1 POSITION LETTERS (Attachment 3)
As of March 18, 2025
Attachment 3 includes City of Chino position letters on legislation and regulations submitted since the prior report. The attached letter(s) were submitted on behalf of the City during this reporting period.
EUNICE M. ULLOA KAREN C. COMSTOCK
Mayor CHRISTOPHER FLORES
MARC LUCIO
Council Members
CURTIS BURTON DR. LINDA REICH
Mayor Pro Tem City Manager
CITY of CHINO
13220 Central Avenue, Chino, California 91710
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 667, Chino, California 91708-0667 (909) 334-3250 • (909) 334-3720 Fax
Web Site: www.cityofchino.org
March 11, 2025
The Honorable John Harabedian, Chair
Joint Legislative Audit Committee
1021 O Street, Room 4350
Sacramento, CA 94249-0053
Subject: Request for Audit of the California Institution for Men by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee
Dear Assembly Member Harabedian,
I write on behalf of the City of Chino to formally request that the Joint Legislative Audit Committee (JLAC) conduct a comprehensive audit of the California Institution for Men (CIM). This audit is essential to address persistent concerns regarding operational inefficiencies, staff safety, and the deteriorating state of the facility.
In November 2008, Inspector General David Shaw audited CIM, providing findings and recommendations. A consulting group, Vanderweil Facilities Advisors (VFA), concluded that CIM would require condemnation by 2014 unless proper funding was allocated to maintain and improve its infrastructure. At the time, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) allocated approximately $4 million annually for maintenance and repairs. VFA estimated that $28 million annually would be required to maintain CIM’s infrastructure at a minimal level to prevent further degradation. The $28 million would not improve conditions but merely sustain the facility's already poor state.
Using the Facility Condition Index (FCI), VFA rated CIM’s infrastructure. In 2009, CIM’s FCI stood at
0.409, indicating poor condition. Without necessary funding, VFA projected the FCI to exceed 0.6 by 2014, at which point replacement—not repair—would be required. Despite these warnings, adequate funding has not been provided, and CIM's infrastructure continues to deteriorate more than 15 years later.
Recent discussions of budget cuts have exacerbated security concerns. Proposals to eliminate several positions within California State Prisons included the removal of CDCR guards from main gates, raising serious safety risks. This change would allow unrestricted access to the prison grounds, including one The Honorable John Harabedian
March 11, 2025, p.2
of CIM’s most vulnerable areas —the facility armory. Removing gate security from a facility that houses some of the state’s most dangerous criminals is alarming and compromises public safety.
CIM has a long history of security challenges. In 1983, Kevin Cooper escaped through a fence and subsequently committed multiple murders. More recently, in 2018, Michael Garrett escaped due to a defective fence that had remained unrepaired for over a decade. The escape exposed flaws in CIM’s response protocols. Garrett was eventually apprehended nearly 100 miles away in Encinitas.
The prison's aging infrastructure and limited security features have also posed ongoing risks to public safety. CIM has experienced numerous riots, the most severe occurring in August 2009, involving over 1,300 inmates. The riot resulted in extensive damag e to housing units, fires, and over 200 inmate injuries, though no inmates escaped, and staff remained unharmed. This incident further demonstrated CIM’s difficulties maintaining order and safety in an under-resourced facility.
CIM was built in 1941 to relieve overcrowding in other state prisons and serve as the nation’s first minimum-security facility, focusing on rehabilitation. However, it now houses 46 condemned inmates transferred due to safety concerns at San Quentin State P rison. CIM was never intended to house condemned inmates and lacks the appropriate infrastructure for this purpose.
In 2017, Assembly Member Freddie Rodriguez introduced Assembly Bill 2028, which aimed to require regular security audits and develop plans to address identified deficiencies. Governor Brown vetoed the bill, citing the ongoing security audits conducted by the Office of Audits and Court Compliance.
However, these audits have not sufficiently addressed the significant security issues at CIM. In a letter to Acting Secretary Diaz, Assembly Member Rodriguez documented his firsthand observations of the prison’s deteriorating infrastructure, security deficiencies, unnavigable roads, and failing plumbing, all of which pose health and safety risks to inmates and staff.
Given these ongoing safety, operational, and infrastructure challenges, we respectfully ask that you urge JLAC to conduct a thorough audit of the California Institution for Men. A comprehensive review will provide transparency, identify critical areas for improvement, and ensure that CIM can operate safely and effectively to protect the community and those within the facility.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please do not hesitate to contact me if further information is required.
Sincerely,
Eunice Ulloa
Mayor
cc: Chino City Council Members