Receiver presses lawmakers on prison health facilities
SACRAMENTO -- — Federal Receiver J. Clark Kelso put state lawmakers on notice Monday that he could not wait long for their approval of his $7-billion plan to build healthcare facilities for prison inmates.
Kelso told a state budget panel that he would like to cooperate with the Legislature on the proposal. But his firm tone underscored his power to seek permission from a federal judge to move forward if the Legislature delays.
"I am very pressed on time," Kelso testified before a state Senate budget committee. "The federal court is anxious to get on with it."
Kelso was appointed receiver in January by U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson. He is responsible for bringing the state's healthcare system for prisoners up to constitutional standards.
His testimony came as lawmakers, facing a tough budget year, reacted with dismay to his proposal, which was submitted to the Legislature by the Schwarzenegger administration Friday. Kelso would oversee construction of seven secure buildings to house 10,000 sick and mentally ill inmates, along with renovation of existing prison healthcare facilities.
"It really borders on the incredible that we need to do this in a year when we're cutting schools by $5 billion," said Sen. Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego), a member of the budget committee.
Nancy Paulus, of the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office, said there were so few details in the proposal, including where the buildings would be located and how much it would cost to run them once built, that the Legislature would be signing away its power by allowing Kelso to move ahead now.
"This proposed legislation exempts this project from any sort of legislative oversight," Paulus said.
michael.rothfeld@latimes.com
