CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SACRAMENTO : $900-Million Prison Bond OKd by Panel

A $900-million prison bond issue aimed for the June ballot was approved by the Assembly Public Safety Committee. A 5-2 vote sent SB842 by Sen. Robert Presley (D-Riverside) to the Ways and Means Committee. “Probably, if we all had our druthers we’d rather not do this, but we have no alternative,” Presley said. He noted that the prison system, now with 88,000 inmates in facilities built for half that number, will have a population of 144,000 by 1995. Voters have approved numerous bond issues in recent elections to pay for more prison space, including an $817-million proposal in 1988.