SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2025-26 Proposed Budget makes no commitment to closing more prisons, despite thousands of empty beds and significant potential savings. As wildfires tear through Southern California, straining emergency response efforts, the state continues to spend billions maintaining excess prison capacity—resources that could further strengthen the social safety net, disaster preparedness and recovery.

In a press conference Monday, Newsom cited Proposition 36—a measure aimed at expanding penalties for certain property crimes and drug offenses—as a reason to delay closures. However, the budget projects only a small increase of 1,606 individuals in the prison population this year, followed by continued declines as broader sentencing reforms and demographic trends reduce incarceration rates. Even with the temporary population increases from Proposition 36, CDCR will still operate thousands of empty prison beds, meaning additional prisons could be closed without overcrowding remaining facilities.

In a win for criminal justice reform advocates, the corrections budget has decreased from $14.3 billion to $13.9 billion. However, the state is missing out on nearly $1 billion in annual savings by refusing to commit to further prison closures.

The Department of Finance reports $900 million in annual savings from past prison deactivations, validating what advocates have long pushed for: prison capacity reduction as a proven budget solution. Regardless, the state continues to spend hundreds of millions in order to keep facilities like Deuel Vocational Institution (DVI), the California Correctional Center (CCC) and Chuckawalla Valley State Prison (CVSP) in costly “warm shutdown” mode, where they remain staffed and maintained despite housing no incarcerated individuals. Advocates are urging legislators to fully close these prisons and redirect the funds toward community investments.

“The administration’s claim of fiscal responsibility ignores the obvious solution—fully closing empty prisons,” said Dax Proctor, Statewide Coordinator for Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB). “Continuing to fund ‘warm shutdowns’ keeps resources locked in the past when they’re desperately needed for building safer, more resilient communities.”

California’s reliance on incarcerated firefighters, who are paid next to nothing, has long raised ethical concerns. For decades, prison labor has filled fire camps, sending people into hazardous conditions with minimal protections and little chance of stable employment after release. As the prison population declines, the state’s dependence on this underpaid workforce faces increasing scrutiny. Advocates are calling for expanded professional firefighting crews, creating stronger reentry pathways for formerly incarcerated firefighters, and building disaster response systems that don’t rely on prison labor exploitation.

Incarcerated people are among the most vulnerable to wildfires, extreme heat, and floods. Research in the Hidden Hazards report by the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs found that eighteen of California’s state prisons are particularly vulnerable to one or more climate hazards. Recommendations named in the report for addressing these impacts include reducing the incarcerated population by 50,000, implementing rapid release policies during emergencies, and closing prisons most at risk of climate disaster.

The 2025-26 budget frames the "California Model" as a strategy requiring more space for rehabilitation and programming, but it fails to explain why such vast facilities are necessary. “CDCR operates over 42 million square feet of buildings and 23,000 acres of land,” added Proctor. “We are confident the department can pursue culture change and expand programming without maintaining an excessive surplus of unused beds. Rehabilitation, public safety, and prison closure can all co-exist.”

“There’s so much potential to reinvest the billions currently tied up in maintaining surplus prison facilities and unfilled positions,” said Brian Kaneda, Deputy Director of CURB. “The Legislature passed AB 2178 (Ting) last year to create moderate, reasonable CDCR capacity management. Newsom’s veto was a missed opportunity. This year, by prioritizing full prison closures and reallocating funds to housing, healthcare, and wildfire preparedness, we can strengthen public safety and ensure resources are used where they’re needed most.”