Budget, Jerry Brown

Brown Cuts New Death Row Facility at San Quentin, Where Next?

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With all of the cuts that Governor Brown has been making, at least he found one that isn’t totally objectionable.  He just announced that he’ll be (insert bad pun here…killing, pulling the plug, …) the new death row facility that Arnold had wanted to build:

Gov. Jerry Brown pulled the plug today on plans to construct a new housing facility for condemned inmates at San Quentin.

Brown said in a statement that he believes it would “be unconscionable to earmark $356 million for a new and improved death row while making severe cuts to education and programs that serve the most vulnerable among us.” (SacBee)

Given our lack of actually putting anybody to death since the beginning of Gray Davis’ administration, this probably makes a fair bit of fiscal sense.  Of course, so would just ending the charade of a death penalty entirely, but that doesn’t seem to be in the cards for now.

But with these targeted cuts, is Jerry Brown doing what Bill Lockyer has been suggesting by targetting projects and regions favored by Republican legislators?  Earlier in the week he suggested doing just that:

State lawmakers who want an all-cuts budget because less government is better should get their wish starting with their own districts, state Treasurer Bill Lockyer said this morning.

Lockyer, visiting the Bay Area News Group-East Bay’s editorial board, said that when these lawmakers – many of whom already serve the state’s most recession-stricken areas – start hearing from their constituents about even deeper cutbacks in police and fire services, public schools and universities, social services and the like, they’ll soon think the better of stonewalling a public vote on Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to extend current tax rates for five more years. (BayAreaNewsGroup)

Indeed, Senator Steinberg has echoed the sentiment.  Of course, the question of cutting specific regions gets kind of tricky, and very dicey politically.  I’m not saying it can’t be done, but for now this is really all gamesmanship.  Gamesmanship that probably should have started a few months ago, but that’s neither here nor there.

Of course, on the flip side, Republican Senate Leader Dutton says that it is all the Democrats fault because they won’t agree to the Republican plan.  Oh right, I remember that night in November when hell froze over and the Republicans took a majority.  The fact is that the Republicans are overplaying their hand, and eventually it has to have some ramifications for them.

Cutting into the budget for the death penalty is a good start, but it isn’t going to really get to the heart of the matter.  Unless we get some movement from the Republican legislators, the cuts are going to be coming directly from classrooms.

4 thoughts on “Brown Cuts New Death Row Facility at San Quentin, Where Next?”

  1. This could be a good solution as we knew where the budget is going through. And they can also enhance the supreme facilities for those in line with death rows. But… isn’t it bad that we,, as people,,, planning to create or build facility against verdict of death row,, and for the rest of the next perpetrators… What if this budget,, is planned for good, like education, health and employment,, do you think if people have this kind of opportunities in their area,, do they still do injustice…of course they prefer to live a happy life than doing crime… ucas personal statement

  3. This is wishful thinking. Until the Democrats actually make the Republicans suffer consequences.

    “Overplay” can only be discussed in the past tense. Poker players “overplay their hands” all the time. It is called bluffing. If the bluff succeeds, the player did NOT “overplay their hand”.

    Sadly, the Democrats never call bluffs and the Republicans always call bluffs.

    Until the Democrats learned to play hard-ball politics and learn to inflict political pain, the Republicans will happily bluff their King-high to win the pot from the Democrats with their Royal Straight Flush.

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