SACRAMENTO — They are trained at putting tough questions to convicted murderers, but the state's powerful parole board commissioners have found themselves on the other side of the table lately, under interrogation in a political conflict that has cost some of them their jobs.
On one side of the dispute is Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican who routinely appoints former law enforcement officials to the Board of Parole Hearings, which decides whether to release the most serious criminals from prison. On the other is state Senate leader Don Perata, a Democrat from Oakland who believes commissioners deny parole to deserving inmates far too often.
Since January, Democratic senators led by Perata have rejected four of the eight commissioners they have grilled at confirmation hearings, ousting a third of the 12-member board and forcing Schwarzenegger to replace them. Members can serve a year after their appointment but must then receive the Senate's blessing to complete their three-year terms.
The upheaval has further disrupted an already problem-plagued board that has postponed thousands of parole hearings in recent years, potentially exposing the state to hefty fines from a Superior Court judge.
Perata has called the board "a sham" for denying parole to 95% of so-called life inmates, many of whom have been locked up for decades. He has urged the governor to appoint commissioners from outside the law enforcement world to augment the former police officers, sheriffs and probation chief who make up all but one of the current board members.
"It just defies logic to suggest that they can interview or evaluate over 5,000 people [a year] and make only a handful of remands back to the community," Perata said in an interview. "Where are the social scientists, the psychologists? Where are the people who bring a different dimension to life, a different view on rehabilitation?"
But Schwarzenegger has persisted, last week naming two more commissioners with law enforcement backgrounds. State law says commissioners should have "a broad background in criminal justice."
"We believe that we've been appointing individuals who will follow the law and who have the right background," said Aaron McLear, the governor's spokesman. "We expect these nominees to weigh each case on its merits, keeping public safety at the forefront of their decision-making process."
