Amador County – Local supporters of the Preston Juvenile Correction facility plan to stuff two busses and take their concerns to their newly reelected state representative today (Thursday, November 4th) in Sacramento.

Supervisor Richard Forster said two busses, chartered by him and the Jackson Rancheria, will be full would be full by the time they left early today to attend a meeting of the California Legislature’s Joint Legislative Audit Committee set for 9 a.m. at the state Capitol.

Assemblywoman Alyson Huber, an 8 percent winner of District 10, representing Amador County, is chairwoman of the committee, which will have a hearing that Huber said was prompted by the “unjustified decision” by the California Department of Corrections to close Preston.

Huber said in a release Wednesday that the committee “will hold an oversight hearing on the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The hearing will focus on the Division of Juvenile Justice and the Department’s process and procedures for closure of youth correctional facilities.”

Huber called for the hearing “after the Department of Corrections abruptly announced that they would be closing Preston” in Ione “with no economic impact reports or other evidence to justify the closure.”

Huber said she “is demanding the department answer questions about how this decision was made and how they will mitigate the impacts of the closure.”

A large number of community members and Preston employees are expected to attend the hearing, which will be televised.

Huber said witnesses will include Drew Soderborg, a senior fiscal and policy analyst of the Legislative Analyst’s Office. Also to appear as witnesses will be CDCR Undersecretary Scott Kernan, and Division of Juvenile Justice Chief Deputy Secretary Rachael Rios.

Public comment will be allowed after witnesses have testified.

Huber in a memo October 29th said the decision to close Preston “was made without prior notice of its intent or the input of the communities most affected by the closure.”

Since then, CDCR has held two meetings in Ione, but “failed to answer the key questions,” Huber said. The “Joint Legislative Audit Committee will hold several hearings on the proposed closure of Preston and will investigate exactly how CDCR comes to a conclusion that a particular facility should be closed.”

The committee will “also focus on what this potential closure means to the employees, businesses and residents of Ione and Amador County, as well as the plan’s potential impact on overall public safety,” she said. It will be an overview hearing, with more detailed committee hearings to follow.

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