By Gary Klien
The Marin Independent Journal
NOVATO, Calif. — Gov. Jerry Brown has appointed a 20-year corrections veteran as the new warden of San Quentin State Prison, the oldest and most famous of California’s penitentiaries.
Ronald Davis, 45, has been acting warden since December while his appointment was being vetted. The prison has had about three dozen wardens since it opened in 1852, along with numerous acting wardens.
“It’s amazing to be a part of the history of San Quentin,” Davis said Wednesday. “That was part of the draw coming here — everybody worldwide knows San Quentin.”
Davis started in the corrections department in 1994 after six years in the Navy and a year as a nuclear power plant operator. He rose from the rank-and-file into higher positions while working at the state prisons in Soledad, Corcoran, Avenal and Chowchilla.
Davis was the warden of Valley State Prison in Chowchilla from 2012 to 2014.
“He is a strong and innovative leader who understands the importance of ensuring offenders receive effective rehabilitation and treatment so if and when they are released, they can transition successfully into our communities,” Scott Kernan, undersecretary of the state prisons department, said in a statement. “I’m confident he will continue to work tirelessly to guide and inspire our staff, inmates and the many volunteers at San Quentin.”
Davis said he views his main challenges as maintaining the aging prison and recruiting staff to the pricey Bay Area.
“This plan runs well,” he said. “We’re always considering new programs. We provide opportunities. It’s up to the inmates to take advantage of the opportunities.”
Davis, a Republican, declined to comment on whether he supports the death penalty, but he might never have to oversee an execution. California executions have been in limbo since 2006, when a federal judge ruled that the state’s lethal injection procedure violated the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment.
Davis’ salary will be $141,204, the governor’s office said. The position does not require Senate confirmation.