Gov. Halts Death Chamber Amid Prison Reform Controversy
SACRAMENTO - Attempting to head off a confrontation with legislative leaders over the secret construction of a new death chamber at San Quentin State Prison, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday ordered a halt to the project until the Legislature OKs money to complete it.
Legislators were kept in the dark until revelations came to light last week that the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation had nearly completed the renovation of a room for carrying out lethal injections without the Legislature's knowledge. That unleashed Democratic threats to pull the plug on Schwarzenegger's $10 billion prison reform effort. STEVE HARMON of MediaNews Group in the Times-Herald