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| Watchdog commission backs Schwarzenegger prison plan |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 02/28/2005 |
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A government watchdog commission backed Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's restructuring of the state's troubled prison system, praising his philosophical shift from incarcerating to rehabilitating inmates. The Little Hoover Commission, a nonpartisan agency that reviews operations of state government, urged lawmakers last Wednesday to approve a plan submitted a day earlier by the governor, but said they would review progress in a year. They also recommended changes they said would improve the proposal. The governor's plan will take effect automatically unless a majority in either the Assembly or Senate votes to block the proposal within 60 legislative days. But lawmakers are negotiating with the administration to amend the measure either with separate legislation or by rejecting the plan for the $7 billion-a-year prison system and adopting a modified version, said Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles. The governor wants to shift power from the adult Department of Corrections and the Youth Authority to a consolidated cabinet-level Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The plan would give consolidated power and responsibility to Youth and Adult Correctional Secretary Roderick Hickman, whom Schwarzenegger has charged with ending the system's routine budget overruns, pervasive scandals, and a "code of silence" that protects abusive guards while punishing whistle-blowers. Commissioners and key lawmakers are concerned the youth program will get lost in the bureaucratic shuffle. And while the Senate would give up its power to confirm prison wardens under the plan, senators want to confirm top agency deputies. With changes mainly in those areas, lawmakers are likely to approve Schwarzenegger's plan, predicted Romero, who heads prison oversight and budget committees and is leading the Senate talks. But state Sen. Jackie Speier, D-Daly City, who with Romero has led a series of critical prison hearings, said the reorganization won't solve the system's problems and urged the administration to work closely with lawmakers for more substantial reform. The plan is the leading edge of Schwarzenegger's larger state government reorganization effort after he withdrew a companion plan last week to eliminate or consolidate 88 boards and commissions. "The changes that are proposed are fundamental and profound," said commission member and state Sen. Charles Poochigian, R-Fresno, reflecting the comments of other commissioners. "It's far from perfect, but it's a good start." Seven of eight commissioners present last Wednesday supported the plan, while state Sen. Liz Figueroa, D-Sunol, abstained over concerns about the juvenile justice system. While Hickman faces virulent opposition from the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, one of the state's most powerful unions, even reluctant commissioners like Figueroa said they were convinced he alone can shift the gigantic prison system. Yet they criticized the administration for promoting inmate education and other rehabilitative services even as it proposes cutting $95 million from such programs in next year's budget. Hickman should shift money from ineffective programs to make up the shortfall, commissioners recommended. |
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