A member of the Western Riverside Council of Governments executive committee reported that the governor plans to close the California Rehabilitation Center (CRC) in Norco and that the facility is scheduled to close Oct. 1, with the announcement expected within a year.

"It's supposed to be a secret, but this afternoon the Governor is announcing that CRC in Norco is closing in a year. It will close October 1," the committee member said during general announcements. The speaker added, "I'm not sure how I feel about that but, it is closing. So we'll see what happens." (Speaker name not specified in the meeting record.)

Other committee members discussed broader state plans to close additional prisons and noted local capacity concerns. One member said Blythe had already closed and that multiple other facilities were planned for closure; another speaker attributed closures and early releases to funding problems tied to Proposition 36, saying funding shortfalls led to reductions in prison programs and increased early releases. That speaker said the local prison population was around 2,200 while the facility’s capacity could be 5,000.

No formal committee action was taken at the meeting on the CRC Norco announcement; the discussion was recorded as a general announcement. Committee members did not provide details about local operational or reentry planning tied to the closure during the meeting.

Questions and local policy implications were raised in discussion; meeting speakers emphasized uncertainty and asked for more information from state officials before drawing local conclusions.