concerned for the public's safety," said Christine Ward, director of the Crime Victims Action Alliance in Sacramento.
"We understand that this is a move by the Legislature to help relieve prison overcrowding and save money in the budget. But we're very disappointed that public safety seems to have taken a back seat to other issues."
The idea, which opponents label an "early-release" plan, was hammered out last year during contentious budget talks…
LINK - SacBee.com
January 25, 2010
Parolee to Stand Trial in Lily Burk’s Murder
A parolee accused of abducting, carjacking, robbing and murdering a 17-year-old Los Feliz girl in broad daylight last summer was ordered Monday to stand trial.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David S. Wesley denied the defense's motion to dismiss the case against Charlie Samuel, who is charged in the July 24, 2009, slaying of Lily Burk.
The ruling came after about 1 1/2 days of testimony, including a DNA analyst's account that a blood sample from the teenager matched the genetic profile of blood taken from a short-sleeved shirt allegedly worn by the 50-year-old defendant…
LINK - NBCLosAngeles.com
January 24, 2010
Armed parolee arrested in Monterey, hundreds of rounds of ammo
Two men found with weapons in rural south Monterey County were arrested Saturday.
An aerial search was conducted for a third suspect, but no one was found.
According to Monterey County Sheriff's investigators, Robbie Smith, an active parolee, and Mike Boulerice, an ex-felon, were located on Lockwood San Lucas Road after several calls of the pair walking in the open with firearms. A search uncovered .22 caliber rifle, an 8-inch hunting knife, a hatchet, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition hidden in the woods near where the two were found. Sheriff's say the pair went off-roading and had their vehicle stuck in the mud…
LINK - KCBA.com
January 22, 2010
First Watch: January 22, 2010
A new CCPOA First Watch video has been posted at CCPOA.TV for January 22, 2010. Please CLICK HERE to view today's video update and for our archive of past video updates.
January 22, 2010
CCPOA First Watch Update 1/22/10
The 6th episode of CCPOA's First Watch Frontline News video reports is now available. These online video reports are being produced on a regular basis so we can get first hand information on important events out to our members faster. Archived reports and other video/audio are also available at the recently revamped CCPOA.TV...
Watch on CCPOA.TV
January 22, 2010
OC Republicans, public employee unions
County GOP Chairman Scott Baugh's dramatic call Monday for Republican candidates to stop taking union money is turning out to be thorny. The formula sounds simple - say "no" to public union campaign donations and remove a key incentive to approve sweetheart contracts for them.
But as I wrote in this item, plenty of Republicans have taken public union money and plenty are reluctant to give it up. And now, I've learned that the county party itself took $30,000 in 2008 from the California Correctional Peace Officers Association - that is, the prison guards. Along with the teachers union, the prison guard union the most powerful public employees union in the state - and one of the most roundly criticized for having undue influence on legislation.
Baugh was quick to respond to my call, confirm the contribution - in fact, correct the date I'd given for it - and offer an explanation both for contribution to the county party and for union contributions to him while he was an assemblyman (1995-2000)…
LINK - FreedomBlogging.com (Total Buzz)
January 22, 2010
Furlough Case Updates 1/22/10
Memo from Chuck Alexander and the documents filed by CCPOA in rebut to the State's latest appeal maneuver of last week, the "Opposition to Petition for Writ of Supersedeas"...
January 22, 2010
Police union concerned about releasing felons early from state prisons
The union representing Los Angeles police is concerned that releasing thousands of felons early from state prisons Jan. 25, including some 5,000 who are expected to return to the Los Angeles area, will jeopardize public safety.
The court-ordered plan to reduce the prison population will result in convicted felons being released into communities "without any supervision," according to the Los Angeles Police Protective League.
"The county of Los Angeles will be dramatically impacted, with over 5,000 felons to be released to our city," LAPPL President Paul M. Weber said in a statement. "What concerns law enforcement is that unlike the current program, where released inmates have been placed on parole, restricted from certain types of activities, or provided various community-based rehabilitative resources, these inmates will be completely unsupervised…"
LINK - DailyNews.com
January 21, 2010
Gov appoints new heads for CDCR in parole, labor relations, institutions, programs, BPH, CCCJ
01/21/2010 GAAS:50:10 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Gov. Schwarzenegger Announces Appointments
Official Press Release at gov.ca.gov
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the following appointments:
Robert Ambroselli, 43, of Roseville, has been appointed director of the Division of Adult Parole Operations for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). Since 2007, he has served as deputy director of the Division of Adult Parole Operations for CDCR. Ambroselli previously served CDCR as regional parole administrator in 2007, associate director from 2006 to 2007, parole administrator I from 2002 to 2006, parole agent III from 2001 to 2002, parole agent II and assistant unit supervisor for the interstate unit from 2000 to 2001, and parole agent II and corrections compact coordinator for the Interstate Unit in 2000. Prior to that, he was a parole agent I for the fugitive apprehension unit from 1998 to 2000 and for the Bakersfield parole unit from 1996 to 1998. Ambroselli was a correctional officer for North Kern State Prison from 1994 to 1996 and Pelican Bay State Prison from 1990 to 1994. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $135,564. Ambroselli is a Republican.
Tony Campos, 66, of Watsonville, has been appointed to the California Council on Criminal Justice. He has served on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors since 1999 and has owned and been a real estate broker for Caldwell Banker Campos since 1979. Previously, Campos served as a member of the Watsonville City Council from 1987 to 1998 and served as mayor in 1993 and again in 1994. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no salary. Campos is a Democrat.
Steven Caruso, 57, of Sacramento, has been appointed assistant secretary for labor relations for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Since 2008, he has served as director of resident programs for the Sacramento Mutual Housing Association. Previously, Caruso was the executive director for Family Promise of Sacramento from 2007 to 2008, senior consultant for Lincoln Crow Strategic Communications from 2005 to 2006 and executive director of the Elk Grove Community Food Bank from 2002 to 2007. He served as founder and president of Caruso and Company Professional Management Group from 1992 to 2006. Prior to that, Caruso was a consultant for Blanning and Baker Associates from 1988 to 1992, director of labor relations training for the California Correctional Peace Officers Association from 1986 to1988, deputy executive director for the California Commission on the Teaching Professions from 1984 to 1986 and senior staff consultant for J. Lewis Associates in 1983. He serves on the Alchemist Community Development Corporation's Board of Directors. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $105,060. Caruso is a Democrat.
George Giurbino, 50, of Represa, has been appointed director of the Division of Adult Institutions for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). Since 2006, he has served as associate director of high security and transitional housing program institutions for the Division of Adult Institutions for CDCR. Giurbino served as warden of Centinela State Prison (CEN) and acting warden of Calipatria State Prison from 2000 to 2006. Prior to that, he was chief deputy warden of CEN in 2000 and assistant regional administrator for the San Diego region in the Institutions Division for CDCR in 1999. Giurbino served CEN as associate warden for business services in 1998, associate warden for housing services from 1997 to 1998, facility captain in 1997, investigative captain for correctional institutions and acting associate warden for housing services from 1995 to 1997 and correctional captain for custody operation from 1993 to 1995. From 1980 to 1993, he was a correctional officer for the California Rehabilitation Center. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $135,564. Giurbino is a Republican.
Roman Nava, 39, of Chino Hills, has been appointed to the California Council on Criminal Justice. Since 2005, he has been district director and small business liaison for San Bernardino County Supervisor Gary Ovitt. Previously, Nava served as a district representative for Assemblymember Bob Pacheco from 1999 to 2004 and assistant to the chief deputy appointments secretary for the Office of Governor Pete Wilson from 1996 to 1999. He is a member of the board of directors for Chino Hills Parks and Recreation Committee and Chino Valley Fire Foundation. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no salary. Nava is a Republican.
Robert Peppler, 57, of Fairfax, has been appointed to the Board of Parole Hearings. He served as assistant director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from 2005 to 2008. Prior to that, Peppler served the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department as undersheriff from 1997 to 2005, assistant sheriff from 1996 to 1997, deputy chief from 1995 to 1996, captain from 1991 to 1995, lieutenant from 1987 to 1991, sergeant from 1985 to 1987, detective from 1982 to 1985 and deputy sheriff from 1978 to 1982. He was a police officer with the Hinsdale Police Department in Illinois from 1976 to 1977. Peppler served in the U.S. Air Force from 1971 to 1975. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $111,845. Peppler is a Republican.
Elizabeth Siggins, 39, of Sacramento, has been appointed chief deputy secretary for adult programs for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). She has served CDCR as senior policy advisor to the secretary since 2008. Prior to that, Siggins was policy director for the Office of the Inspector General from 2007 to 2008. She served the California State Senate Rules Committee as principal consultant in 2007 and policy consultant from 2001 to 2003. From 2004 to 2007, Siggins was assistant secretary and chief for juvenile justice for CDCR and, from 2003 to 2004, was executive director for City Youth Now. She was a research consultant for community based services for the Edgewood Center for Children and Families Institute from 1997 to 1999, program coordinator for Peer Education and Violence Prevention Program Hospital Audiences from 1992 to 1997 and assistant to the executive director for the Bay Area Women's and Children's Center from 1989 to 1991. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $141,816. Siggins is registered decline-to-state.
Richard Subia, 48, of Folsom, has been appointed deputy director for the Division of Adult Institutions for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). He has served as associate director of general population II and III for the Division of Adult Institutions for CDCR since 2008 and previously served as acting associate director of general population II and III in 2007. >From 2006 to 2007, Subia was acting warden at the Mule Creek State Prison (MCSP). Prior to that, he served CDCR headquarters as correctional administrator and chief deputy administrator to the undersecretary and secretary from 2005 to 2006 and correctional captain and acting correctional administrator at the Division of Adult Institutions from 2004 to 2005. Prior to that, Subia worked at MCSP as correctional captain and facility captain from 2002 to 2004, correctional counselor and public information officer and administrative assistant to the warden from 2000 to 2002, correctional counselor and employee relations officer from 1997 to 2000 and correctional lieutenant and employee relations officer from 1994 to 1997. From 1989 to 1994, he was a correctional sergeant at the California State Prison, Solano and, from 1986 to 1989, he was a correctional officer at Folsom State Prison. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $135,564. Subia is a Republican.
Christine Ward, 41, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the California Council on Criminal Justice. Since 2006, she has been executive director for Doris Tate Crime Victims Bureau. Ward was domestic violence victim response team coordinator for Womanspace from 2002 to 2006, director for education and outreach and shelter director for the Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Center from 2000 to 2002. She was volunteer coordinator for WEAVE from 1997 to 2000. Prior to that, Ward served Orco Construction Supply as human resources director from 1996 to 1997 and regional credit manager from 1989 to 1996. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no salary. Ward is registered decline-to-state.
January 20, 2010
High Court rejects state’s prisons edict appeal
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Schwarzenegger administration's attempt Tuesday to dismantle a judicial panel that wants California to improve inmate health care by making its prisons less crowded, but set the stage for a possible ruling on the panel's authority to lower the prison population.
The high court's brief order agreed with inmates' lawyers that the state had acted prematurely in appealing an August 2008 ruling by a three-judge panel. That ruling found that overcrowding in the state's 33 prisons, which hold nearly twice their designed capacity of 80,000, was the chief cause of a medical care system that violates the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
The panel ordered the administration to submit a plan that would reduce the inmate population by 40,000 in two years. State lawyers appealed, arguing that the panel was illegally established, had exaggerated the health care problems and misidentified their cause, and lacked authority to order prisoner releases…
LINK - SFGate.com (San Francisco Gate)
January 20, 2010
Gov to release 6,000 inmates starting next week!
Despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling Tuesday that postponed the early release of 40,000 California prisoners, another 6,000 convicts are expected to be set free early from state prisons starting next week, alarming public safety officials and local leaders.
The 6,000 are to be released under separate legislation that is not affected by the Supreme Court's decision Tuesday.
The court rejected the state of California's challenge of a special judicial panel's order to release the prisoners early under an overcrowding lawsuit filed by the Berkeley-based nonprofit Prison Law Office…
LINK - DailyNews.com
January 20, 2010
Prisoner release plan halted pending review
A federal court order to release 40,000 inmates to relieve prison crowding in California was delayed for up to a year on Tuesday, pending a final review by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Justices turned down a challenge by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration to the court order that forces the state to reduce its prison population. The action opens the door for another appeal by the state.
A three-judge federal panel last summer ordered the state Department of Corrections to reduce the prison population by about 40,000 inmates over two years in order to provide inmates with a constitutional level of health care. At issue for the Schwarzenegger administration is whether the judicial panel exceeded its authority in ordering the release of inmates…
LINK - SBSun.com (San Bernadino Sun)
January 19, 2010
Editorial: “Governor needs to be fair with CCPOA workers”
As the wife of a California correctional officer I am compelled to respond to the article in the Record on Thursday,Jan.14, 2010. ("Governor fights prison guard furlough ruling").
Since our budget crisis started, the California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA) have forfeited approximately 15% of their income.
Additionally they do not receive holiday or overtime pay when they are worked. The governor is now seeking another 5% cut in wages and increase their pension contribution another 5% for a total of about 25% lost income…
LINK - MantecaBulletin.com
January 19, 2010
Governor claims victory over 3-judge panel with stay from US Supreme Court
01/19/2010 GAAS:43:10 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Statement by Gov. Schwarzenegger's Legal Affairs Secretary Andrea Lynn Hoch on U.S. Supreme Court Decision
Governor Schwarzenegger's Legal Affairs Secretary Andrea Lynn Hoch today issued the following statement on the U.S. Supreme Court's decision:
"The U.S. Supreme Court's decision today is a win for the state because it guarantees there will be no early release of prisoners while the Three-Judge Panel's latest order is appealed. Given the more recent January 12 order by the Three-Judge Panel, it is no surprise that the U.S. Supreme Court has decided to wait and consider the entire case upon our appeal, which we will file today. We fully expect the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the Three-Judge Panel's prisoner release order."
January 19, 2010
Another former DJJ ward at Chad, another murder - manhunt, escape and re-capture
Justin Patrick Welch, the French Camp man charged with the vicious murder of a Wisconsin woman, is scheduled to appear in court today in Waukesha, Wis., after two nationwide manhunts, a daring escape and his eventual recapture.
Welch is suspected of slaying Kimberly Smith of Oconomowoc, Wis., on Oct. 1. Her body was found with hands bound behind her back and with multiple stab wounds, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper. Her 4-year-old son was home at the time, police have told the newspaper.
Welch became a suspect after his DNA was found on a knife and gloves found near the crime scene, and he is believed to have been hired through an acquaintance of Smith's ex-boyfriend, who was in a bitter custody dispute over the boy, according to published reports…
LINK - RecordNet.com
January 18, 2010
Assembly committee to reveiew out-of-state private prison contract
WEDNESDAY: California spends a far higher percentage of its state budget on corrections than any other state, and Schwarzenegger is proposing that lower-cost private prisons take a bigger share of the load. The Assembly Accountability Committee will be looking at the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's use of out-of-state prisons at a hearing Wednesday starting at 10 a.m. in Room 444. And next week, the Senate Budget Committee is set to look at prison spending as well.
LINK - FresnoBee.com
January 18, 2010
Police surround home, find parolee dead
A 34-year-old Chino gang member, who was wanted for a parole violation, committed suicide last night by shooting himself at an Ontario house while officers surrounded the building, police say.
The SWAT team entered the house at 1 a.m. today and found the body of Fernando Lopez.
The SWAT team headed for the house at 2:45 p.m. Sunday along the 500 block of West Belmont Street where Lopez had barricaded himself in the attic and opened fire with a handgun, Sgt. David McBride said in a written statement issued today…
LINK - PE.com (Press-Enterprise)
January 17, 2010
LA Times, SF Chron blast Gov’s private prison plans
ON PRISON SPENDING: State must address causes of overcrowding
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made at least two radical proposals in his State of the State address earlier this month. Both of them concern the state's budget-busting incarceration system. Neither of them is the most direct way to tackle it.The state is going to have to address the prison system this year, if for no other reason than the courts are forcing it to do so. Last August, a panel of three federal judges ruled that, thanks to overcrowding, mental and medical health programs in California's prisons were so inadequate as to be unconstitutional. The panel has given the state two years to reduce the number of inmates by 40,000…
LINK - SFGate.com (San Francisco Gate)
Editorial: A poor prison plan for California
Gov. Schwarzenegger's latest proposal combines a destructive budgeting formula with an untested theory about privatization.When Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed shifting female inmates out of prisons to community detention centers in 2006, the Legislature said no. When he asked lawmakers the following year to approve $10.9 billion in bonds to build new prisons while also reforming sentencing laws and parole rules, they reduced the bond package and jettisoned the reforms. Last year, when he asked them to cut the prison budget by $1.2 billion, they fell about $200 million short. We don't blame the governor for being frustrated, but we do fault him for apparently giving up.
Schwarzenegger's latest prison plan, unveiled in his State of the State address earlier this month, is less a serious policy proposal than a hunk of red meat tossed out at voters who are understandably furious about cuts in education spending. It combines a deeply destructive budgeting formula with an untested theory about prison privatization…
LINK - LATimes.com
January 17, 2010
ACLU blasts Gov’s private prison plan too!
In a move nearly as audacious as his fleet of Hummers, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger elated many public educators and criminal justice reformers in his State of the State speech by publicly embracing the "books not bars" motto that had been a rallying cry of grass-roots organizations for a decade.
Schwarzenegger declared that California should no longer spend more money on prisons than education and proposed a state constitutional amendment that would reverse the current spending ratio. "The priorities have become out of whack over the years," he said. "What does it say about any state that focuses more on prison uniforms than on caps and gowns?"
Good question, Governor…
LINK - SacBee.com
January 17, 2010
Opinion: “Privatizing prisons a bad idea”
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made a big splash Jan. 6 by proposing a constitutional amendment to guarantee a bigger budget for higher public education in California each year than for the state's scandal-ridden prisons. Celebration in University Hall, gnashing of teeth by the prison guards union. What's wrong with that?
It's hard to disagree with a policy of beefing up public universities as an investment in California's future, the way we did in the good old days — rather than starving them into privatization as at present. Never mind how that promise can be carried out in the face of another $20 billion this year in cuts to essential public services statewide.
But the little-remarked, yet outlandish, truly scary part of the governor's plan was what came next: in order to make the prisons more cost-effective, he asserted, we should create a system of competition between public and privately operated prisons, because "competition and choice are always good."…
LINK - SantaCruzSentinel.com
January 17, 2010
Former DJJ ward at Chad stabs own father to death
A 21-year-old Waterford man was taken into custody Monday night on the suspicion that he fatally wounded his father during a family fight.
Deputies from the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department were dispatched to the 500 block of Stein Way in Waterford around 6:30 p.m. Monday for a report of a disturbance.
When the deputies arrived they observed Jose Eucebio Corona, 21, being physically restrained by neighbors. Laying unconscious in the driveway was his father, Tomas Botello Corona, 65…
LINK - TurlockJournal.com
January 16, 2010
Escapee from private prisoner transport company caught
Van Buren police said fugitive Justin Welch hid in a vacant home not far from where he escaped from two private prison transport guards on Wednesday.
Neighbors who live near the home located on the corner of Broken Hill Street and Mitzi Lane said they found it hard to believe no one spotted Welch.
"Very shocked, I couldn't believe that it wasn't noticed," said Kristen Kipp who lives a few doors down from where police say Welch stayed. "I feel safe in this neighborhood."
Kipp's Husband Michael was out of town when Welch escaped but says he's surprised police didn't track him down sooner…
LINK - 4029tv.com
January 16, 2010
Ruling halts California prison pay tied to furloughs
An appeals court handed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger a furlough lawsuit win Friday over Controller John Chiang and the union representing the state's correctional officers – at least for now.
The ruling by San Francisco's 1st District Court of Appeal temporarily keeps Chiang from restoring the state's 30,000 prison officers and their immediate supervisors to full pay for the time that they work.
The controller had said he would eliminate a pay reduction imposed on the guards in keeping with an Alameda judge's decision in December that so-called "self-directed" furloughs at prisons violate labor law. Such furloughs allow the state to cut workers' pay but defer the time off…
LINK - SacBee.com
January 16, 2010
$40 million tab for undocumented prisoners in Monterey County
It costs California taxpayers $40 million annually to house inmates in Monterey County prisons who are in the country illegally or whose immigration status is in question.
Getting more federal money to pay the cost of incarcerating such prisoners has been on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's agenda since he raised the issue with the Bush administration several years ago. Now he's turned up the volume a notch, asking this month for $880 million in federal money for undocumented inmates, part of his effort to bridge a $20 billion California budget deficit.
At the Salinas Valley State Prison and the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad, 757 inmates are subject to existing or potential Immigration and Customs Enforcement holds, according to data from the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation…
LINK - TheCalifornian.com
January 16, 2010
Schwarzenegger’s deficient thinking
A couple of months ago I interviewed an economist in Sacramento who has long studied California state finances. I asked him what the lowest general fund budget was that he could envision in California as state revenues shrivelled. He answered: $85bn a year. The state simply couldn't function with a smaller budget than that.
Last week, Governor Schwarzenegger declared another fiscal emergency, and proposed an $82 billion budget – three billion dollars below the barebones survival estimate of my economist friend.
Amidst all of the doom-and-gloom cuts, and the accompanying rage as the state that until recently epitomised possibility in America continues to implode, one policy change stood out, offering a glimmer of better priorities in the years ahead. Schwarzenegger called for a state constitutional amendment to ensure that the state never spent less than 10% of its general fund on higher education and never spent more than seven percent on prisons…
LINK - Guardian.co.uk
January 16, 2010
Governor looks to privatization of prisons, some wary
In his final State of the State speech last week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger raised the possibility of privatizing state prisons as a way of saving money for increased university spending.
The state spends about $52,000 on each of its roughly 165,000 prisoners annually, in comparison to $32,000 in other states, officials said. Now the governor and state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation are looking into bringing the private sector in as a means of driving costs down…
LINK - PasadenaStarNews.com
January 15, 2010
Editorial: “Trained correctional officers necessary”
The article "State considers private prisons," Jan. 12, provided comments from various stakeholders - the governor, the Legislature, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and the California Correctional Peace Officers Association. Each argued for or against the privatization of California prisons. Regretfully, none of the individuals quoted spoke for or about the consequences to taxpayers, the families of inmates, or even the inmates.
Prisons are supposed to provide two distinct and important functions: providing for the incarceration of those individuals who are a threat to public safety; and rehabilitating those individuals who want to and can be, which is even more important financially to every taxpayer. The prison system has abjectly failed to provide either as is demonstrated by the 70 percent rate of recidivism and the number of inmates who become repeat offenders. If any business had a product failure rate of 70 percent, it would be closed. Unfortunately, we cannot close our prisons.
The high cost of prisons is falsely attributed to the people that work in them, the correctional officers and medical staff, to name a few. The governor, in order to find a "quick fix" and to "retaliate against the union," suggests that the best way to reduce costs will be to open private prisons which pay their staffs less. As with all simplistic solutions, it sounds good in a sound bite, but it is doomed to failure…
LINK - SBSun.com (San Bernadino Sun)
January 15, 2010
Alleged Coachella Valley killing shows the risk of early release plan
California's early prisoner release program amid Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Draconian" $1.2 billion cuts to prisons jeopardizes public safety.
These cuts are part of Sacramento's cost-saving strategies — but at what cost? Sunday's Valley section of The Desert Sun covered the recent murder of a Coachella Valley resident — the murder suspect is a convicted burglar who was supposed to be serving an eight-month sentence but was released in July after serving only 50 percent of his time.
When questioned, parole authorities could not account as to why the murder suspect was released back into the community…
LINK - MyDesert.com (The Desert Sun)
January 14, 2010
Gov’s prison & education plan called “True Lies” by law professor
Most of what Governor Schwarzenegger has said during his six years in office about California's bloated carceral state is true. Most of his proposals to move us beyond this obvious disaster for our polity amount to lies.
I have nothing against rhetoric, in fact I make my living producing and analyzing it (with apologies to the professionals in the rhetoric department). Indeed, I had great hopes that this action hero Governor might really use his clear rhetorical skills to tell Californians that we have too much fear embodied in our penal code and prison policies.
• He called the parole system "broken."
• He described our prisons as involved in "warehousing people" (a phrase used by Marxist criminologists in my days in graduate school).
• He renamed our prison agency the "Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation" (a bit repetitive, but the right direction).
• And just the other day he spoke about the shame of a state that spends more on prisons than higher education (as if he was just arriving in the state).Sadly, beyond renaming the boxes, Governor Schwarzenegger's policy moves have mostly been non-serious, including this proposal to use our constitution to favor higher education spending over prisons…
LINK - CaliforniaProgressReport.com
January 14, 2010
CA inmate escapes from private prison transport company in Arkansas
A manhunt was underway for Wisconsin murder suspect, Justin Welch.
He made a daring escape during a rest stop in Van Buren, Arkansas. Police there say the North Atlantic bus used to transport Welch made a stop at a rest area on I-40. That's when Welch stabbed a guard, took his weapon and shot another guard.
"He fired shots at the guard, Welch did, it was 2-3 rounds that he fired at him then he left in this van," said Lieutenant Brent Grill of the Van Buren Police Department…
LINK - WREG.com
January 13, 2010
CCA confirms plans to house CA state inmates at California City private prison
The Federal Bureau of Prisons has not renewed its contract with Corrections Corp. of America to manage more than 2,000 inmates now housed in California under the Criminal Alien Requirement program.
The contract, which has been awarded to Cornell Cos., will take about $22 million annually – about 12 cents per diluted share – off CCA's bottom line, estimated Avondale Partners analyst Kevin Campbell. Nashville-based CCA – which did get a renewed BOP deal to manage 1,200 inmates in New Mexico – had been expected to earn $1.40 per share in 2010.
In a statement, CCA President and CEO Damon Hininger said the company believes the BOP's move is based primarily on "escalating federal wage determination costs in California, and does not reflect the quality of operations our company and staff have provided to the BOP…"
LINK - NashvillePost.com
January 13, 2010
U.S. court revives California inmate’s lawsuit over lockdowns
An appeals panel on Tuesday reinstated a federal civil rights lawsuit in Sacramento, ruling that a series of lockdowns primarily targeting African American inmates at a Susanville prison amounted to racial discrimination.
The lockdowns in 2002 and 2003 at High Desert State Prison followed assaults on prison staff carried out or planned by one or two black inmates.
Correctional officials at the prison "apparently believe that, without showing any linkage between the perpetrators and the prisoners subjected to the lockdown, it was enough to assume that race alone tied (them) together. … An assumption of this kind is grounded on race," a three-judge panel of the 9th U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in a sharply worded opinion…
LINK - SacBee.com
January 13, 2010
Tuolumne County Sheriff calls Gov’s prison plan a “lose-lose”
Tuolumne County Sheriff Jim Mele expressed an outspoken reaction to several entities regarding two California prisoner release proposals.
Tuesday that three judge panel selected by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco handed down a ruling calling for the release of 40,000 prisoners within a two year period. At the same time the judges did postpone the effective date of that order pending U.S. Supreme Court consideration and another order scheduled for August on how to implement a release plan.
Meanwhile Governor Schwarzenegger has called for the transfer of state prisoners to serve out their time in county jails to easy the state budget crisis. The Governor is hopeful of reducing the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation budget by $1.2 billion…
LINK - MyMotherLode.com
January 13, 2010
CCPOA responds to Gov’s appeal and threat if he loses
The Schwarzenegger administration said it would file an appeal Wednesday in a lawsuit over his furloughs of state workers, contesting a decision by the controller to restore pay for prison guards.
Last year, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered some 200,000 state employees to take three days off a month without pay, cutting their paychecks by 14 percent to help close the state's budget gap. The California Correctional Peace Officers Association sued, arguing that guards are losing three days' pay each month, but can never take the time off because prisons operate around the clock.
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch sided with the 30,000-member union last month. On Tuesday, state Controller John Chiang said he intends to restore guards' full pay to comply with that ruling. The guards' court victory does not affect about two dozen other union lawsuits opposing the furloughs…
LINK - PE.com (The Press-Enterprise)
January 12, 2010
New furlough dispute brews between controller and Schwarzenegger administration
State Controller John Chiang told Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration today that he intends to end forced furloughs for state correctional officers this month, prompting a threat from the governor's office to dock other pay from state prison workers and resort to layoffs.
If Chiang follows through on his decision and it is not overturned, the prison guards would be the largest group of state workers to have succeeded in overturning the forced furloughs that have been in effect for a year and amount to a 15% reduction in pay…
LINK - LATimesblogs.LATimes.com
January 12, 2010
CCPOA.TV Updates
Two new items have been added to the CCPOA.tv site today including a radio/audio commercial and a television/video commercial. After you check out these new ads you can listen to archived 5150 recordings and view past commercials and the NEW CCPOA First Watch Update...
January 12, 2010
Brawley police looking for parolee in Brawley stabbing case
Police here are looking for a parolee suspected of attempted homicide in the repeated stabbing of a man last week on Stanley Place, Brawley Police Cmdr. Brett Houser said Monday.
Detectives received an 8:45 p.m. call Thursday from Pioneers Memorial Hospital about the victim who was stabbed once in the stomach and who suffered two or three slash wounds to his neck, Houser said.
The victim, who Houser declined to identify, identified the suspect to police as 32-year-old Anthony Donato Cortez of Brawley. News about the stabbing was not made public by Brawley police, Houser said…
LINK - IVPressOnline.com
January 12, 2010
New warden appointed at CIW
There is a new warden in town, though he didn't have to travel too far.
Guillermo Garcia, a licensed clinical social worker, has taken over the reins from Dawn Davison at the California Institution for Women prison.
"We are hoping he will bring fresh eyes to the institution," said Debra Dexter Herndon, an associate director of Female Offender Programs and Services…
LINK - ContraCostaTimes.com
January 12, 2010
Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) says Gov’s budget full of holes
The Governor proposes $19.9 billion of budget solutions in 2009-10 and 2010-11 to address the budget shortfall and create a $1 billion reserve. While it is reasonable to assume the state will secure some new federal funding and flexibility, the chances that the state will receive all of what the Governor seeks from Washington are almost non-existent. The Legislature should assume that federal relief will be billions of dollars less than the Governor wants—necessitating that it make more very difficult decisions affecting both state revenues and spending. Many of this year's budget solutions will require significant time for departments to implement. Therefore, the Legislature and the Governor need to agree to a framework to solve much of the budget problem by the end of March…
LINK - LAO.ca.gov
January 12, 2010
3-judge panel approves Gov’s prison population reduction plan
A panel of three federal judges has approved a court-ordered plan submitted by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to reduce overcrowding in California prisons, under a decision released today.
Schwarzenegger has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn last year's decision by the federal judges presiding over a pair of lawsuits by inmates who said overcrowding violates their rights to adequate medical and mental healthcare.
In the meantime, the governor was required to submit a plan showing how, if the state loses, he would reduce the inmate population by up to 40,000 over two years. His first plan was rejected by the judges in October because it did not meet the required population targets or timeline…
LINK - LATimes.com
January 11, 2010
BUDGET RESPONSE
In a press release titled, "CCPOA Responds to the Governor's Proposed Budget," and dated January 8, 2010, CCPOA says: "Today the governor released his proposed state budget for fiscal year 2010-11, which fails to include any comprehensive and desperately needed prison reform ideas. Instead, what he has proposed is simply 'business as usual.' Among the many flaws in his new budget is his plan to place out-of-state, for-profit corporations in charge of California's prisons..."
January 11, 2010
An officer’s wife speaks out on furloughs
Prison guards have been living with furlough days since last February.
During the past 11 months, dozens of lawsuits have been filed and are pending against furlough days. Some of the verdicts that are pending would order the state to pay back the money that was taken from state employees who took furlough days.
Although these workers would be receiving big checks, some say it's too late. Eyewitness News talked with one woman who is married to a prison guard. For the sake of her husband's job, she wanted to remain anonymous…
LINK - BakersfieldNow.com
January 11, 2010
Schwarzenegger wants feds to take over all illegal immigrants in CA prisons
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger suggested one more "trigger" alternative Monday if the federal government does not provide California with additional federal funds — transferring undocumented immigrant prisoners to the federal government.
The Republican governor last week relied on getting $880 million in federal funds for undocumented inmates to help bridge the state's $19.9 billion deficit through June 2011. President Barack Obama proposed eliminating that funding altogether last year, and Congress plans to allocate not even half that amount for all 50 states.
"Why should we pay for it when it is the federal government that is having the lax policies on the borders, and is really in charge of immigration policies?" Schwarzenegger said Monday in Torrance during a press conference to promote his job creation plan…
LINK - SacBee.com
January 11, 2010
Adelanto trying to profit from selling prison to private prison company
The city is entering 2010 with depleted reserves, long-awaited commercial centers on hold and only a handful of recreational and road projects moving forward — but officials hope to gain financial footing by selling off city-owned properties.
The city is working to close two property deals they hope will replenish the city's dwindling coffer: selling the city-owned Adelanto Community Correctional Facility to private operator Geo Group, Inc. and selling or leasing the city-owned Stater Bros. Stadium baseball stadium.
"The sale of the prison becomes critical for us in 2010," City Manger Jim Hart said…
LINK - VVDailyPress.com
NOTE: The city should have sold the prison to CDCR since the department needs beds – the prison has 550-beds sitting empty right now, but the Gov, instead wants to pretend to privatize the system when economical answers are right in front of him. $29 million for 550 beds is dirt cheap for CDCR standards. You can lead a horse to water… or I guess a pony and a pig…
January 11, 2010
New warden to take charge at San Quentin Prison
Vincent Cullen takes over as San Quentin State Prison warden on Monday, Jan. 11. The second-in-command at San Quentin State Prison will become first-in-command on Monday.
Vincent Cullen takes over the 157-year-old prison, the state's oldest, after spending a year as chief deputy warden. His annual salary will be $107,493.
"I always wanted to work at San Quentin, but I never honestly believed it would come to fruition," said Cullen, 47, a Vacaville resident who will soon move to the prison grounds. "When I first started out, attaining a warden's job was almost beyond comprehension…"
LINK - ContraCostaTimes.com
January 11, 2010
How much is a prison beating worth?
If you're Sherman Schuett, the answer to the question posed by the headline above, at least for lawsuit-filing purposes, is in excess of $100,000. The 61-year-old state inmate and his Evergreen attorney, Ron Beeks, are suing the operators of a controversial private prison in Colorado Springs that's supposed to help prepare prisoners for the difficult journey back to society.
The Cheyenne Mountain Re-Entry Center encourages its clients to take responsibility for their actions and confront misbehavior by others. That's what Schuett thought he was doing in 2008 when he reported another resident for punching holes in the wal l– an act that might be considered snitching in a more traditional correctional facility. An employee left Schuett's report where the other prisoner could see it, and Schuett was attacked in a unit that he claims lacked any supervision. He suffered various facial injuries, including a contact smashed in one eye, and spent three months in segregation after the attack for his own protection…
LINK - WestWord.com
January 11, 2010
CDCR relesases repeat offender who commits murder days later
Authorities arrested 28 year old Steven Banister last month in Tennessee for allegedly killing 75 year old Edward Keeley of North Palm Springs.
The Riverside County Sheriff's Department say Banister and his alleged accomplice Travis Cody robbed and murdered Keeley in his backyard last summer.
Just a few months prior to the murder Bannister was arrested among the dozens of people caught up the D.A.'s crime net called Operation Falling Sun…
LINK - KESQ.com
January 11, 2010
More on Gov’s private prison plan, CCPOA response
Changes could be expected to California's prisons in 2010 as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger aims to reduce prison costs.
Schwarzenegger's proposal to allow private prisons to compete with public prisons could add billions of dollars to the general fund a year, he said. That money could then be funneled into the education system.
Although official plans have yet to be decided, the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has been looking into various models to adhere to the governor's goals…
LINK - SBSun.com
January 10, 2010
Governor’s budget would strip city, county cash
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has demanded more federal dollars to help balance the state's budget, but local officials say he also sent a clear message to cities and counties throughout California: The state is coming for your money, too.
Included in the governor's proposal to bridge a $20 billion budget gap are measures that could strip more than $1 billion in transit funds from local jurisdictions, put more inmates in already overcrowded county jails, and require counties to pay more for child welfare and care for blind, disabled and elderly people…
LINK - SFGate.com
January 8, 2010
LAO’s Report: Does the State Spend More on Corrections or Higher Education?
A new report released by the California Legislative Analyst's Office looks at spending trends of Corrections and Higher Education, the two departments getting the most focus in the Governor's State of the State Address and 2010-2011 budget:
About a fifth of the state General Fund budget goes to higher education and corrections combined. State spending in these two areas responds to very different cost pressures, so it is not surprise that funding trends could differ. Nonetheless, the question is commonly asked which sector receives more state support. There is no single answer to the question…
VIEW the FULL REPORT
January 8, 2010
Increase in homeless sex offender parolees
Less than a year after state corrections officials tightened a $22 million spigot of free apartments and motel rooms for paroled sex offenders, the number of convicts claiming to be homeless has nearly doubled, adding fuel for critics who say the tight living restrictions under Jessica's Law threaten public safety more than bolstering it.
More than 2,200 paroled sex offenders were registered as transient in November, state figures show, up from 1,257 a year ago and 88 in September 2007. That was just before parole officials began enforcing a ban on sex offenders living within 2,000 feet of a school or park where kids "regularly gather."
The ranks of paroled sex offender at large — on the lam, free of GPS anklets — also grew, from 58 in 2007 to about 500, according to the state Sex Offender Management Board…
LINK - InsideBayArea.com
January 8, 2010
Kentucky Gov Orders Female Inmates Removed from CCA Private Prison
Kentucky's governor has ordered some 400 female inmates removed from a corporate-run prison after allegations of sexual misconduct by male guards.
Gov. Steve Beshear ordered the women moved from Otter Creek Correctional Complex to a state-run prison starting by July 1.
The move comes four months after the Kentucky Department of Corrections called for security improvements at the prison in a report on 18 alleged cases of sexual misconduct by guards there.
The prison is operated by Nashville, Tenn.-based Corrections Corporation of America…
LINK - ABCNews.GO.com
January 7, 2010
Counseling and Support Services
Check out the Resources section for supervisory support documents with information relating to various counseling and support services available to Supervisory Members (S-06 and M-06).
January 6, 2010
Assembly creates new prison reform oversight committee
Hot on the heels of smack-talking a campaign rival's self-funding, Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico, D-Newark, today announced a new role in which he could either boost or undermine his campaign for state Attorney General: He'll chair the new Assembly Select Committee on Prison and Rehabilitation Reform.
In a state now renowned for dysfunctional government, the prison and rehabilitation system takes the cake: rampant overcrowding, copious contraband, heavy gang influence, runaway recidivism, a health-care system so bad it's been placed in federal receivership, etc…
LINK - IBABuzz.com
January 6, 2010
Senate to review State Auditor (BSA) reports on CDCR fiscal operations this Thursday
THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2010
BUDGET AND FISCAL REVIEW
SUBCOMMITTEE NO. 4
STATE ADMIN., GENERAL GOVT.,
JUDICIAL, AND VETERANS AFFAIRS
DESAULNIER, Chair
10 a.m. or upon adjournment of session - Room 3191
PENDING RULE WAIVER
OVERSIGHT HEARING
SUBJECT: Recent Auditor Reports on the Fiscal Operations of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
MORE INFO: www.senate.ca.gov
January 5, 2010
Editorial: “Prison guards working with no pay”
I love those tales that go around about correctional officers and how they are overpaid, underworked and sucking the system dry with their overtime. Quite good tales, huh? More like fairy tales!
I have never seen a harder working group of people in my life. Like the officer attacked at California State Prison-Sacramento, here is a group of people who go to work every day and put their lives in danger for the safety of the people of California.
They even come to work when they are "furloughed."
LINK - ModBee.com
January 5, 2010
Private prison operator GEO Group get sued (again) for wrongful death
The family of the man, who's death started the first Reeves County Detention Center (RCDC) riot, is planning to file a wrongful death lawsuit.
Attorney's representing the family of Jesus Manuel Galindo say they're close to filing a wrongful death civil suit against GEO Group, the company that runs the detention center, along with the Physicians Network Association who provides medical care for the inmates.
You'll remember Galindo died in December 2008 after not receiving medicine for his epilepsy and being placed in an isolation cell…
LINK - NewsWest9.com
January 5, 2010
GEO Group private prison guard gets year in jail for smuggling contraband
A former corrections officer at a privately run prison in South Bay was sentenced this morning to a year in jail following her convictions earlier this year for introducing contraband and conspiring to introduce contraband into the facility.
Michelle Terrien, 34, was the center of a bizarre triangle within the South Bay Correctional Facility run by the GEO Group. An inmate with a homemade bomb — honey bottles filled with gasoline and connected to batteries and wires — took Terrien hostage last year claiming she never delivered to him $4,000 that she had received from his sister…
LINK - PalmBeachPost.com
January 4, 2010
Parolee arrested when car burns after police chase
A parolee was apprehended Sunday morning when his car caught fire during a police pursuit.
Folsom police stopped a car near Oak Avenue Parkway and Santa Juanita Drive for traffic violations about 2 a.m. Sunday. Driver Earnest Paul Hovey II, 38, (left) of Sacramento told officers he was on parole before stepping on the gas and driving away.
Officers said they chased Hovey, who was driving a 1995 BMW, at speeds of more than 100 mph into Fair Oaks. The chase ended when the engine compartment caught fire and the BMW rolled to a stop in the Walmart shopping center at Hazel Avenue and Greenback Lane in Orangevale…
LINK - SacBee.com
January 4, 2010
Merced police arrest wanted parolee
A 28-year-old man was taken into custody on suspicion of child endangerment and other charges Saturday, after Merced police reported finding drugs inside his apartment.
Victor Torres, a wanted parolee and gang member, was taken into custody at the apartment, located in the 1100 block of Loughborough Drive, according to Sgt. Curt Gorman.
Three officers from the department's Gang Violence Suppression Unit knocked on the door and an occupant opened it. Officers asked if Torres was there and the person said that he was in a back room and let officers in the apartment, Gorman said…
LINK - MercedSunStar.com
January 4, 2010
Gov losing political muscle as lame duck?
No self-respecting politician wants to be one. The phrase itself is utterly demeaning. But with a year left in office, there are signs that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has begun his transformation into a lame duck.
This status, defined by the weakness of a politician whose term will soon expire, may be difficult to swallow for a former Mr. Universe known to legions of moviegoers for vanquishing opponents as Hercules, Conan and the Terminator. Even as a pregnant man in "Junior," Schwarzenegger reflected a particular kind of strength.
But legislators have already begun sensing that as a lame duck he is easy prey and openly disregard some of his wishes. Members of his staff have steadily been quitting, and replacements are hard to come by…
LINK - LATimes.com
January 4, 2010
Parolee arrested for stalking, robbery, false imprisonment, etc
Watsonville police officers arrested a 22-year-old Gonzales man who they say stalked and held a woman against her will Sunday night.
Geraldo Ruiz, a parolee, and the female victim are "acquaintances," police said.
The woman contacted police around 6:45 p.m. Sunday, officials said, and told them that a man had stalked, burglarized, robbed, and falsely imprisoned her.
The woman then pointed out Ruiz as the responsible suspect, police said…
LINK - TheCalifornian.com
January 3, 2010
Furlough Frustration?
Feeling frustrated regarding having to work for free? Want to let the Governor know how you feel? Well, here is the phone number to the Governors office (916) 445-2841. Please be sure to remain professional and whatever you do don't call from a state phone. Those who have called so far have not been treated with respect, so be prepared to be told that you are "lucky" to make the money that you do. If you feel like it, send an e-mail of your conversation with our loving Governors staff to nichol.gomez@ccpoa.org for possible publication. Also, you may want to take the time to contact your local legislators district office and let them know the hardships this decision by this Governor is causing you and your family. You can find your legislator by clicking on this link leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html and then entering your zip code.
Take Action! Call The Governors Office (916) 445-2841
January 2, 2010
Gov promises jobs while threatening lay-offs and furloughs?
Governor Schwarzenegger Highlights Priorities for 2010, Wishes Californians Happy New Year in Weekly Radio Address:
An English audio link of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's weekly radio address is below.
English:
The 2-minute, 4-second address is available at http://gov.ca.gov/mp3/press/20091211_address.mp3. The file is 489 KB.
…That is why my New Year's Resolution is to help speed up our economic recovery and create a job for every Californian who wants one.
My Number One priority is jobs, jobs, jobs.
And in my State of the State Address next week, I will announce a job creation package to help spur job growth and jumpstart our economy…
LINK - Read the FULL Message at gov.ca.gov
January 2, 2010
Local woman helps defeat planned prison in Camarillo
Like many Camarillo residents, Kathleen Miller was shocked when she first heard officials were eyeing her city as the future site for a prison hospital.
J. Clark Kelso, appointed by a federal court in 2005 to oversee inmate healthcare across the state, introduced a proposal in May 2008 that included tearing down the California Youth Authority facility on Wright Road and constructing a 1,500-bed prison hospital in its place.
The federal receiver's plan bewildered and angered many Camarillo and Ventura County residents, including Miller…
LINK - VCStar.com
January 2, 2010
Wanted parolee arrested after car chase
Police arrested three people - including a wanted parolee - following a lengthy car chase early Saturday, authorities said.
Arnold Machado, 24, of El Monte was booked on suspicion of evading police and parole violations, El Monte police Lt. Robert Roach said.
Nancy Lopez, 23, of El Monte was booked on suspicion of resisting arrest, the lieutenant said. She was a passenger in the SUV Machado was driving…
LINK - PasadenaStarNews.com
January 1, 2010
Information for Parole Services Associates
If you are a Parole Services Associate and you hired on or after August 11, 2004 you were automatically enrolled in the Alternative Retirement Program (ARP).
What this means is that for the first two years 5% of their pay was deducted and placed in an ARP account. In their 25th month, the deduction
January 1, 2010
General Layoff Information
CCPOA is working hard to obtain all the information on the proposed CDCR layoff as it becomes available. We have created this section of the website to provide you with the latest information we have received, and more importantly attempted to confirm.
In addition to having our legal team reviewing the entire layoff program that has been proposed, CCPOA is also doing everything it can to provide the Legislature and Administration with concrete examples of the impact the layoffs will have on both employees and public safety as a whole.
