Calif. Prisons Begin Issuing Layoff Notices

SACRAMENTO (AP) -- The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has begun issuing 26,000 layoff-warning notices as the prison system prepares to adjust to a new law that shifts lower-level offenders to county jails.

The Sacramento Bee reported the layoff notices but said it was unclear how many employees would actually be laid off.

The corrections department began issuing notices Friday to employees with fewer than 10 years of service across a wide range of job classifications. Under state law and union contracts, the actual layoffs cannot begin for 120 days, which would be Feb. 29.

Employees in some jobs also can opt to transfer to understaffed prisons in Folsom, Susanville, Crescent City, Soledad and Vacaville.

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