State budget analysts have zeroed in on the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad as a top contender for permanent closure, arguing that shutting down the aging prison could free up roughly $150 million a year and help the state dodge expensive upgrade projects. The suggestion lands as lawmakers and voters stare down growing budget gaps and a steadily shrinking prison population in California, while local leaders and union officials start gaming out what the fallout could look like for the Central Coast.
In a budget brief released Monday, the Legislative Analyst's Office urged the Legislature to begin planning to close another prison and singled out Soledad's CTF as a "strong candidate for closure," according to the Legislative Analyst's Office. Analysts estimated that taking the facility offline could generate about $150 million in ongoing operational savings and noted that CDCR has requested roughly $2.5 billion in capital and maintenance funding across 25 prisons over the next decade. The brief also flagged a planned $10 million video‑surveillance project at Soledad as one near‑term capital cost the state could avoid if the yard were deactivated.
The idea met swift resistance from the state corrections union, which warned that permanently shutting facilities can create operational problems and hurt local economies. "Prison infrastructure cannot be turned on and off like a light switch. Capacity decisions must reflect crime trends, sentencing changes and long‑term correctional planning, not short‑term budget considerations," California Correctional Peace Officers Association President Neil Flood said, per Corrections1.
Soledad's Role And Programs
The Correctional Training Facility, usually called CTF or simply Soledad, houses Level I and II yards, vocational training programs and a veterans hub, and runs a range of rehabilitation offerings, according to CDCR. The agency's facility page also highlights prior yard deactivations at the site, a reminder that parts of the prison have already been scaled back as population shifts have allowed.
Budget Math And Past Closures
The LAO's analysis ties the Soledad recommendation to a broader pattern that lawmakers have already used to trim corrections spending. Since 2021, a wave of closures and deactivations has helped the state cut about $1 billion in annual General Fund costs, according to the Legislative Analyst's Office. The office also reported that statewide population projections keep bed counts well below their prior peaks, a dynamic analysts say gives the Legislature room to consider more deactivations without immediately running afoul of federal court population caps.
What Comes Next
Any formal shutdown of Soledad would be a budget call that requires coordination between the governor's office, CDCR and the Legislature, and would likely surface in the spring budget cycle. CDCR is already moving ahead with the planned closure of the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco later this year, and staff there have been transferring or seeking new positions as that shutdown moves forward, per reporting by Corrections1. When budget hearings begin, lawmakers are expected to weigh potential savings against local economic impacts and operational risks, and the LAO has urged the Legislature to require CDCR to spell out any deactivation plans in detail at those hearings.
