Amador County – Discussion of the pending closure of Preston Correctional Youth Facility last week included the difference between a “cold closure” or a “warm closure,” the latter having less impact on potential restart, due to regulations.

In a presentation to the Amador County Board of Supervisors, Dr. Oral Custer of the Sierra Historical Consortium said he has “heard that the state will take responsibility for a warm closure” of Preston. Amador County Counsel Greg Gillott said: “We are in discussion” with CDCR, and “there has been no agreement and no resolution.”

Supervisor Chairman John Plasse said he also has “heard that the state is considering a warm closure,” in lieu of the county’s suit under the California Environmental Quality Act, and not “cold closure,” as proposed before. But he has seen “nothing on paper yet.”

Custer said “we’re not going to get any leadership from the state.” He doubted that the court in the county’s suit would not do what the county needs, and have the “state keep the property warm and protect it through the end of the year.”

Plasse said that is why Amador Supervisors supported Assemblywoman Alyson Huber’s Assembly Bill 8, “which would have given more time to find solutions to keep Preston open,” with a 6-month delay. Plasse said he “attended the AB-8 hearing and it was very unceremoniously dismissed, because of support by unions,” intent on “keeping opportunities to transfer in place,” by “giving the appearance that they were not bucking their employers’ wishes.”

Supervisor Brian Oneto said he was “kind of curious to know how much it would cost to keep the facility in place.” Plasse said it would cost $800,000 “just to keep it warm.”

Supervisor Ted Novelli said he would like to see the hidden cost and agendas that the state has to keep it open. He said he likes the idea of keeping our youths here, rather than sending them out of the county, but the costs have caused closures, and “we have been losing these facilities since 2000.” He said they “don’t see a lot of prisons privatizing.”

Custer pointed to Rite of Passage in Calaveras County as one instance of privatizing. He said CDCR was going to announce another closure last Wednesday, and “it is looking in the future like Pine Grove will stop being a juvenile facility.”

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.