TEHACHAPI, Calif. (KBAK/FOX58) — The California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi first opened in 1933, as a women's prison, that's according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation website.
About twenty years later after the Tehachapi earthquake, it closed.
It reopened a few years later as a male prison. Now, after decades of history in the mountain town, the prison is experiencing a second closure in the last two years.
"Whenever you have a reduction in employees locally it effects broad spectrums of our economy," Greg Garrett, City Manager for the City of Tehachapi, said.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation sent a press release saying, "As outlined in the 2022-2023 budget with an eye toward fiscal responsibility, CDCR is moving forward with closing one prison and ceasing operation of another leased facility as a state prison, and will deactivate some facilities within six prisons."
The press release goes onto say, that they are ending their $32 million contract with CoreCivic for the California City Correctional facility in March 2024.
In addition, Facility D at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi will also close. The City of Tehachapi estimates the facility holds 800 inmates.
"CCI, you know it's a city within a city," Greg Garrett, City Manager, City of Tehachapi, said. "They have fresh water operations, waste water operations, educational opportunities, administration on and on and on."
It's not known how many jobs will be lost in California City and Tehachapi. CDCR told Eyewitness News they will work with inmates on a case by case basis to place them in the appropriate place.
There will be no prisoners released due to these closures.
Jim Hart, City Manager for California City gave Eyewitness News a statement. It reads in part:
"We are concerned with the potential impact to the community. We have residents who work at the facility and we receive state funding from the population. I will be reaching out to CoreCivic [the owner of the facility] To find out their intention. I'm hopeful they will have or have already begun a back up plan."
CDCR didn't give numbers for the facility in California City but according to the CDCR, as of December 5th, 2022, CCI has 2,734 total incarcerated felons and 3,239 total staff.
"Of course it effects our local economy, but again I'll remind you East Kern County has done a really good job diversifying our economy," Manager Garrett, said.
As you would imagine, many residents told me they are worried about the future of cci as a whole, but CDCR hasn't said whether they have plans to shut it down.
This isn't the first time there's been a closure at the prison in Tehachapi.
September of last year, a minimum facility at the prison was deactivated, no longer housing incarcerated people due to a minimum custody population decline throughout the state.
There's no word on when the closure will start.