Wilson Lashes at Burton on Parole Issue

Taking another swipe at legislative Democrats, Gov. Pete Wilson on Thursday charged Assemblyman John Burton (D-San Francisco) with seeking to eliminate funding for the state Board of Prison Terms, which controls the parole process for murderers.

Using the gray walls of Folsom Prison as a news conference backdrop for television cameras, the governor said, “It is not the Board of Prison Terms that should be put out of business, but legislators like John Burton.”

The governor added: “Eliminating the budget for the board opens the prison door for murderers serving life sentences. We cannot tolerate the recklessly irresponsible actions of legislators who endanger public safety.”

Asked for his reaction, Burton called Wilson “a liar,” denying that the Assembly budget subcommittee on which he sits eliminated the $11.4 million for board operations as the governor said it had.

“We did not take the money out,” said Burton, a critic of board parole policies. “We just held the item open. We want the board to come in and explain what it is doing and justify expenditure of taxpayers’ funds. They haven’t quite done that yet.”

The Board of Prison Terms reviews parole requests for prisoners serving life terms, almost all of whom are murderers. It rejects about 95% of requests for parole that it hears, but without the board, Wilson said, murderers with a parole date would be released without further review.

People serving sentences of other than life can earn “good time” and “work time” credits to apply for parole with the Department of Corrections. Once parole is granted, it is overseen by the Board of Prison Terms, which has the authority to revoke parole for those who violate terms.

Wilson accused the Assembly budget subcommittee of “an example of outrageous, irresponsible action that has brought the California Legislature into disrepute.”

Burton countercharged that Wilson “wasted taxpayers’ money” by holding an out-of-town prison news conference, which required gasoline for staff automobiles and security, at a time when the state faces a serious budget deficit problem.

At the news conference, the governor was flanked by 22 people representing law enforcement, prosecutors, crime victim groups and relatives of murder victims.

During recent days, Wilson has charged Assembly Democrats with “playing political games” on a series of issues, including their opposition to increased university and state college student fees, criticism of the state environmental protection agency and trying to short the budget of the state Supreme Court.

Another Assembly budget subcommittee earlier recommended a 38% reduction in the state Supreme Court’s budget--the exact percentage set for a legislative spending cutback mandated by the voter-approved Proposition 140 that was upheld by the high court.

“What is going on here is a childish, vindictive act of retaliation,” Wilson said Thursday of that subcommittee action.