Committee hears backlog maintenance, roof reversions and warm‑shutdown costs for deactivated prisons

CDCR facilities officials told the subcommittee they face a significant backlog of special repair needs and limited annual maintenance funding while several major projects and deactivations consume staff bandwidth.

Director Dave Lewis said the department has “well over a billion and a half dollars worth of backlog special repair projects” and receives about $26 million per year to address them. He described leaky roofs, heating and cooling deficiencies, water systems and energy infrastructure that often resemble small municipal systems and said deferred projects are common because institutions lack bandwidth and staff to submit and complete projects.

Committee members asked why the department reverted approximately $114 million in roof replacement funding. Lewis explained the original roof funding was planned as multi‑year work spanning several years and timing and project capacity meant funds were not encumbered in the originally anticipated period; departments sometimes revert unspent appropriations when projects are delayed or rephased. Senator D’Orazzo and others pressed for a steady, multiyear funding approach to avoid repeated deferrals.

Public commenters and committee members raised the cost of warm‑shutdowned prisons. An advocate submitted a figure that the four deactivated prisons have cost taxpayers over $300 million since 2021; CDCR acknowledged costs associated with deactivation and care and maintenance and the committee urged the administration to accelerate disposition options such as sale or reuse where feasible.

Ending: The subcommittee pressed CDCR for a multiyear plan to address backlog maintenance, clearer accounting of reverted funds and options for the disposition of deactivated facilities.