SACRAMENTO -- Prison hunger strikers who were shipped out of Pelican Bay State Prison so they were closer to medical services and administrators in Sacramento say they have been promised they'll be returned eventually to their old cells now that the demonstration has ended.
And a new warden awaits them.
As the last 100 protesters ended their 60-day hunger strike on Thursday, they also learned of a shift in command at the state's super maximum-security prison.
Pelican Bay Warden Greg Lewis retired in August, about a month into the strike, and stayed on for a few weeks, said corrections spokeswoman Deborah Hoffman.
A deputy administrator stepped in to run the prison until next week, when the former warden from the California Correctional Center outside of Redding, Ron Barnes, will come out of retirement to take over, Hoffman said. A permanent replacement is still being sought, she said.
