May 2010 News
May 29, 2010
Sex offenders falling through cracks
The men who check in Tuesday and Thursday mornings with Lynda Cummings at the Marysville Police Department are not unlike sex offender registrants in other cities and towns across the United States.
Some of them have been convicted of and have done time for crimes that involved children; others, for offenses involving only adults. Some have offenses dating back several decades and have convictions for non-sex-related crimes as well.
But unlike registrant lists in surrounding jurisdictions, Cummings' list includes no parolee addresses.
Proposition 83, better known as Jessica's Law, forbids any registrant on parole or probation from living within 2,000 feet of a school, park or playground. And because Marysville is so densely concentrated, there is not a single foot of space within the city limits that is legal for registrant parolees to reside...
LINK - Appeal-Democrat.com
May 28, 2010
First Watch: May 28, 2010
A new CCPOA First Watch video has been posted at CCPOA.TV for May 28, 2010. Please CLICK HERE to view today's video update and for our archive of past video updates.
May 25, 2010
CCPOA 2010 Primary Election Endorsement List
Below is a list of CCPOA's endorsements for the 2010 Primary Election with Assembly and Senate seats listed by district...
May 24, 2010
Prison furloughs causing future financial liabilities to mount
Implemented to help the state sock away $2 billion, the governor's furlough order imposed on prison guards may end up eating away half the savings in the long run.
"Prisons don't close three Fridays a month," said Chuck Alexander, a vice president of California Correctional Peace Officers Association. "This governor saved a couple of bucks yesterday, but the next one will have to pay three bucks tomorrow."
Custody staff's growing vacation and holiday leave balances that were compounded by furloughs represent a future liability to the state of at least $546 million and could be more than $1 billion, state Auditor Elaine Howle warned in a report issued last week...
LINK - DailyBulletin.com
May 24, 2010
Schwarzenegger’s Non-revocable parole causing trouble for police?
...Most people don't realize "non-revocable parole" went into effect in California on Jan. 25. This law authorizes the state to release thousands of "non-violent" offenders from prison without placing them on traditional parole. In other words, a parole agent will not check up on them and they cannot be returned to prison unless they commit another crime. The intent was to ease the overcrowding, reduce the budget and allow agents to concentrate on more violent offenders.
Proponents say only non-violent prisoners are being released on the streets of our communities. A non-violent parolee is defined as a person who was not sent to prison for a "serious felony," who did not commit a serious disciplinary offense while in prison, who is not a member of a prison gang, and someone Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation determined was not likely to re-offend.
Three of the parolees I mentioned earlier were on parole for "non-violent" offenses. The guy who was crawling out of the basement window was on parole for dealing drugs. The man who robbed the two boys at Tokay High was on parole for possession of stolen property. The woman who hid on the roof was also on parole for possession of stolen property. The suspect who tossed the gun was on parole for burglary, which, according to the penal code, is a "serious" offense. He was convicted of burglary after he entered an empty house and took a computer...
LINK - LodiNews.com - Opinion/Column
May 21, 2010
Correctional officers living in tents to draw attention to paycuts
The signs across from Kern Valley State Prison in Delano inform motorists they're driving by "Arnold's Labor Camp #1" and "State Worker Refugee Camp #1." If that doesn't grab a driver's attention, the variously colored tents set up a couple of hundred feet from the roadway should.
As of Tuesday, about 50 correctional officers had set up at the site, and 50 to 100 more are expected by the end of the week, said Sgt. Ian Pickett, corrections and community advocate with the California Correctional Peace Officers Association. The purpose of the camp is to demonstrate the worst-case scenario correctional officers face if they have to deal with more paycuts...
LINK - Bakersfield.com
May 21, 2010
BSA Audit: Effect of CDCR Operations on the State Budget
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation:
Inmates Sentenced Under the Three Strikes Law and a Small Number of Inmates Receiving Specialty Health Care Represent Significant Costs
HIGHLIGHTS
Our review of California's increasing prison cost as a proportion of the state budget and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's (Corrections) operations revealed the following:
-
Inmates incarcerated under the three strikes law (striker inmates):
- Make up 25 percent of the inmate population as of April 2009.
- Receive sentences that are, on average, nine years longer-resulting in about $19.2 billion in additional costs over the duration of their incarceration.
- Include many individuals currently convicted for an offense that is not a strike, were convicted of committing multiple serious or violent offenses on the same day, and some that committed strikeable offenses as a juvenile.
May 19, 2010
SROA - Offers of Employment: Another Example of Management Stupidity
As you may recall in May of 2009 a large number of letters went out to BU6 Correctional Officers indicating that they were affected by a potential Layoff. Officers who received the Layoff letter also received a CDCR “pre-filled out” scantron indicating that, if subject to a layoff, they would work anywhere in the state. The names of all those officers were put on an SROA list.
CCPOA went to the negotiations table regarding the Layoff. The end result was that no Correctional Officer was laid off. This should have eliminated the need for the SROA List...
May 19, 2010
Apprenticeship Program Decision
When an apprentice transfers from a DDJ classification to another classification like CO, the Department’s original “Internal Credit Matrix” ended up granting only a couple of months credit to an apprentice who had almost completed the program. This meant these employees were trapped in the apprentice pay range for almost 4 years and restricted them from bidding.
On March 18, 2010, CDCR’s Apprenticeship Committee addressed the impact of the closure/conversion of Stark on the DJJ Apprentices who transferred to adult institutions. The Apprenticeship Committee granted these apprentices hour-for-hour credits toward their apprenticeship in the adult classification...
May 18, 2010
Legislative Analyst’s Office: May Budget Revision
Large Budget Problem Little Changed Since January. In the May Revision, the administration estimates that California must address a $17.9 billion gap between current-law resources and expenditures in the 2010‑11 General Fund budget. In our view, the administration’s estimate is reasonable. While our tax revenue estimates are slightly higher than the Governor’s: $400 million in 2009‑10 and $1 billion in 2010‑11—overall, our view of the budget problem is similar...Read the entire Overview of the May Budget Revision below.
May 18, 2010
Are You Registered to Vote?
With a very important primary election coming up for California, CCPOA would like to remind its members to register to vote by the May 24, 2010 deadline and to be sure to vote in your district’s primary elections which begin on June 8, 2010. The primaries are key to setting the stage for the Governor’s election this fall, which is very important to state workers and Californians as a whole...
May 18, 2010
Mule Creek State Prison employees give back to the community
Over the years, Mule Creek State Prison employees have become more engrained in the local communities. These employees are making a difference by giving back to the communities where they live and work, by involving themselves in a variety of community-service groups and other contributions.
Mule Creek State Prison hosts an annual Holiday Employee Toy Drive, which has been a huge success. The prison partners with the Amador County Sheriff's Department.
The goal is to collect 1,000 toys donated by the prison's employees. The toys are displayed on a float driven in the Ione Christmas Parade, after which the toys are turned over to the Sheriff's Department for distribution at Saint Sava Mission in Jackson...
LINK - Ledger-Dispatch.com
May 18, 2010
Supervisory Update: May 18, 2010
As you are probably aware the Governors Office released the May Revise on Friday, May 14, 2010. It contained no real surprises, more bad news for state employees. In addition to the cuts in the January proposed budget release the May Revise contains a PLP day. This is nothing more than a furlough day with a PLP ribbon around it, and shouldn’t be confused with the PLP days we received in the early nineties. This PLP has no cash value and is in fact nothing more than a self-directed furlough as noted in the analysis from the Legislative Analyst’s Office below...
May 14, 2010
The Governor’s May Budget Revision
As you know, the Governor released his May Revision to the budget this afternoon. As in January, the proposal needs to solve an approximately $20 billion deficit. As expected the Governor proposes to solve most of the problem through cuts.
The major action in the corrections budget is to transfer certain “non-serious, nonviolent and non-sex offenders” to local government. Under his proposal, approximately 15,000 inmates would be kept in the counties (forcing a line number of jail inmates to the streets). He would provide the counties with half of the state savings resulting from the transfers. This proposal is a new version of his January proposal to make certain crimes misdemeanors only. The major difference is that under the new plan he is providing locals with money—an element that was not included in the January proposal. Nevertheless, the impact on public safety will be similar—15,000 jail inmates will be forced to be released to make room in the jails for the state inmates...
May 14, 2010
Vermont prisoners in lockdown after riot
Around 10:35 p.m., 35 male inmates housed in West Tennessee Detention Facility in Macon, Tenn., refused to return to their cells, according to Corrections Corp. of America, which operates the facility 40 miles east of Memphis.
The inmates ignored orders to return to their cells for the night and began damaging property inside the housing unit, said prison public information officer Melissa Nuce, who described the damage as minimal.
Corrections officers deployed nonlethal chemical grenades — similar to tear gas — in the housing unit and subdued the inmates. The incident resulted in no injuries to either inmates or prison staff. After undergoing chemical decontamination, the inmates were returned to their cells, where they remain on lockdown, Nuce said...
LINK - TimesArgus.com
May 13, 2010
Land sale proposed; bill would redevelop property at CIM
A bill making its way through Sacramento would allow unused state land around California Institution for Men to be used for commercial and industrial development.
Assemblyman Curt Hagman, R-Chino Hills, is sponsoring the bill that could also provide for upgrades to the state prison.
The Assembly Business, Professions and Consumer Protection Committee approved the bill this month. The full Assembly is expected to consider the bill later this month...
LINK - DailyBulletin.com
May 10, 2010
California parole agency breaks up sex-offender encampment in Anaheim
The beat-up station wagons and peeling RVs had been turning up outside the Coronado Street parole office in Anaheim for months, parked through the night. But in recent weeks it seemed they filled the whole block.
In Orange County, where more than a third of the paroled sex offenders are homeless, police estimated that 30 or 40 had taken to camping on the streets in this industrial stretch.
The situation appeared to stem from Jessica's Law, the 2006 statute that forbids sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of schools, parks or other places where children gather, severely limiting lodging options in densely populated cities...
LINK - LATimes.com
May 10, 2010
Monterey County charges Northern Riders as a gang for the first time in state
In a first for California, five Monterey County men are facing criminal charges that they committed a crime to benefit the Northern Riders — a rapidly growing Norteño dropout group, a gang officer revealed this week.
The men are facing charges stemming from a Dec. 5 assault against one of their own at the Monterey County Jail.
The men, Jesus Cota, Billy Auyon, Ramiro Rodriguez, Ivan Morales and Eric Amaro, are accused of carrying out the crime to further their gang's influence in communities...
LINK - TheCalifornian.com
May 10, 2010
Update on Issues Concerning Supervisor Members
On the legal front we are still waiting for a decision regarding the furlough lawsuit by the court of appeals. The final rebuttals by all parties will be complete this week. Basically the judge can rule whenever he wishes. I feel compelled to point out the fact that our suit was filed in March 2009 and has subsequently in essence been fast tracked through the process after the Alameda court ruling in our favor. Although “fast” hardly seems appropriate when dealing with the legal system.
May 6, 2010
2010 CCPOA Chapter & EC Election Forms
Please see the forms, schedule and sample ballots for the 2010 CCPOA election on this page. (Updated 9/14/2010)
May 5, 2010
Parole agent attacked by parolee
The 30-year-old agent, whose name was not released, went to the lobby of the parole office at 9900 Baldwin Place in El Monte on Monday to talk to two of her parolees.
Archiri Geh, a third parolee who drove the other two to the office, attacked her there, said Arthur Mosqueda, parole agent from the El Monte office.
Other parolees and parole officers restrained Geh, who is 6 feet tall and weighs 185 pounds, long enough to free the female agent. She was taken to a hospital and later released. She's now recovering at her home, Mosqueda said...
LINK - SGVTribune.com
May 5, 2010
Officials: Fears of molester lie in legal limbo
Law enforcement officials organized a public meeting to quell the fears of Fullerton residents that a convicted child molester and parolee was spending time in their neighborhood.
Eric Hinnenkamp, 45, owns a house near Laguna Lake Park left to him by his parents. Jessica's Law prevents him, as a sex offender, from residing in the house so near to the park, where children gather.
The California Constitution, however, guarantees him a right to own and maintain his property.
Officials said the residents' concerns about the sex offender are, essentially, in legal limbo. About three dozen people attended the meeting Tuesday at the Fullerton Police Department...
LINK - OCRegister.com
May 3, 2010
Governor Schwarzenegger Issues Executive Order to Boost State’s Wildfire Preparedness and Resources
PRESS RELEASE: As part of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's ongoing commitment to emergency preparedness, today he issued Executive Order S-07-10, which mobilizes the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) to secure and deploy additional resources and personnel necessary to save lives and protect homes statewide from wildfires...
May 1, 2010
California can’t ditch prison medical receiver, court says
A federal appellate court on Friday rejected the Schwarzenegger administration's attempt to rid itself of the court-appointed receiver charged with bringing prison medical care up to a constitutional standard.
The record of the protracted class action lawsuit supports the trial judge's ruling that, contrary to the administration's argument, appointment of a receiver goes "no further than necessary to correct the constitutional violations, and was the least intrusive means," a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declared.
"The state to this day has not pointed to any evidence that it could remedy its constitutional violations in the absence of the receivership," the judges said...
LINK - SacBee.com
May 1, 2010
Guard error at private prison led to riot of alaska inmates in Colorado
The company that operates a Colorado prison for Alaska inmates said an error by a guard led to an uprising at the Hudson Correctional Facility.
A correctional officer in a central area electronically unlocked the cells of 41 inmates, Cornell Companies spokesman Charles Seigel told The Anchorage Daily News on Thursday. The mistake at 1:20 a.m. on April 14 allowed prisoners into corridors of the segregation unit, which holds problem inmates.
At least eight prisoners refused to go back into their cells and attempted to break into an office where two guards had barricaded themselves. A prison tactical team ended the disturbance six hours later. Some inmates suffered minor injuries...
LINK - NewsMiner.com
May 1, 2010
Schwarzenegger’s early release law modified by Senate, heads to Assembly
State lawmakers moved Thursday to repeal much of a new program that allows the early release of county jail inmates.
The state Senate voted unanimously to roll back the program after lawmakers expressed concerns about its possible effect on public safety. They cited news reports of a Sacramento man who was arrested on suspicion of attempted rape within hours of his early release.
The provision for county inmates was one of many sweeping changes that lawmakers approved last year to save money and address overcrowding. It was put in place as California, under pressure from federal courts to reduce its prison population, began sending to county jails and local reentry programs thousands of offenders who would normally go to state prisons...
LINK - LATimes.com
