A Devastating Giant Tsunami Has Hit California,
“That Is a Fiscal Tsunami”

In January 2008 the state predicated an 11 billion California state budget deficit. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed state budget affirmed this and called for a 10% cut across the board for all items. Since then the state budget deficit has grown to 16 billion dollars, maybe more.

In February the Governor called a special fiscal legislative session to deal with the state’s fiscal crisis with his new authority granted on Proposition 58. The special legislative session in February resulted in a 50% reduction of the budget deficit to 8 billion dollars. This was accomplished with glue, wire, sealing wax, delay of payments, smoke and mirrors – plus “slight of hand”. There was a feeling of relief in the State Capitol. This elation soon dissipated in April when the Federal Court’s new appointee (master) planned to solve the critical medical problem of California state prisons of inadequate medical care and deplorable medical facilities (adding 10,000 new beds), testified that the cost to the state would be 7 billion dollars! Legislative members at the hearing were shocked! The special Federal Court Masters (3 Federal Court Judges) are posed to release thousands of state prison inmates due to the critical overcrowding conditions in California state prisons. These additional budget expenses to the state do not need approval of the Governor, the State Department of Finance, or the California Legislature. The Federal Masters just say: “write the check”.

The crisis in our 33 state prisons didn’t start last year, or 10 years ago (and yes, in our local jails, juvenile facilities, reception centers too!) it is a result of neglect for decades. Now the “piper has to be paid”.

The deterioration of the infrastructure, plus the increase of the enormous number of prisoners in prisons that were designed to handle 120,000 inmates and now is home to some 170,000 inmates along with an increase in sentencing laws in the past 2 decades, coupled with an increased California population, and convictions for drug offenses, have created the overcrowding. (Good or bad).

A “PEW” Center research survey last month reported that 1 of every 100 adults in America is imprisoned. Some 1.6 million are in state prisons and 723,000 in local jails. One in 36 is Latino, and 1 in 15 is African American. On average, a state spends 7% of their budget on prisons. In California, it’s 10% plus. (10 billion plus). In fact California prisons spend 500 million annually for overtime because of a shortage of correctional officers. The Governor’s proposed budget would release 22,000 low risk non-violent prisoners to local communities with less than 20 months to serve of their sentences to relieve the critical prison population. - And the Federal Special Masters intervention.

In February 2008 (only the second time since 1956), the “Independent Legislative Analyst, Liz Hill,” proposed an alternate state budget to the Governor’s proposal. In addition to her many other cost reduction proposals, she reduced the public safety budget by 241.3 million dollars and proposes the release of 72,000 parolees (which includes felons) to local probation. The proposal also changes the “wobblers” to “misdemeanors” with 495 million dollars to pay for this transfer to local communities. Their projection is that this would only increase probation officers case load by 25%. These additional monies would supposedly cover the cost of receiving centers, local detention, mental and physical evaluations, special education, rehabilitation and necessary facilities.

Last week the chair of the Senate Budget Sub-Committee, Senator Mike Machado, (D) Linden, a seasoned legislator of 14 years (and one of the most knowledgeable on prisons, probation, and juvenile justice) stated unequivocally that everything was on the table for budget cuts, including public safety funding i.e. that there were no “sacred cows” and public safety was not immune! Presently some 500 million dollars of public safety funding is at risk!

Since this year’s legislative session began in January, budget committees (and their sub-committees) have held almost 40 hearings. Senator Machado has followed public safety, prisons, probation and its peace officers and when he sounds the alarm that this is “Not a drill” “he is dead serious”!

Local government was founded by our forefathers to provide important community services such as education, health services, roads, transportation, utilities, and public safety. Without adequate “public safety” none of the others will function!!!

The blanket release of state prisoners will create a local crisis with a “crime wave”. Local and state public safety without the proposed budget cuts of some 500 million dollars is dangerously under-staffed and with a shortage of adequate facilities. The present staffing of peace officers with some 10,000 vacancies throughout the state tests the ability to adequately protect the public now. The blanket release of thousands of parolees to local communities without additional peace officers to arrest, incarcerate, adequate jails, district attorneys, public defenders, judges and ancillary personnel will be disastrous. More crime, more victims, more suffering of innocent victims etc.

What do you, we, us, do to protect the public safety and our officers??? Meet with your local State Senator, Assembly Member, City Council Member, and County Supervisors in your town. State Legislators travel to their respective districts almost every Thursday through the weekend. Draft factual position papers delineating the risk to their constituent’s safety, write letters, travel to Sacramento, phone etc. Have your friends and citizens do likewise. The consequences in property and injuries (and worse) are a reality. With 124,000 parolees now in our communities, without the proper funding, equipment, training and officers patrolling our cities and counties the safety of our citizens is in harms way. Our leaders, officers and board members have dedicated themselves to this vital crisis. They are already doing everything possible to prevent this fiscal “tsunami”. We are working with state, city, county, legislative and other professional organizations.

P.S. Meanwhile there are also some 4,863 legislative measures in the 2008-7-2008 session, such as S.B. 1019 – Romero Release of Public Safety Officers Personnel Records, etc, etc. Will keep you informed.

Stay Safe,

Jim