“These infections and deaths are inexcusable,” he said, calling for “new leadership” and expressing the hope that Allison’s background in health care “will help her prioritize the public health needs of CDCR staff and incarcerated persons across California.”
State Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Santa Rosa, last month also called the outbreak “a failure of leadership” but did not comment Friday.
Protesters calling for widespread inmate releases to help slow the spread of the coronavirus have recently held vigils outside the homes of both Diaz and Newsom.
Newsom’s announcement said Diaz had “worked tirelessly” to ease prison virus outbreaks, noting the number of infections is now at its lowest level since late May.
The state has sped the releases of more than 9,000 inmates who were nearing the end of their sentences as one response to the pandemic. It also halted admissions from county jails, with the combination lowering the prison population to levels not seen in 30 years.
That and other steps to significantly reduce and shorten prison sentences have led to criticism from law enforcement officials that the state is endangering public safety, and criticism from reform groups that it isn’t going far enough.
For his part, Diaz cited the department’s “transformative focus on rehabilitation” that he said “will continue to result in safer prisons, healthier communities and lower recidivism.”