California State Budget Includes a Move to Close Another Prison

California Correctional Center in Susanville, Calif. (Courtesy of City of Susanville)

Buried in the recently passed California state budget bill is a provision to close a state prison in the small northern city of Susanville by exempting state correctional facilities from environmental reviews.

Assembly Bill (AB) 200 designates state public safety spending for the 2022–2023 fiscal year and sets a closure date of June 30, 2023, exactly one year after the budget signature, for the California Correctional Center (CCC).

The legislative move follows a lawsuit the City of Susanville filed in July 2021 to stop the prison closure.

“What happens at the tail end of the budget process is a bunch of policy getting put in place by the legislature and the governor that may have very little to do with the budget specifically,” Lanhee Chen, a Stanford University professor and candidate for State Controller, told The Epoch Times on July 8.

The suit against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and Governor Gavin Newsom claimed that the prison closure violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and California Penal Code. A Lassen County Superior Court judge granted a preliminary injunction in August 2021 to pause the closure.

“[AB 200] changed the rules so that the City of Susanville will not have standing now in their lawsuit,” Senator Brian Dahle (R-Bieber), whose senate district encompasses Susanville, told The Epoch Times on July 13. “Basically, Gavin Newsom did an inrun on the previous law and changed the law.”

A sign by the road leading to California Correctional Center in Susanville, Calif. (Courtesy of City of Susanville)

Lack of Communication

Despite Newsom signing the budget bill into law on June 30, Corrections department spokeswoman Dana Simas told The Epoch Times that the court’s preliminary injunction is still in place.

“The department’s closure activities for CCC continue to be on hold at this time due to ongoing litigation,” Simas wrote in an email statement. “We will notify our staff, incarcerated population, and stakeholders of any updates or changes.”

CDCR began its environmental review under CEQA earlier this year with plans to prepare an environmental impact report on CCC’s closure. The initial review notice said the closure would likely reduce air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and energy use, among other resources.

Susanville City Administrator Dan Newton told NTD Television last year that the city and prison employees did not receive prior notice regarding the decision to close CCC. The city filed for a public records request to understand why the prison was selected, but city residents and officials said they have not yet received the requested documents.

“We haven’t had any luck getting any answers, but we know it’s more political than it is anything else,” Dahle said. “What’s really unfortunate is that it really hurts the community. It’s the main driving force for income.”

Prison employees in Susanville, who are represented by SEIU Local 1000, protested the closure at the state capitol last year, criticizing CDCR’s lack of communication in selecting which facilities to close.

According to the CDCR’s July 6 report, the CCC holds 2,300 inmates and is capable of employing 3,487 people. CCC is one of ten state prisons that are currently holding fewer prisoners than its designed capacity.

Susanville Mayor Mendy Schuster waits to speak at a rally in Sacramento, Calif., on Aug. 27, 2021. (Cynthia Cai/The Epoch Times)

A Loss of Jobs and Firefighters

Newsom advocated for reducing the state’s prison population to avoid overcrowding and limit COVID-19 transmission during the pandemic. His administration successfully closed the Deuel Vocational Institution (DVI) in Tracy this past September.

In addition to DVI and CCC, the state could soon close three more prisons, according to Newsom’s budget blueprint from earlier this year. He has not yet identified which prisons may be selected, but the California Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) had recommended closing a total of five state prisons by 2025, a move that could save the state $1.5 billion per year.

However, the LAO suggested the state avoid closing prisons with specialized missions—which would include CCC with its fire conservation camps mission—due to the impacts such closures could have on statewide operations. CCC works with several fire camps, including the nearby Antelope Conservation Camp, to train low-level inmates to become firefighters.

“Those inmates can get out of prison and go get a job with CalFire,” said Dahle. “That’s a great way to change their lives.”

State legislators pointed out at the beginning of June that the state has seen a decrease of about 4,200 inmate firefighters over the past decade.

In the same LAO report, of the 12 oldest state prisons, CCC was listed low on the list at 11th in terms of cost for repairs and maintenance.

The prison is one of the main economic resources for Susanville. Mayor Mendy Schuster told The Epoch Times last year that CCC is the second largest employer, which means losing the prison could result in the city shrinking even more in population and economic stability.

The corrections department has said that some employees could be transferred to the nearby High Desert State Prison, a high-security state prison.

CCC’s closure is set to happen unless further legislation is passed during next year’s legislative session.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Governor Newsom’s office for comment.