by TChris

Scandals at the California Youth Authority (TalkLeft background here) and a Governor who doesn't need campaign contributions have combined to create a new political reality for the California Correctional Peace Officers Association. The prison guard's union has wielded enormous influence in the state's Democratic party, resulting in tough-on-crime legislation that guarantees full prisons and full employment for well-paid prison guards.

Bucking its history of support for the CCPO, the California Senate unanimously approved a code of conduct for prison guards in an effort to eliminate "what a federal court-appointed watchdog said is a systemwide 'code of silence' that protects wrongdoers while punishing whistleblowers." The Senate also voted to block a clause in the union contract that requires investigators to turn over confidential information to prison employees who are under investigation.

In addition, 17 Democratic Senators want to renegotiate a contract that gives prison guards a 37 percent pay increase over five years. The union is fighting back with increased spending on public relations, but it may have trouble convincing voters that the pay increases are justified in tough economic times.

"To be honest, they look a little like crybabies. I don't think they're going to get a lot of public sentiment," said University of California, Berkeley political scientist Bruce Cain.