A possible reprieve for opponents of the closure of the Susanville Correctional Center that was announced in April. A Lassen County judge has granted the city a temporary restraining order, halting the state’s efforts. It’s the largest employer in the town, with a-thousand-80 people working there. The judge says Governor Newsom’s administration did not comply with legal requirements with how it notified the Legislature and Legislative Analyst’s Office. The notice must also consider specific criteria, including prioritizing prisons with high operational or infrastructure costs, among other concerns. The prison is in State Senator Brian Dahle’s district, who had blasted the announcement when it first came out…

click to listen to Brian Dahle

Dahle says the decision from the governor’s office also ignores the prison’s good public benefit ranking…

click to listen to Brian Dahle

Earlier this year, the Department of Corrections cited the significant decrease in the state’s incarcerated population. It said there will be an estimated savings of 122-million dollars a year. A formal hearing to discuss the ruling and the injunction is scheduled for August 17th.