Take less than 1 minute to urge @cagovernor @gavinnewsom and members of the legislature to require CDCR and the Department of Finance to identify additional prisons for closure, expand and strengthen pathways to release—especially for elders and medically vulnerable people—and redirect closure savings into community-based services that create real safety and stability. 

Take Action Today: bit.ly/budgetaction26 

Governor Gavin Newsom’s Proposed 2026–27 Budget 

increases Corrections spending to $18.86 BILLION and fails to commit to closing additional prisons, despite a falling prison population and the recognition of significant savings from past prison closures.

It is unacceptable that the state continues to expand an already bloated Corrections budget while vital resources like Medi-Cal, nutrition assistance, and housing & houseless services are slashed and under-invested in due to federal rollbacks and the state deficit. 

The overall cost of incarceration remains unsustainable. The budget highlights a growing crisis that will continue to drive costs upward: California is incarcerating more than 19,000 people aged 55 and older. Incarcerating elderly, low-risk people can cost $200,000–$300,000+ per person each year. That’s an inhumane, fiscally reckless policy choice.