CDCR secretary outlines budget cuts, programming gains and push toward single-cell housing

Secretary McCumber, Secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, told the Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 5 that CDCR’s budget and population have declined from their peaks even as the department pursues what he called the “California model” of corrections.

“We have just over 90,000 incarcerated individuals in our custody and about 35,000 parolees,” Secretary McCumber said, and added, “rehabilitation is public safety and those investments do pay off in terms of improving our outcomes for the communities.”

The secretary described a range of programs and metrics the department cites as evidence of progress: in-prison community college classes available at every facility, roughly 800 associate degrees earned in the prior year, an 8.5 percent recidivism rate for college participants versus roughly 40 percent overall, and lower recidivism for participants in substance-use or self-help programs. He said CDCR has “identified reductions totaling $267,000,000 in 24‑25 and $185,000,000 in 25‑26” toward an administration target of about $392 million for the department.

McCumber described operational changes taken to meet savings targets: elimination of some gate officer positions, housing-unit conversions and closures, reductions in academy and contract spending and a vacant‑position reduction that eliminated 441 positions. He confirmed that four institutions were deactivated (Calipatria, High Desert, North Kern and Wasco) as part of those reductions and that some closures and deactivations remain in warm‑shutdown status.

Lawmakers pushed back on the consequences of the cuts. Senator Wahab flagged a riot at Folsom the previous day and asked whether closures and higher density raise safety risks; Wahab also pressed for data on which yards and programming have been closed. McCumber acknowledged the concern about overcrowding and said the department was “hopeful as the budget improves, there’s an opportunity to relook at those issues.”

Several members raised staff safety and staffing shortages. McCumber noted studies showing elevated PTSD rates among correctional staff and said personnel costs drive roughly 80 percent of operations. Cynthia Mendoza, CDCR deputy director of fiscal services, told the committee that prior reductions, rising staff and health-care costs and court-ordered medical obligations limit further cuts.

Lawmakers and the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) pressed CDCR to provide more detail about how reductions were chosen and which classifications or programs were affected. LAO official Orlando Sanchez Savala said the administration’s budget assumed deeper savings last year and that CDCR had provided more information than many departments but still left unclear which classifications were affected by the vacant‑position eliminations. The LAO asked for additional detail for the May revision.

The secretary emphasized the department’s stated operational goal of giving each incarcerated person access to at least two activities per day (education, vocational training, treatment or a job) and said the department will continue to evaluate operations for additional efficiencies while “prioritizing expansion of programming and services.”

Looking ahead, McCumber reported infrastructure needs and litigation remain significant: an aging population in custody, more incarcerated people with mental‑illness designations, leaky roofs and other backlog maintenance.

The subcommittee held the item open and asked CDCR to provide written follow‑up to several requests for detail before the May budget revision.

Ending: The hearing moved on to population projections after the committee urged CDCR to deliver the requested program and staffing detail in time for the May revision.