GEORGE RUNNER: Bee prison editorial full of unfounded accusations

Re. the editorial “Following court orders and releasing prisoners is right” (June 10), it seems The Modesto Bee’s latest hobby is attributing views to me I’ve never actually expressed.

Among its many unfounded claims, The Bee’s editors recently accused me of advocating a do-nothing approach in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision forcing a sweeping reduction in California’s prison population.

In a June 8 column that appeared on modbee.com, I wrote, “there are solutions to reducing our prison population.” I suggested we should start “by demanding the federal government transfer the 20,000 criminal illegal aliens in our state prisons to federal prisons.”

Also contrary to The Bee’s assertion, asking the court for more time is a perfectly reasonable option that was suggested not by me, but by Justice Anthony Kennedy.

With sufficient time, we could do much to keep the public safe. The governor could declare a state of emergency and use $5 billion of already approved bond funding to expedite construction of 15,000 in-fill beds at existing prisons.

Combined with common-sense parole reforms, expanded county jails and more out-of-state beds, we could satisfy the court’s demands and ensure public safety without raising taxes.

What makes no sense is the governor’s demand -- nor The Bee’s naïve enthusiasm -- that Californians pay more for less safety.

As I’ve previously noted, Californians bear the sixth highest tax burden in the nation. We spend more per prisoner -- about $50,000 a year -- than any other state. Health-care costs alone have soared to $18,000 per prisoner per year since the federal takeover of our prison healthcare system.

After months of promoting his realignment plan as a major cost-saving measure, the governor now wants us to believe it can only be funded with billions in higher taxes.

Perhaps if The Bee’s editors spent less time playing make-believe, they would have more time to pay attention to facts.

Before being elected to the State Board of Equalization in November, Runner served 12 years in the Legislature.