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CDCR requests pilot funding to test air‑cooling in four prisons; LAO warns scaling will be costly
Summary
CDCR proposed a pilot to install and evaluate air‑cooling alternatives at four state prisons to address extreme indoor heat. The Legislative Analyst recommended near‑ and long‑term reporting requirements; Department of Finance signaled openness but expressed reservations about added reporting burden.
Dave Lewis, director of facility planning, construction and management for CDCR, told the subcommittee the department requested $23.6 million one‑time in 2025–26 and $45.4 million one‑time in 2026–27 to fund a pilot program to install and evaluate air‑cooling alternatives at four facilities: Central California Women’s Facility, California Medical Facility, Kern Valley State Prison and California State Prison Los Angeles.
Lewis said roughly 52% of CDCR housing units rely on evaporative cooling, 24% have some mechanical cooling, 19% have no cooling but use air handlers, and 5% rely solely on fans. He told members the department’s current indoor cooling…
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