Marin Independent Journal
CALIFORNIA — A Merced County Republican has tried again to close and sell San Quentin State Prison.
For the third time, state Sen. Jeff Denham’s proposal to decommission and peddle San Quentin has been shelved by lawmakers.
This time, Marin’s state senator led the way. Mark Leno said with California facing a federal court’s orders to remedy overcrowding in California’s state prisons, now is not the time to talk about closing one.
Leno has logic on his side.
Leno, chairman of the Senate Public Safety Committee, said any bills that could exacerbate overcrowding won’t make it out of his committee.
Denham argues that lawmakers are missing a chance to unload an antiquated prison, sell the bayfront property for as much as $2 billion and use the money to build a modern prison elsewhere for San Quentin’s 5,200 inmates. Given the budget crisis, the extra cash could come in handy.
Denham’s bill could solve one problem and create another. Closing an antiquated and dangerous prison makes sense - if there is additional prison space elsewhere that can house those inmates. That space does not exist today. Denham hopes that selling San Quentin would lead trigger a solution. That’s a big gamble.
We have questioned the wisdom of the state spending $356 million to build a new death row at San Quentin, the state’s oldest prison. The prison’s age, design and location combine to cost taxpayers more to run and maintain it than any of California’s other prisons.
Leno and Marin Assemblyman Jared Huffman have criticized the death row plan, but they have not been able to stop it.
Leno backs Huffman’s bill to allow death row inmates to be moved to other prisons as a way to address California’s growing condemned population without expanding San Quentin.
Leno’s right on one point. Denham’s bill is “conjecture.” Actually, it’s conjecture built on a disturbing watering down of state environmental rules. Denham’s bill would have exempted the demolition of the prison and future development on its 432 acres from environmental studies and conditions. That might attract buyers and boost its value, but it would be unfair to locals who would have to live with the traffic from development of the site.
Denham’s bill is not a practical solution, but it keeps the spotlight focused on a problem that lawmakers have avoided for years. One result of that inertia is the state prison system is at the mercy of a federal court because of overcrowding and health-care problems.
We appreciate Denham’s interest in San Quentin, but it is Leno - Marin’s new state senator - who is in the position to provide real leadership in determining the future of the prison and its bayfront site.
Leno needs to make the prison’s future a legislative priority and demonstrate that he will fight for Marin’s interests as well as San Francisco’s.
Closing San Quentin when California doesn’t have enough prison beds for its growing inmate population doesn’t make sense. But taking a comprehensive look at the future capital and operational needs of San Quentin must play a role in any long-term solution to the state’s prison crisis.
Copyright 2009 Marin Independent Journal, a MediaNews Group publication