Assembly Unit OKs Emergency Plan for Building New Prisons

Gov. George Deukmejian’s emergency prison construction program was approved by the Assembly Ways and Means Committee Thursday, but Administration forces expressed concern over the refusal of Democrats to waive requirements for lengthy environmental impact reports.

What to do about the environmental reviews has become the key issue in the Republican governor’s campaign to sell his program to the Democrat-controlled Legislature. And it presents a sticky political problem for Deukmejian, who could be vulnerable to campaign attacks if the prison plan is not implemented ahead of next year’s election.

The crash construction program, which is intended to make room for about 5,000 new inmates by July, 1986, was sent to the Assembly floor on a 16-0 vote after members of the Ways and Means Committee restored $77 million in construction money earlier stripped from the bill by Democrats in the Assembly Public Safety Committee.

Money From Surplus Fund

Under the agreement, however, all of that money will have to come from the governor’s $1-billion budget surplus fund--leaving more in the state’s general fund for the lawmakers’ own spending proposals.

Democratic Sen. Robert Presley of Riverside, who is sponsoring the prison bill for the Administration, said he was pleased by Thursday’s vote, but cautioned that much needs to be worked out before an agreement can be reached on the environmental questions.

The governor’s emergency plan to deal with severe inmate overcrowding would add 5,000 prison beds by converting day-use facilities at several institutions and increasing the number of cells at low- and medium-security prisons in Tehachapi, Jamestown and Susanville.

Much of the Administration’s long-range, bond-financed plan to add 19,000 beds in 10 new prisons has been delayed for a variety of reasons.

As a further sign of troubles that have plagued the governor’s prison program, the Administration on Thursday gave up on its hopes for using abandoned California Conservation Corps camps for temporary prisons, including one in the San Gabriel Valley. Presley said there was too much community opposition.

To replace those lost beds, Presley’s bill would pay counties up to $3.5 million for temporary use of abandoned police training barracks that can be converted into prison facilities. As long-term prison projects were completed, those buildings would revert back to the counties for use as jails.

Deukmejian blames much of the slowdown in his prison construction program on the environmental review process, although critics argue that bungling by the Department of Corrections is a major factor. In unveiling his plan last month, the governor asked the Legislature to waive the environmental review process on all future prisons and asked for an abbreviated review on much of the emergency program.

‘Fast-Track’ Review

When the Assembly Public Safety Committee removed funding for the projects last week, it also refused Deukmejian’s request on the environmental waivers, suggesting instead a “fast-track” review that would shave several months off the process.

Rodney J. Blonien, undersecretary of the Youth and Adult Correctional Agency, said this week that, even with that faster process, the projects would be delayed for five to six months. That means construction would not be completed at least until December, 1986, after Deukmejian’s reelection bid.