lawmakers will be discussing legislation this week for the early release of prison inmates. As part of the budget deal passed last month, lawmakers have agreed to cut state prison spending by more than a billion dollars. Governor schwarzenegger has proposed the supervised release of some parolees, in-home detainments... And deporting illegal alien prisoners to their home countries. The proposals would reduce the prison population by 27-thousand this fiscal year... And 37-thousand next year. Republican lawmakers propose the state should finish constructing new prison facilties and ship some inmates out-of-state... To lower prison costs. Despite California's budget crisis... Some members of the state legislature's staff are getting pay raises. 90 assembly staff members... And nine senate staffers reportedly received raises this year. An assembly spokesperson says those who received pay raises took on extra responsibilities after reductions were made, so their pay was reclassified. The spokesperson also say also says the state has saved more money than it would have if they had furloughed the workers. Dozens of boaters, farmers and environmentalist groups were in Sacramento... Protesting plans to build a peripheral canal around the Sacramento-san joaquin river delta. The so the e hern delta is the source for about two-thirds of the state's frh water supply. Huge pumps pull water out of the delta... Into the California aqueduct... Where it flows to central and southern California.
