Recent press on the May Revised Budget from the Vanguard News Group 

Full article here: bit.ly/5-17vanguardnews 

Demand investments in Care Not Cages TODAY at bit.ly/budgetaction26 

Despite continued declines in the prison population and approximately 15,000 excess prison beds the Governor’s May Revision proposes increasing the CDCr budget to $14.6 billion & no additional prison closures. 

This is a $460.8 million increase from the 2026–27 January Proposed Budget and approximately $1 billion increase from the 2025–26 Enacted Budget. 

Existing closure plans have already demonstrated significant savings, projected at approximately $594 million annually by 2027–28, proving that prison closures are an effective and necessary structural savings strategy. 

Instead of investing these savings into essential safety-net programs, they are being disappeared back into CDCr’s already massive budget. 

It is unacceptable to continue expanding corrections spending while communities are told there are insufficient resources for care and support. 

Governor Newsom and the California Legislature: Hold CDCr accountable, require at least one additional prison closure in the final June budget, strengthen pathways for release for the aging population behind bars especially vulnerable to worsening climate change, and redirect savings toward critical programs that improve public health, safety, and stability.

True public safety comes from investing in communities — not maintaining wasteful prison capacity.