NEWSOM AND LAWMAKERS TAKE KEY STEP TO PROTECT CALIFORNIA FROM ICE
SACRAMENTO—Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB) today released the following statement in response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s signing Assembly Bill 137:
“We thank Governor Newsom for his leadership in swiftly signing AB 137, and we applaud the Legislature for working diligently and decisively to meet the urgency of this moment. This bill reflects the kind of principled, proactive governance Californians expect. Gov. Newsom’s decision to sign it sends a clear message that our state will not be complicit in federal detention expansion.
“AB 137 gives California new tools to prevent ICE from taking over closed state prison sites––including the ability to sell, lease, or dispose of properties once CDCR declares them excess to state needs, to begin leasing immediately, and to prohibit any future carceral or detention use.
“This is a strong first step. Now we urge the Governor to use this authority without delay, starting with Chuckawalla Valley State Prison (CVSP), which closed in 2024 and is already being eyed for ICE use.
“California has spent more than $300 million maintaining mothballed prisons, even as we face a $28 billion structural budget deficit. The Legislative Analyst’s Office has urged further closures. Immediately placing former prison sites like CVSP into the AB 137 process would reduce costs while locking out ICE.
“We also urge the Governor and state leaders to stay vigilant as ICE targets other sites, including federal facilities like FCI Dublin and formerly leased state prisons like California City Correctional Facility. AB 137 shows what California can do when action is necessary, but it will take sustained leadership to ensure that no facility in this state, under any jurisdiction, is reopened to cage our neighbors and loved ones.”
