By Yana Singhal
SACRAMENTO, CA – California lawmakers passed Assembly Bill (AB) 2178 this past week, taking what at least one group writes is a “critical step in the state’s strategy to tackle its prison budget crisis effectively.”
The bill, authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-SF), is supported by Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB) with more than 100 other organizations.
CURB said, “AB 2178 offers a sustainable and fiscally responsible solution to the problem of excess bed capacity across state prisons.”
While a few legislators “expressed unfounded concerns that passing AB 2178 was premature given the uncertainty of Proposition 36, a regressive November ballot measure that would reinstate harsher penalties for drug and theft convictions and increase prison spending by over $26 billion over 10 years,” CURB praises the flexibility of AB 2178.
According to the press release issued by CURB, AB 2178 “directly addresses these concerns by providing a framework that allows the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to adjust capacity needs annually” and hence, “Prop 36 does not apply to this legislation.”
CURB Executive Director Amber-Rose Howard, a fierce opponent of Prop 36, supports AB 2178, and notes the bill “provides a long-term solution for managing excess prison bed capacity, potentially saving hundreds of millions that could be redirected to life-affirming programs across the state.”
“However, if it does pass, AB 2178 ensures CDCR can maintain the capacity they have previously requested while protecting against exceeding the court-ordered 137.5 percent design limit,” Howard added.
The “nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) estimates that California could save up to $1 billion annually by closing five prisons and an additional $2 billion in capital costs over the next decade by reducing excess capacity,” said CURB.
