Jerry Brown
May 16, 2012
Gov. Jerry Brown backtracks on plan to phase out the state’s youth prison system
Responding to pressure from probation chiefs, district attorneys and prison guards, Gov. Jerry Brown has done an about-face on a revolutionary plan to shutter California's youth prison system that was once the nation's largest -- and arguably the most notorious.
Just four months ago, a small section buried in the governor's belt-tightening budget caused a massive stir in the juvenile justice world. With annual costs per inmate at about $200,000 and its population down 90 percent from peak years, the youth prison system should stop accepting serious and violent youthful offenders beginning next year, the Brown administration concluded...
LINK - MercuryNews.com
May 14, 2012
NBC Nightly News: Gov. Jerry Brown Proposes $8.3 Billion in Cuts
Video follows 30-second NBC advertisement spot. NBC report play time - 2:44.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
May 9, 2012
Jerry Brown tells unions to brace for California state worker pay cuts
Brown administration officials met with the state employee union leaders last week, according to sources familiar with the meetings, to warn them that the next version of the governor's budget will include an unspecified cut in employee costs up to 10 percent.
The administration in January estimated that California is confronting a $9.2 billion deficit through 2012-13, but a recent state analysis concluded the actual gap is considerably more.
The sources, who declined to talk on the record because the administration asked all involved to keep the discussions secret, said Brown told the unions he was seeking $750 million in state employee cost savings for fiscal 2012-13..
LINK - SacBee.com
April 26, 2012
The State Worker: Union money, personal sorrow join to shape public policy
The event on the Capitol's west steps seemed like a public employee union rally: provocative speakers whipping up an audience of hundreds sympathetic to the cause.
But the 23rd annual Victims March on the Capitol on Tuesday wasn't a labor protest. Instead, it displayed how union money and grim sorrow mingle powerfully in California to shape politics and policy.
The California Correctional Peace Officers Association sponsored the event organized by its proxy, the nonprofit Crime Victims United of California.
Gov. Jerry Brown, who benefited from $1.8 million CCPOA spent supporting his 2010 candidacy, headlined a long list of speakers...
LINK - SacBee.com
March 6, 2012
Plumbers, private prisons contribute to Brown tax initiative
Gov. Jerry Brown continues to raise money for his tax measure at an aggressive clip, reporting more than $630,000 in new contributions Tuesday. Support for the initiative comes from a variety of labor, business and tribal groups, reflecting the political coalition Brown hopes will neutralize funded opposition to his tax-hike proposal this fall.
The plumbers and pipefitters union gave $350,000 to back the measure, according to new reports filed with the secretary of state’s office. Brown met privately with the head of the union's trade association in Washington last month...
LINK - LATimes.com
March 1, 2012
Michael Minor appointed chief deputy secretary of DJJ
Michael Minor, 52, of Elk Grove, has been appointed chief deputy secretary for the Division of Juvenile Justice at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, where he has served as acting chief deputy secretary since 2011 and where he has worked in multiple positions since 1986, including superintendent of the N.A. Chaderjian Youth Correctional Facility.
This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $145,740. Minor is registered decline-to-state.
LINK - CaliforniaNewswire.com
February 2, 2012
Jerry Brown delivers pension reform language to legislators
Gov. Jerry Brown has sent language for his 12-point pension reform plan to the Legislature's Conference Committee on Public Employee Pensions.
The proposals are divided into two groups. The constitutional amendment Brown offered broadly outlines the pension changes more narrowly defined in the language to change state law. The governor's plan won't go forward without two-thirds of the Legislature voting to put the constitutional changes on the Nov. 6 ballot, which would then need voter approval from a majority....
LINK - SacBee.com
January 19, 2012
Assm. Grove complains about CCPOA?
Assemblywoman Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, issued the following response to Governor Jerry Brown’s State of the State address:
Governor Brown’s remarks today were essentially identical to past years and years of liberal Democrat speeches and promises. While the Governor talks a good game of reigning in spending and getting our fiscal house in order, his actions demonstrate a much different agenda.Governor Brown has given pay raises on the backs of taxpayers to the high-paid prison guards and other unions who helped put him in office, granted taxpayer subsidies to illegal immigrants for college loans and scholarships under the “Dream Act,” pushed an expansive “green” energy mandate which has and will continue to raise taxpayer energy costs, and most recently put his stamp of approval on the $100+ billion and growing high-speed rail disaster that epitomizes the incompetence and waste that results from a massive government. Governor Brown signed 745 bills into law from last year. This does not lift burdens off of our struggling economy, but instead adds more through increased government bureaucracy....
LINK - RidgecrestCA.com
January 18, 2012
2012 State of the State Address
The full text from the 2012 State of the State Address given by Governor Jerry Brown in Sacramento, California on January 18, 2012...
January 17, 2012
Michael Stainer appointed warden at Tehachapi
SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments.
Michael Stainer, 48, of Tehachapi, has been appointed warden at the California Correctional Institution. Stainer has been chief deputy warden at the California Correctional Institution since 2008. He has worked with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in multiple positions since 1987. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $129,108. Stainer is a Republican.
January 15, 2012
Gov. Jerry Brown plans $1 billion in prison cuts
Gov. Jerry Brown wants to cut state prison spending next fiscal year for the first time in nearly a decade, a departure from the goals of recent administrations, which consistently increased corrections spending and pushed for prison expansion.
Brown's budget would save California $1.1 billion on housing inmates and hundreds of millions more by allowing the state to halt some prison construction - savings largely due to his administration's recent overhaul of the state's criminal justice system.
General fund spending on prisons nearly doubled under Brown's Republican predecessor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, from $5.2 billion in 2004 to $9.5 billion in 2011, when Brown, a Democrat, took office. The increase in spending was largely caused by an exploding inmate population and a court order to improve medical care in prisons...
LINK - SFGate.com
January 11, 2012
Behind Governor’s Plan to Close State’s Juvenile Justice System
For the second time in one year, Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed permanently closing the Division of Juvenile Justice, a move that would make California the first state in the nation to eliminate its youth prison system and shift responsibility for the most dangerous young offenders to counties.
When Brown first proposed the plan, county prosecutors and probation officers protested, arguing that counties were unprepared to handle murderers and violent sex offenders. But last Thursday, Brown offered to give $10 million to help counties prepare for the new inmates. At the same time, he blocked $70 million in cuts to the DJJ...
LINK - BayCitizen.org
January 11, 2012
The 2012-13 Budget: Overview of the Governor’s Budget
The Governor’s proposed tax initiative is the cornerstone of his 2012-13 budget plan, which includes proposals to restructure education finance, reduce social services and child care programs substantially, and implement trigger cuts--primarily affecting schools--if voters do not approve the tax measure.
The Governor’s plan would continue the difficult task of restoring the state budget to balance, but the difficulty in knowing how much taxable income will be attributable to high-income Californians makes the state’s revenue estimates an even bigger question mark than usual.
With regard to the Governor’s major proposals, we think the Governor’s education restructuring proposals would institute lasting improvements to the system, and we observe that, while his social services and child care proposals have merit, they involve considerable drawbacks as well, given potentially severe impacts on affected families...
January 9, 2012
Governor’s Proposed Budget Concerns Prison Guard Union
The union representing state prison guards and parole officers says it's very concerned about the Governor's proposed budget.
Governor Brown's proposed budget unveiled Thursday would cut about 3,000 state jobs while avoiding any furloughs.
Brown's plan to reduce the state workforce would come mostly from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation or the prison system...
LINK - KIONRightNow.com
January 6, 2012
Jerry Brown budget would slash 3,000 state jobs, merge departments
Gov. Jerry Brown's 2012-13 budget proposal would cut state government by a few thousand jobs and consolidate nearly 50 state organizations, while avoiding furloughs.
Brown's plan would reduce the state's workforce by some 3,000 positions, mostly from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The savings would fill just a tiny fraction of the $9.2 billion budget hole projected through June 2013....
LINK - SacBee.com
December 16, 2011
Voters side with Jerry Brown on pensions
Jerry Brown made a rare gubernatorial appearance this month before a joint legislative committee that was delving — with obvious reluctance — into whether California’s public employee pension benefits should be overhauled.
While seeking his second stint as governor last year, Brown had pledged pension reform and has since offered a 12-point overhaul that attempts to strike a middle ground between the defenders of the status quo and the radical changes outside groups want...
LINK - DailyRepublic.com
December 7, 2011
California voters give edge to Jerry Brown’s public pension overhaul
A majority of California voters support Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to dial back public employee pensions and a plurality think that state and local government retirements are "too generous," according to a new Field Poll.
A little more than half – 51 percent – said that Brown's pension proposal "strikes about the right balance."
Poll director Mark DiCamillo said that finding shows that Brown, a union-backed Democrat who introduced a 12-point pension reform plan last month, has credibility with voters...
LINK - SacBee.com
December 7, 2011
Poll: Majority support Brown’s pension reform
A new Field Poll finds bipartisan support among California voters for Gov. Jerry Brown's pension proposal, with nearly two-thirds saying they support reduced retirement benefits for new and current public workers.
The poll released Wednesday shows about four in 10 registered voters believe public pensions are too generous...
LINK - MercuryNews.com
December 2, 2011
Gov. Brown urges quick work to get state pension reform proposal on 2012 ballot
Making a rare gubernatorial appearance before a legislative committee, Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday urged a panel studying potential changes to public employee pensions to act quickly on reforms he has proposed in order "to win the confidence of the people."
Brown has asked lawmakers to place on a next year's ballot constitutional changes that would implement portions of his proposals, which include requiring public workers to pay half the cost of annual contributions to their pension plans, raising the retirement age to 67 for most workers and establishing a so-called "hybrid" system that would include both a scaled-down pension and a 401(k)-type retirement saving plan...
LINK - VCStar.com
December 1, 2011
Gov. Jerry Brown defends pension changes against critics
Gov. Jerry Brown stepped up Thursday to defend his proposed overhaul of the state’s public pension systems against criticism from legal experts and unions, telling lawmakers it would save money without running afoul of legal restrictions that protect retirement benefits for current employees.
Brown appeared before a legislative committee that includes lawmakers skeptical of portions of his plan. Assemblyman Warren Furutani (D-Gardena), the committee’s co-chair, was among those who said the plan may be too far reaching, but the governor indicating that his proposal was not intended as an opening bargaining position to be scaled back...
LINK - LATimes.com
November 30, 2011
Pension reform hearing and agenda
Jerry Brown's pension plan to get California lawmakers' scrutiny
California lawmakers will delve into Gov. Jerry Brown's 12-point pension plan on Thursday, the second legislative hearing by a two-house committee looking at the state's pension systems.
Brown's plan would generally propose less generous benefits for new hires and raise the retirement age.
The committee, which held its initial hearing Oct. 26 in Carson, is chaired by Assemblyman Warren Furutani, D-Gardena, and Sen. Gloria Negrete McLeod, D-Chino.
LINK - SacBee.com
November 16, 2011
Labor coalition responds to California Pension Reform changes
Steve Maviglio, spokesman for Californians for Retirement Security, read this morning's report about tweaks to two pension reform ballot proposals and emailed a comment on behalf of the labor coalition:
"They can shop this measure to lawyers on the East Coast and try to get their funding from an Enron billionaire from Texas," Maviglio said in the email to The State Worker, "but at the end of the day, as the LAO has said, trying to slash the retirement benefits of California's public workers is unconstitutional, period."
What the Legislative Analyst's Office said was this...
LINK - SacBee.com
October 6, 2011
Governor Brown Acts To Protect California Against Criminals and Prison Gangs
SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today signed SB 26 and Executive Order B-11-11, to help deprive criminals and gang leaders in California’s prisons of one of their favorite means of organizing criminal activity: the contraband cellular phone. Brown said these measures would help “break up an expanding criminal network” that uses cellular phones to plan crimes both inside and outside of prison walls.
“Prisons exist to remove individuals from our communities who would otherwise do harm to their fellow citizens,” said Governor Brown. “When criminals in prison get possession of a cell phone, it subverts the very purpose of incarceration. They use these phones to organize gang activity, intimidate witnesses and commit crimes. Today's action will help to break up an expanding criminal network and protect law-abiding Californians.”
Existing law prohibits all unauthorized communication with inmates in state prison and provides for accumulation, loss, or denial of time credits based on inmate behavior. SB 26 by Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) strengthens this by making it a misdemeanor to deliver or attempt to deliver a cell phone to an inmate, punishable by six months in jail and up to $5,000 in fines per device. Furthermore, the bill specifies a loss of time credit for inmates found in possession of phones, and facilitates deployment of technologies to block or disrupt unauthorized cellular transmissions from prisons...
October 6, 2011
Gov. Brown signs cell-phone bill and executive order to reduce prison contraband
Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation this morning toughening restrictions on illicit cellphones in prisons, and he ordered prison officials to step up efforts to confiscate smuggled phones.
Senate Bill 26, by Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Los Angeles, makes it a misdemeanor to deliver a cellphone to a prison inmate, among other things. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed similar legislation last year, saying it was too soft on inmates who carry phones and on guards and others who smuggle them.
Brown also issued an executive order instructing the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to increase physical searches of people who enter prisons and to develop a system to interrupt unauthorized cellphone calls...
LINK - SacBee.com
September 9, 2011
Jerry Brown gets bill targeting cell phones in prisons
Legislation aimed at cracking down on contraband cell phones in prisons is headed to Gov. Jerry Brown's desk.
Under Senate Bill 26, by Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla, any person caught smuggling a cell phone or wireless device into a prison could face six months in jail and fines of up to $5,000 per device. The bill also increases penalties for inmates caught with the devices and includes provisions to support the implementation of new technology to block unauthorized calls, texts and emails sent and received within prison confines...
LINK - SacBee.com
September 9, 2011
Gov Brown announces appointments to Board of Parole Hearings, Corrections Standards Authority
Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments.
Askia Abdulmajeed, 69, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the Board of Parole Hearings, Juvenile Division. Abdulmajeed has served on the Board since 2007. Abdulmajeed was a correctional chaplain in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from 2004 to 2006 and a program consultant for the Gates Recovery Foundation from 2002 to 2004. He served as special projects manager for Center Point, Inc., a co-ed community corrections program, from 1999 to 2002. Abdulmajeed was assistant deputy director of the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs from 1991 to 1998. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $111,845. Abdulmajeed is a Democrat...
September 1, 2011
Governor Brown Joins CDCR to Honor Employees at 27th Annual Medal of Valor Ceremony
SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. today honored 48 employees during the department’s annual Medal of Valor Ceremony. Employees were recognized for extraordinary bravery and conduct above and beyond the call of duty, often in lifesaving incidents where public safety was at risk.
Governor Brown had praise for the award winners and their tireless dedication to public safety.
“These men and women exemplify what it means to serve the people of California,” said Governor Brown. “On behalf of all Californians, we honor their courage, commitment and resolve...”
July 26, 2011
Oral argument scheduled in CCPOA furlough case
Attorneys for the California Correctional Peace Officers Association and the Brown administration will have a chance to make oral arguments next month in the key outstanding court case on state employee furloughs.
A decision had been expected any day based on written briefs filed late last year and early this year, but the 1st District Court of Appeals announced this afternoon that it has scheduled a hearing for Aug. 18.
CCPOA initially won the case, and after some legal maneuvering the state was successful in getting the appellate court to consider the case...
LINK - SacBee.com
July 1, 2011
Fmr Wasco warden Kelly Harrington appointed Assoc. Dir of High Security/Transitional Housing at CDCR
Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. today announced the following appointment:
Kelly Harrington, 47, of Bakersfield, has been appointed associate director of high security and transitional housing with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Harrington has served as the warden of Kern Valley State Prison since 2008. He served in multiple roles at Wasco State Prison from 1997 to 2008, including chief deputy warden from 2005 to 2008. Harrington served at the California Correctional Institution from 1987 to 1997. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $135,564. Harrington is a Republican.
LINK - Gov.CA.gov
July 1, 2011
Gov Brown signs budget, sending influx of inmates to county jails
The new budget that Governor Jerry Brown signed Thursday will send thousands of low level inmates to county jails instead of state prisons.
The budget will provide about $5 billion to help county jails pay for the plan.
San Francisco's sheriff Michael Hennessey said he's luckier than most because his county jails have about 300 spare beds to accommodate incoming offenders.
But, that's about to change...
LINK - KTVU.com
June 17, 2011
Governor Vetoes State Budget
With one swoop of his veto pen, Gov. Jerry Brown placed himself at odds with both parties in the Legislature by rejecting a Democratic budget he called unbalanced and "legally questionable."
The Democratic governor's budget veto on Thursday, believed to be the first in state history, leaves the spending plan in limbo as Brown resumes his search for Republican tax votes.
Brown's rejection was not entirely surprising, given his pledge against papering over the state deficit with the types of accounting maneuvers and tax swaps in the Democratic plan. But the speed – about 16 hours after passage – seemed to catch Democratic leaders off-guard...
LINK - SacBee.com
June 1, 2011
Mike Jimenez speaks to Sac Bee about contract, cussing, CHP and continuing as CCPOA’s president
From the notebook: Mike Jimenez talks contract, cussing and continuing as CCPOA's president
We never get all of what we learn into a news story, but this blog can give users data, notes and quotes from the notebookthat informed what we published. This is the third in a series of posts spinning off "California Highway Patrol, prison officers compete for pay, respect," published on Tuesday.
Mike Jimenez, president of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, sat down with The State Worker last month for a lengthy discussion that informed Tuesday's story in The Bee about CCPOA and its sometimes-contentious relationship with the California Association of Highway Patrolmen.
Over breakfast at Crepeville in Midtown Sacramento, Jimenez talked about Gov. Jerry Brown, battles with former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the union's future (including his decision to run for a third term, which we reported in this post)...
LINK - SacBee.com (The State Worker)
June 1, 2011
CDCR headquarters gets budget cut, layoffs
Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday announced the layoff of more than 130 employees at the state prison system's headquarters.
Brown's office said the layoffs and the elimination of about 266 vacant positions at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation headquarters would reduce general fund spending by $30 million.
The cuts were first suggested two weeks ago, when Brown released a revised budget plan that included eliminating 5,500 positions statewide. Employees started receiving pink slips over the weekend...
LINK - SacBee.com
May 24, 2011
Greenhut spreads a number of lies about CCPOA, MOU
When California governor Jerry Brown announced details last month of a two-year contract that he’d negotiated with California’s prison guards’ union, you could practically hear the sighs of disappointment from stalwarts who had hoped that the 73-year-old maverick might take on a few vested interests as he tried to close the state’s $15 billion budget gap. That hope was always at odds with reality: last year, public-sector unions poured $30 million into independent campaign expenditures on Brown’s behalf, including $2 million from the California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA). So the favorable new union contract shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it should deflate the wishful thinking that Brown is likely to be a radical reformer—unless you consider extending tax increases and restricting the use of state cars and cell phones real reform...
LINK - City-Journal.org
May 17, 2011
CCPOA’s MOU bill signed by Governor Brown
Last night, after our MOU was approved by the California State Assembly, it was sent to Governor Brownʼs desk for approval. Governor Brown signed the bill into law...
May 16, 2011
CCPOA Member Alert - 5/16/2011
At approximately 1:00 pm this afternoon, the California State Assembly granted final approval to Senate Bill 151 (Correa) on its first floor vote attempt. Our MOU was able to garner the requisite 2/3 vote necessary for its passage. The bill now heads to the desk of Governor Brown for his signature.
All 52 Assembly Democrats voted “AYE” for the bill...
May 16, 2011
Labor contracts headed to Gov. Jerry Brown
Labor contracts for about 60,000 California state workers, including correctional officers, cleared their final legislative hurdle today and are headed to Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown.
Senate Bill 151 contains the negotiated pacts for prison guards, engineers, scientists, administrative law judges and other law enforcement officials. The Assembly approved the pacts on a 54-17 vote.
The deals are similar to those reached by Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last year with 15 other bargaining units...
LINK - SacBee.com
May 5, 2011
Groups press Brown for sentencing reforms
A team of advocacy groups is pushing Gov. Jerry Brown to include sentencing reforms in the revised state budget proposal he will unveil this month.
The three organizations - the American Civil Liberties Union of California, the Drug Policy Alliance and the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights - contend that reducing charges for simple drug possession and nonviolent property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors would yield many millions of dollars in cost savings to the deficit-plagued state.
Behind their argument for downgrading the drug possession penalties are poll numbers that suggest voters agree...
LINK - CaliforniaWatch.org
May 2, 2011
Jerry Brown pulls plug on building San Quentin’s new death row
Gov. Jerry Brown pulled the plug today on plans to construct a new housing facility for condemned inmates at San Quentin.
Brown said in a statement that he believes it would "be unconscionable to earmark $356 million for a new and improved death row while making severe cuts to education and programs that serve the most vulnerable among us."
That bill would add an estimated $28.5 million general fund costs in annual debt service payments, his office said...
LINK - SacBee.com
April 27, 2011
CA inmate job training (PIA/construction program) halted
One victim of the state budget crisis could be a prisoner job-training program instituted by Gov. Jerry Brown when he was in office nearly 30 years ago.
The California Prison Industry Authority, signed into law by Brown in 1982, uses inmates to create goods sold to other government agencies. Most know of the license plate program, but fewer are aware of the partnership the organization formed with trade unions to certify inmates so they could be employable when released.
The program receives no state funding, but relies on the state to purchase goods and services provided by the inmates...
LINK - EDHTelegraph.com
April 14, 2011
Dan Morain: Brown courts union and wins over old foe
Jerry Brown spent the better part of an hour in the noonday sun at a rally of family members of murder victims, organized by California's prison officers' union.
"Governor Brown, I can't tell you enough how much it means to have you here," Mike Jimenez, the Correctional Peace Officers Association president, said in his remarks.
Brown's appearance at the rally Monday was the least of what he has done for the union and for its proxy group, Crime Victims United. In his three-plus months in office, Brown has given the 30,000-member union much of what it has sought, most importantly a new labor contract...
LINK - SacBee.com
April 1, 2011
Jerry Brown issues pension reform plan
Gov. Jerry Brown today issued a 12-point pension reform agenda his office says he will introduce in the Legislature "with or without Republican support."
The first seven items seek to end abuses or tighten pension funding rules. The last five involve more systemic changes and are listed as "under development." We have a call in to the governor's office to find out what that means.
Brown released the details two days after talks broke down with Republican lawmakers over the state budget deficit. The GOP was seeking pension changes, among other things, in exchange for votes to place tax increase extensions before voters...
LINK - SacBee.com
March 25, 2011
Sac Bee reports on changes to CCPOA tentative agreement
The state is ending contributions to a retirement fund for Bargaining Unit 6 employees, according to state officials, in exchange for a higher deferred pay raise and to maintain the current leave system for the 32,000 or so correctional and parole officers represented by the California Correctional Peace Officers Association.
Our earlier report, based on a letter to members by union Executive Vice President Chuck Alexander, said that the program, called POFF II (Peace Officer and Firefighter) would be temporarily suspended to help offset the state's cost to bring CCPOA members' health coverage even with the rest of the state work force. State payments into the fund -- an employer contribution equal to 2 percent of base salary -- were to resume in January 2014...
March 16, 2011
Prison guards, governor reach contract agreement
The California Correctional Peace Officers Association, the union representing prison guards, parole agents and fire captains, announced today that its leaders have reached a contract deal with Gov. Jerry Brown, ending years of uncertainty for its members.
The 31,000-member CCOPA has been working under a contract imposed by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger since 2007, when talks with the former governor broke down. The latest deal, reached at 5 a.m. today, is likely a big relief for both sides -- Brown came into office with a handful of outstanding union contracts, the CCPOA's the most closely watched.
Perhaps most importantly for the deficit-plagued state is the fact that the deal will end three-day-a-week furloughs imposed on the prison workers by Schwarzenegger...
LINK - SFGate.com
March 1, 2011
Gov Brown Revises Budget Changes at CDCR for Paroles, DJJ
Gov. Jerry Brown altered his proposal to realign certain state and local government responsibilities Monday after criticism from local law enforcement authorities but still expects substantial savings in the years ahead if the Legislature approves the plan.
The state would continue to oversee more dangerous parolees and juvenile offenders rather than having them placed in county jails or monitored by local officials, aides to the Democratic governor said. Under the administration's revised plan, counties would focus on handling lower-risk offenders and parolees.
Pushing some corrections and law enforcement-related functions to local governments was one way Brown sought to save money as California faces a $26.6 billion deficit...
LINK - MercuryNews.com
February 21, 2011
Brown praises Legislature for tough cuts
Gov. Jerry Brown praised legislators for making "very tough cuts" as they concluded committee work Friday on his budget proposal, and said he still hopes that his plan to extend current taxes will get on the June ballot.
Earlier, the two legislative bodies wrapped up work on their own versions of the budget, setting up what's expected to be intense negotiations in the days ahead as they strive to meet Brown's goal of $12 billion in cuts and $14 billion in tax extensions to resolve the state's $26.6 billion deficit.Brown said he wants a deal in place by March 10...
LINK - MercuryNews.com
February 7, 2011
Cooley Blasts Governor’s Budget Plan, Baca More Receptive
Sheriff Lee Baca and District Attorney Steve Cooley, Los Angeles County’s two top public safety officials, differed markedly Friday on the merits of Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed budgetary “realignment” aimed at closing the state’s $25.4 billion dollar budget deficit.
Cooley strongly opposed the plan as it applied to law enforcement. Brown’s proposals include $12.5 billion in cuts and providing another $12.5 billion in revenues through a ballot initiative that would extend certain existing tax rates past their impending sunset dates. The governor has also spoken of “realigning” state programs to counties—including parole, “low-level criminals” and juvenile justice...
LINK - MetNews.com
January 28, 2011
LAO Report: Governor’s Realignment Plan - Criminal Justice
The centerpiece of the Governor’s budget proposal is a major realignment of state and local program responsibilities that would be subject to voter approval.
Specifically, the Governor’s plan would raise $5.9 billion in taxes to fund the shift of a like amount to counties to implement increased program responsibilities. In the area of criminal justice, these programs include:
- Court security.
- Various public safety grant programs.
- Jurisdiction of lower-level adult offenders.
- Jurisdiction of parole violators.
- Adult parole.
- Jurisdiction of remaining juvenile offenders.
Click the link below to read the full report...
January 11, 2011
Budget cuts spending on private prisons
We're still combing through the budget for items of interest to state workers, but some of the best observations are coming from folks like Blog User S, who notes that private prison expenditures fall by 45 percent next year under Brown's budget.
This year's California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation budget assumes $410 million paid to private firms for housing California inmates. Next year the expenditure would drop to $224 million...
LINK - SacBee.com
January 11, 2011
Memo from Chuck Alexander re: Proposed 2011-2012 Budget
The Governor's proposed 2011-2012 state budget has been released and the highlights are attached for your information. As anticipated, there are some dramatic proposals relative to the CDCR. Again, this is the proposed budget and as such will now begin the dialog between all impacted and or interested parties prior to it becoming a final product.
We have had several meetings with various Administrative representatives including the Governor's Office and the Department of Finance and have more scheduled over the next few weeks. CCPOA has, and will continue to offer viable alternatives to the CDCR proposals that are contained in today's budget proposal. Based on discussions thus far, we are cautiously optimistic that compromises we propose may supplant many of these initial proposals...
January 7, 2011
Sac Bee Q&A with new DPA Director Ron Yank
The State Worker column in today's fiber and cyber Sacramento Bee looks at Gov. Jerry Brown's pick to head the Department of Personnel Administration, Ronald Yank.
We spoke with several sources in both labor and state government to get a sense of Yank's leadership style and history. We also spoke with him on the phone for about 15 minutes on Wednesday, shortly after the Brown administration officially announced Yank's appointment. The conversation was lively, engaging and frank. Here are some snippets of what he said...
LINK - SacBee.com
January 6, 2011
The State Worker: Three views of Brown’s labor boss
A gubernatorial appointment can be the political equivalent of a Rorschach test: Everyone sees it but assigns different meanings.
Take Gov. Jerry Brown's appointment of retired labor attorney Ronald Yank to direct the Department of Personnel Administration.
The position oversees labor negotiations covering roughly 200,000 state employees. DPA also handles labor disputes, such as the ongoing court fight over state worker furloughs...
LINK - SacBee.com
January 5, 2011
CA Gov. Proposes Moving State Inmates to Local Jails
California’s new Governor Jerry Brown will propose moving low-level offenders from state prisons to county jails as part of his plan to reduce the state’s $28 billion deficit.
Brown has not yet announced the specifics behind his county jail proposal.
In order to reduce overcrowding and improve medical services in the state prison system, a federal court ruled that California must reduce its state prison population by 30,000. The U.S. Supreme Court will rule in early 2011 on whether to upheld the lower federal court’s ruling and force the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to decrease its inmate population...
LINK - CorrectionalNews.com
January 4, 2011
Ronald Yank will be Jerry Brown’s personnel director
The State Worker has learned that a labor attorney who has represented the state prison officers' union will be tapped by Gov. Jerry Brown to run the Department of Personnel Administration.
We'd heard buzz from Monday's inaugural festivities that Ronald Yank would be named to head the department, so we asked this morning. Lynelle Jolley, department spokeswoman, confirmed, but said she had no other details.
Yank's appointment, which could be announced today, sends a strong signal that Brown is eager to get a contract deal done with the California Correctional Peace Officers Association. Yank has represented CCPOA as an attorney with Carroll, Burdick & McDonough LLP...
LINK - SacBee.com
December 27, 2010
Mike Jimenez looking for CCPOA contract
Mike Jimenez, president of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, says he has three goals next year: "Get a contract. Get a contract. And then there's get a contract."
After four years without one, the 32,000-member union might finally get that deal. Gov.-elect Jerry Brown's incoming administration represents a bargaining do-over for CCPOA, which covers about half of all state workers still without contracts.
The union's last pact expired in mid-2006. After several rounds of contentious talks, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared an impasse and imposed terms in 2007.
Since then, Jimenez has been in the labor equivalent of an isolation cell. CCPOA has historically used its millions in member dues to make or break political careers with targeted spending, but Schwarzenegger has virtually ignored the union. Legislators, sensing CCPOA's weakened clout, no longer feared it...
LINK - SacBee.com
December 20, 2010
Dan Morain: Brown, prison union walking hand-in-hand
Jerry Brown is preparing to dance with the ones who brung him, specifically 31,000 members of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association.
Jilted by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the union cozied up to Brown by spending $1.4 million to help elect him. It was part of an effort to regain some of the dominance it once had in the Capitol and win a labor contract, after having operated without one since 2006.
Brown has responded, giving union leaders VIP treatment at his invitation-only election night party in Oakland and flying to Las Vegas earlier this month to address the union's convention...
LINK - SacBee.com
December 9, 2010
They helped him get elected. Now how will Jerry Brown help the CCPOA?
Governor-elect Jerry Brown, though rarely seen in public these past few weeks (with the exception of a tough-love budget talk today), is nonetheless clearly busy getting his program together before he takes office January 3. Yesterday, Brown was spotted at a convention of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association in Las Vegas. The CCPOA heavily backed Brown during the campaign, running ads and mobilizing its considerable resources and influence behind the candidate. While Meg Whitman had advocated cutting correctional officers’ pensions, shipping inmates out of state, and making use of more private prisons, Brown stuck to a much more union-friendly agenda.
The Governor-elect has reportedly spoken to about a dozen interest groups so far, mostly about the budget situation in the state and what to expect. What exactly Brown had to say to correctional officers is unknown, as journalists were barred from attending the event...
LINK - KALWNews.org
December 9, 2010
The State Worker: For labor deals, it’s now Brown
The not-so-special special session that opened Monday marked the last chance for out-of-contract state employee unions to cut a deal with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The Assembly likely won't assemble again until Jan. 3, so it's not around to approve contracts before they go to the governor. From here on, all deals go to Jerry Brown.
For most unions, the guv-elect is a welcome change. Six bargaining units representing 63,000 state workers still don't have contracts. Half are prison and parole officers represented by the California Correctional Peace Officers Association. They haven't had a deal since 2006. They despise Schwarzenegger...
LINK - SacBee.com
December 6, 2010
Jerry Brown to address correctional officers’ convention
Gov.-elect Jerry Brown is speaking at the California Correctional Peace Officers Association convention today. His appearance, announced this morning on the convention floor at the Rio All-Suite Hotel in Las Vegas, was confirmed by Brown spokesman Sterling Clifford a few minutes ago.
Brown has spoken to more than a dozen interest groups so far, according to Clifford, who said, "He's carrying a message of the seriousness of the budget situation."
Despite the grim message, Brown's appearance in Las Vegas signals a turn in management-labor relations for CCPOA. The union has been out of contract since mid-2006 and under terms imposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger since late 2007. Its relationship with the governor has alternated between public recriminations and stone-cold silence, punctuated with furlough lawsuits and several dozen unfair labor practice complaints against Schwarzenegger and his policies...
LINK - SacBee.com
December 2, 2010
In from the cold: Prison officers’ union gears up
California’s prison guards’ union hasn’t been happy since 2006, when it was still savoring the fruits of a lucrative pact it had successfully negotiated earlier with the state.
In the years since, the Schwarzenegger administration and the 28,000-member California Correctional Peace Officers Association have been bitter foes.
But with Gov.-elect Jerry Brown headed back to office, all the CCPOA wants for Christmas is a contract. And it may happen.
“CCPOA and the members worked hard to help elect Jerry Brown. Now that the campaign is over we can begin talking with Gov.-elect Brown and his team about what it will take to better our working conditions,” the CCPOA wrote in a letter to its members. The union spent at least $1.8 million backing Brown or opposing his rival, GOP contender Meg Whitman...
LINK - CapitolWeekly.net
November 15, 2010
“Experts” opine on Gov-elect Brown and CDCR budget cuts
In light of a diminishing budget and court orders to reduce overcrowding, Gov.-elect Jerry Brown is expected to continue the cost-cutting and population reducing measures already under way for the state prison system.
State officials plan to cut $1.1 billion from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation this fiscal year, according to a budget report from the state Legislative Analyst's Office. Prison officials are also considering cuts to corrections officer staffing as well as implementing a 12-hour workday for the officers in response to the shrinking budget.
Jerry Evans, a Brown spokesman, said it's too early to provide detailed comments on Brown's plan for dealing with an overcrowded prison system...
LINK - DailyBulletin.com
November 8, 2010
Letter to CCPOA Members: November 8, 2010
With the ballots counted, we can now say that this past Tuesday’s election was a very good one for CCPOA’s endorsed candidates. Candidates endorsed by CCPOA won in 104 of 107 races! More importantly, with so many representatives and the Governor‐elect Brown sharing the ideals and concerns of CCPOA members, it is now possible to move forward on our agenda for growth and change...
November 1, 2010
CCPOA Member Alert - Jerry v. Meg
JERRY BROWN – CHAMPION OF PEACE OFFICERS
vs.
MEG WHITMAN – ENEMY OF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES
PEACE OFFICERS BILL OF RIGHTS (POBOR)
In 1977, Jerry Brown signed “The Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act” (POBOR) establishing rights of peace officers who are subject to investigation or discipline. (AB 301; CA Gov Code 3300)
OFF-DUTY WEAPONS
The right for correctional officers to carry off-duty weapons became law when Gov. Jerry Brown signed the CCPOA-sponsored bill in 1982. (AB 1445; Statutes of 1982)
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
Governor Jerry Brown also signed the “State Employer-Employee Relations Act (later renamed the “Dills Act) providing collective bargaining rights for state employees.
(SB 839; Statutes of 1977)
October 1, 2010
Calling All CCPOA Members: CCPOA 4 Jerry
WE NEED YOU! November 2nd is right around the corner and the 2010 Governor's Race is the most important battle we have ever faced. We MUST win!
September 22, 2010
CCPOA Member Alert: Gov Candidate Positions
Meg Whitman v. Jerry Brown on the Issues that affect California state workers and BU6 the most.
Meg Whitman:
• Collective Bargaining:
Whitman also said the extension of collective bargaining rights
to state workers in 1977 was "probably not a good thing."
Source: Sacramento Bee, 9/20/2010• On State Employees:
“Well, I know, from my experience, that almost any
organization, you can lay off 10 percent of the
bureaucracy, and actually -- maybe it's easier, actually,
with fewer people, and it will not be a hardship on the
state. And, so, that would say that you want to lay off
between 30,000 and 40,000 people.”
Source: CNN, 5/18/2009
August 6, 2009
Jerry Brown denounces court order on release of California prisoners
Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown has denounced a court order to release more than one out of every four state prisoners in California as counterproductive interference by judicial activists, and said state officials were still deliberating Wednesday whether to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
While acknowledging that Tuesday's ruling by a three-judge federal panel aims to resolve the same problems with severe prison overcrowding that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to, Brown said the court's latest edict on how to improve the corrections system has only contributed to the "Kafka-esque nightmare" confronting the cash-strapped state.
Federal court edicts already have imposed 19 consent decrees on state agencies trying to improve conditions in the prisons, requiring state officials to devote scarce resources to legal reports and to pay the costs of prisoners' lawsuits as well as those of the state attorneys who defend against them, Brown said…
LINK - LATimes.com
February 9, 2009
Atty Gen Brown will appeal early release order to US Supreme Court
This order, the latest intrusion by the federal judiciary into California's prison system, is a blunt instrument that does not recognize the imperatives of public safety, nor the challenges of incarcerating criminals, many of whom are deeply disturbed.
There is no doubt that there is room for improvement. But significant progress has been made and is continuing to be made at a cost of billions.
The court's tentative ruling is not constitutionally justified. Therefore, the state will appeal directly to the U.S. Supreme Court when the final order is issued.
LINK - ag.CA.gov
