Several years ago Governor Gray Davis had a problem with the State prison system. A lawsuit was filed in the Federal courts. Instead of fighting the effort, he gave in. He turned our prisons over to a Federal Judge.
Remember it was Gray Davis who stopped the State from defending Prop. 187, the effort to control illegal aliens. As Governor it was his responsibility to defend the ballot measures that passed, he refused.
Then we had the energy crisis. Remember it took a lawsuit, by Assemblyman Tony Strickland, to find out the terrible terms Davis had agreed to in order to have energy in the State. Davis was so embarrassed by his actions he had to hide them till a court ordered them to be made public.
Today, Californians are suffering from the Davis decision to turn our prisons over to a Federal Judge and his Czar. This will cost us between $15-30 billion, based on the financing method.
Worse, the people of Ventura County are about to be punished by the Czar.
The name of the man is Clark Kelso, he used to work for both Davis and Arnold.
Kelso has demanded that the legislature give him $7 billion. They refused because he refused to tell them how he was going to spend the money. He also refused to allow any over site.
Then Kelso demanded that the Governor take the money and give it to him. The Governor said no.
Now Kelso is suing the State Controller, in an effort to take up to $7 billion from the State accounts. This while the State has a $15 billion deficit and will run a larger one next year. This money Kelso wants to take will have to be taken the elderly, schools, roads and public safety. Since the money does not exist, the State will either have to cut other programs or raise taxes--in the middle of a massive increase in unemployment, foreclosures and the middle class fleeing the State.
Clark Kelso is a one man band, Early last week folks in Sacramento wanted to meet with him, and he refused to attend.
Assemblywoman Audra Strickland held a public hearing in Camarillo last week. He refused to attend and refused to allow any of his staff to attend
He is demanding the right to build a 1500 bed in Camarillo. If you or I wanted to build a 1500 bed hotel or hospital in the area, we would need hearings, permits and studies. Instead Kelso is not talking to anybody and plans to start building next year.
To build such a large facility would easily violate State and Federal environmental laws--laws that would put us in jail and paying having fines.
The worse part of this is that this facility will cause the closing of local businesses and the loss of many new jobs in the County. You ask why?
Under the provisions of AB 32, each county has till 2012 to provide a plan to lower carbon in the air.
So, if you create a facility that has 6500 people, with all the cars going and coming, the County will have to cut businesses to meet the requirements.
Then you have the cost of moving the current facility and patients--how much will that cost? Will Kelso only give construction contracts to unions--will he discriminate against non-union firms and workers?
What about the security around the hospital--this is really a prison, just 2,000 feet from homes and schools. How will this affect the property values in Camarillo? We know the answer, they will drop.
Through all this Kelso gives no answers. He claims he will tell the community about his plans in 30-45 days. So what? Regardless of our concerns, he will do what he wants. He has just one boss, a Federal Judge.
My guess is that lawsuits will be filed, people will organize against the effort. If this is to be stopped we will need to take action locally, like starting a petition. We need to overwhelm him when he finally holds a meeting in Ventura County.
We must also support the legislature and the Governor in their efforts to keep the door to our tax dollars closed to this man.
Clark Kelso refuses to answer questions from legislators or the people.
Clark Kelso is openly trying to violate our environmental laws.
Clark Kelso is trying to make Ventura count unsafe.
It is time to take back our prisons.
What do you think should be done?
One important side to the story is what is to be done with the juveniles? The facility is actually doing a great job getting them ready for reintegration into life. I worked there in a non-law enforcement, contracted position for over 18 months and saw many great success stories.
Kelso's plan is wrong for Camarillo and wrong the wards.
I think we should take the prison system back from this liberal judge. It doesn't belong to him. It belongs to the taxpayers of this state. Hell, most prisoners have far better health care than the average working, law-abiding citizen.
The whole premise of this plan is ridiculous. Prisoners should not be given special medical facilities to cater to their every need. Dump them into general population and let them survive like the rest of their fellow inmates do. This isn't and shouldn't be a priority of our state government in the midst of a budget meltdown and with all the other unfunded needs we have.
I've only been following this story since I read Assembly member Strickland was holding hearings. If this was a private developer, there would be all be development agreements, fees, local review to get this development through.
Am I right to presume there wouldn't even be an environmental impact report?
Scott,
I think you're right on this project not requiring an EIR, since it's essentially based on a judge's order. I'd be interested to hear what the legal basis is for this though. Does a state-initiated project get to bypass the CEQA process?
It appears that way. We don't even have an idea of impacts, so the city can properly plan it's resources for where this is going to occur.
I'd like more information on this issue than I've read in the paper, particularly what the process is for approval?
I do think the receiver should have come and addressed the residents on his plans and those impacts.
Yes, I agree. It's extreme arrogance on the part of the state to think it can hammer a project like this through that will, no doubt, have significant local impact, not just in terms of environmental impact (increased traffic, water/sewer usage, solid waste, etc.), but also in terms of economic impact (effects on the county-wide job market for nurses and other health care professionals by further depleting an already scant employment base).
Our local representatives should be speaking out against this in the strongest terms. I know Audra Strickland has taken a firm stand against it, but what about our Supervisors (Kathy Long, et al) and the Camarillo City Council? They should be demanding that the State take a second look at this by utilizing their political links to our State Legislative representatives and lobbyists.
There is already a groundswell of opposition to this welling up from within the local community of Camarillo. Pressure also needs to be applied to the court-appointed receiver, J. Clark Kelso, to require him to attend public hearings and answer specific questions from the community on the project on its impacts.
Again, the power is vested in the people to demand to have their voices heard, not just in some government stooge to force through something that is not wanted in the community.
Mongo:
I think this issue comes down to the basic prospect of who accomplishes local representative government best. State or local government?
The notion that local planning is being decided by receiverships or state officials is problematic because their interests are neither local or representative of the community that will deal with the costs of their short-sighted decision.
Overall, local officials should be all over this issue.
My only question is whats all the big secrecy. The Receivership Kelso and company have been looking at the Camarillo site for the last 18 months. There have been no meetings with Kelso and the community of Camarillo, and where is the EIR report. I don't like the Receivership's tactics. Do they have something to hide? I also question if Jay Clark Kelso is really the man for job after his performance as acting Interim Director of the DGS, numerous Senate Hearings on Strategic Sourcing and his performance as the CIO of DOIT, which is still facing numerous challenges, after his departure to work for the Receivership. It makes me wonder as to what is actually going on with Dr. Jay Clark Kelso and what the true motive is here. There are other vacant sites through out the State such as the closed down Nelles site and the now closed Paso Robles site. Why close down a perfectly working facility with a purpose that serves the local community, educates and rehabilitates the youth of the State, and has a strong economic impact on the local area. This is the typical State waste and it is sorry situation.
My only question is whats all the big secrecy. The Receivership Kelso and company have been looking at the Camarillo site for the last 18 months. There have been no meetings with Kelso and the community of Camarillo, and where is the EIR report. I don't like the Receivership's tactics. Do they have something to hide? I also question if Jay Clark Kelso is really the man for job after his performance as acting Interim Director of the DGS, numerous Senate Hearings on Strategic Sourcing and his performance as the CIO of DOIT, which is still facing numerous challenges, after his departure to work for the Receivership. It makes me wonder as to what is actually going on with Dr. Jay Clark Kelso and what the true motive is here. There are other vacant sites through out the State such as the closed down Nelles site and the now closed Paso Robles site. Why close down a perfectly working facility with a purpose that serves the local community, educates and rehabilitates the youth of the State, and has a strong economic impact on the local area. This is the typical State waste and it is sorry situation.
Kelso has said that a CEQA review of this project is not required, which tells me that he's not planning on having it go through the CEQA process. This would, of course, reveal any environmental and facilities impacts (air quality, traffic, water, sewer, etc.) of this huge development project.
It seems the State likes to subject private developers to all kinds of expensive and time-consuming environmental reviews, but it has no problem exempting itself when it has a project that it wants to ramrod through. Pretty amazing!
I haven't heard Steve Bennett say anything about this project. I'm surprised Mr. Environmentalist hasn't taken a stand on it given the multitude of environmental impacts, not to mention the effects on the local job market. Plus, he's usually not one to be out-politicked by his fellow supervisors - Long & Flynn.
I realize it's not in his district, so he'll most likely take the coward's way out and remain silent. If it was a shopping center though, you'd best believe he'd be all over it like white on rice.