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| Calif. Corrections Director Resigns |
| By Los Angeles Times |
| Published: 12/12/2003 |
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Edward Alameida Jr., the embattled director of the California Department of Corrections, resigned Thursday after two years heading the largest state prison system in the nation. Alameida cited "personal reasons" for his resignation during a meeting Thursday with Roderick Q. Hickman, the newly appointed secretary of the Youth and Adult Correctional Agency. "This was his own choice," said Tip Kindel, acting assistant secretary for external affairs for the agency. "It was something that was not expected. And it was not something that he was asked to do." But pressure was building on him to leave. Critics accused Alameida of blocking investigations into allegedly abusive officers and allowing the powerful corrections officers union to dictate policy. After testifying in a federal court proceeding in San Francisco three weeks ago, Alameida told a Times reporter that he hoped to remain on the job in the new administration of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Alameida, 54, spent his adult life working his way up through the ranks of the state Department of Corrections, beginning in the accounting office of Folsom State Prison in 1973. He became director in September 2001, overseeing 33 prisons, 160,000 inmates and almost 50,000 prison officers. Earlier this year, the department disclosed that it was overspending its $5-billion annual budget this year by more than $500 million. In addition, audits over the years have shown that the department has been unable to control costs related to officers' sick leave and overtime. Perhaps most damaging, internal affairs investigators and their attorneys have alleged that Alameida, at the behest of the union that represents prison officers, thwarted investigations into wrongdoing by officers - charges that Alameida and the union have denied. On Thursday, Lance Corcoran, executive vice president of the union, said he was not surprised by the director's decision to quit, given the "lurid tales" about the internal affairs investigations. Alameida's resignation will be effective Jan. 5. The governor appoints the head of the prison system. No replacement has been announced. |
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