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Senate panel forwards Sarah Larson to full Senate after questions about prison infrastructure and cooling pilot
Summary
The Rules Committee voted 5–0 to advance Sarah Larson’s nomination to lead CDCR facilities after questioning on a cooling pilot, planned closures such as Norco, cold‑shutdown maintenance and disaster planning for prisons in high‑risk areas.
The Senate Rules Committee voted unanimously to forward Sarah Larson’s nomination to the full Senate after lawmakers questioned her on how California’s prison facilities will adapt to a smaller incarcerated population and to climate‑related risks.
Larson, nominated to lead the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s facilities division, described efforts to shrink CDCR’s footprint, close contracted facilities and pilot mechanical refrigerant cooling and insulation at three locations to guide future investments.
Vice Chair Grove asked how the facilities division is aligning capital planning and staffing with a declining prison population. Larson said CDCR has reduced its footprint by closing contracted and some state‑operated facilities and is piloting cooling infrastructure at three sites to determine the most cost‑effective approach. “We do have an air cooling pilot program that we’re working on right now in the facilities division…at three of our locations,” Larson said.
Senators pressed Larson about facility closures and emergency planning. Larson said the planned Norco facility closure is on track for October 2026 and explained the department’s use of “cold shutdown” status — a minimalist maintenance posture that preserves permits, secures property and abates fire risk but does not fund regular repairs. “A cold shutdown would be maintaining the permits that we need… it really is very minimalist,” she said, noting limited special‑repair budgets.
On disaster readiness, Larson described coordination with the Office of Correctional Safety, incident‑command practices and mutual‑aid arrangements with external agencies. She said projects such as the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center demonstrate opportunities to design safer, more rehabilitative spaces while adopting new technology to improve security and safety during construction.
Public commenters from Holt Consulting, Transformative Programming Works, Smart Justice California and the Anti‑Recidivism Coalition voiced support for Larson, praising her collaboration and experience. The committee voted 5–0 to advance Larson’s nomination to the full Senate for confirmation.
The nomination proceeds next to the full California State Senate for a confirmation vote.
