Gov. Gavin Newsom benefited from the California Correctional Peace Officer Association's increased political giving. CCPOA secured contracts for prison guards.
The California Correctional Peace Officers Association, better known as CCPOA, represents about 26,000 state prison guards. It increased its political spending after Gov. Gavin Newsom took office. Photo by Pablo Unzueta for CalMattersThe California Correctional Peace Officers Association faces a complicated political environment as inmate populations decline and calls to close prisons increase.
In the other view, from inside the Capitol, it’s a reflection of the union’s anxiety in the face of waning influence as California’s future almost certainly includes fewer prisons and fewer union-represented prison guards to staff them. The numbers don’t lie:At the outset of his first term, Newsom floated the idea of closing a single state prison. He’s since closed three and canceled a contract on another private prison, collectively saving hundreds of millions of dollars.
The millions of dollars the union shoveled into Newsom’s most significant projects were a reflection of the union’s priorities, he said. Former Sen. John Moorlach lost his reelection campaign in 2020. The California Correctional Peace Officers Association, or CCPOA, spent heavily against him. The Republican lawmaker had carried legislation that would have allowed public employees to choose 401 plans instead pensions. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters
That spending has consistently come under fire from the Legislative Analyst’s Office, which found in 2019 and 2021 that the Newsom administration offeredThe analysis found that California prison guards have neither a recruitment nor a retention problem, and that their salaries were already in line with the salaries in the counties where they work – if not more than 5% higher than comparable job classifications.
“The CCPOA has a stranglehold on Sacramento politics,” Kaneda said. “Everyone’s struggling right now, but prison guards are getting a $1 billion raise. Explain how this could possibly be the right move for California as we tussle with this historic budget deficit.” “My presumption is the governor is moderating his views on public safety because of where he wants to go nationally. And so he’s super careful about any perception of being soft on crime.”
“So CCPOA had an open field. It was just a much easier job than what the CCPOA faces today. It’s not as easy today to be an 800-pound gorilla as it would have been 20 years ago.”
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