Special Master John Hagar reiterated his view that the governor had abandoned reforms to appease the guards. He also said he intended to force the aide, Cabinet Secretary Fred Aguiar, and Chief of Staff Susan Kennedy to testify as part of his probe of the union's influence in the prison system.
In extraordinarily blunt remarks, Hagar said Kennedy appeared to be "in the pocket" of the union, had traded favors with the group and had allowed its leaders unusual access to the governor's office.
And he lamented that politics interfered with the efforts of two reform-minded chiefs of the state corrections department, who resigned in quick succession earlier this year.
"People have quit because they felt their ethics were compromised," Hagar said. "There are significant problems…. The place is crumbling."
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Critics say the plan, which would increase the number of inmate beds by more than 40,000 by 2011, relies too heavily on prison building and should instead aim to decrease California's 70% recidivism rate, the nation's highest.
The crisis has quickly become a campaign topic, with Schwarzenegger's Democratic challenger, State Treasurer Phil Angelides, holding two events last week to promote his own prison reform plan. (LA Times 7/13/06)
So, what role is the union playing? And are they obstructing the real reform that could help a) reduce recidivism and b) reduce the overall general prison population. It takes no genius to understand that more prions = more prison guards = a more powerful union. Now, I'm all for unions and collective bargaining, but in the context of the prisons, growth is bad. We need to ensure that these conflicting interests don't encourage the wrong motives.
