He won't cut hair, beard until union gets contract
Mike Jimenez, president of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, met with our Editorial Board today in response to my recent column on prison reform. Members of the prison guards union say they were unfairly treated in that column and in other commentary that has appeared in The Bee. They wanted to give their side of the story.
It was an interesting discussion, and we still have disagreements with the union. But we do agree that the only way to get a handle on the ever-increasing prison population is for more resources to go into prevention measures and rehabilitation.
As the session closed, Jimenez, who is from Fresno, said he has vowed not to cut his hair or beard until the CCPOA gets a new contract with the state. It's been nine months, and he's looking pretty scruffy. He said he hopes he can cut his hair and beard soon.