CHINO, CA (May 7, 2024) -- Today, the Cities of Chino and Chino Hills held a joint press conference on the steps of Chino City Hall calling for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to halt the transfer of death row inmates to the California Institution for Men (CIM) and invest in needed infrastructure improvements to the prison.  

Speaking at the press conference were Chino Mayor Eunice Ulloa, Chino Hills Mayor Cynthia Moran, Chino Police Chief Kevin Mensen, San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson, Former Chief Deputy District Attorney John Kochis, San Bernardino County Assistant Sheriff Trevis Newport, and Mary Ann Hughes, the mother of Christopher Hughes, who was a victim of CIM escapee Kevin Cooper.  

“On behalf of the Chino community, I am calling on the State of California and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation or CDCR to remove these condemned inmates from our community and fix this prison,” said Chino Mayor Eunice Ulloa. “I am outraged that these 39 death row prisoners have been transferred to the California Institution for Men—a prison in dire need of upgrades—without properly notifying us first. Transferring these high-security death row inmates to CIM is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole—it just doesn’t fit. I am proud to stand with the City of Chino Hills and County and Regional leaders opposed to this transfer.” 

“The City of Chino Hills stands united with the City of Chino in our outrage over the condemned inmate transfers to the California Institute for Men (CIM), and our commitment to prioritizing the safety and well-being of all Chino Valley residents,” said Chino Hills Mayor Cynthia Moran. “Our concerns are not unfounded. The recent security breaches at CIM prove the urgency of immediate action and the need to remove the condemned inmates already housed at CIM to safeguard our communities, schools, and businesses from potential harm. We have communicated our concerns and recommendations to Governor Gavin Newsom, we have asked our legislators to assist us, and we have taken our concerns directly to representatives at the CDCR. Thank you to our elected representatives and neighbors who recognize this is a regional issue and are also advocating on our behalf.” 

In April 2024, CIM representatives shared with the Community Advisory Council that they had recently begun receiving transfers of condemned inmates from San Quentin State Prison’s Death Row. The transfer comes on the heels of Proposition 66, a voter-approved initiative mandating death row prisoners work prison jobs to pay restitution to victims’ families. CDCR and Governor Newsom have begun to implement the Condemned Inmate Transfer Program (CITP), which transfers death row inmates out of the former San Quentin State Prison and into lower-level prisons equipped with an electrified fence, such as CIM.   

The death row transfers have opened old wounds in the community regarding Kevin Cooper, who escaped from CIM in 1983 and brutally murdered members of the Ryen and Hughes families in Chino Hills. Kevin Cooper currently resides on death row and is housed in the former San Quentin State Prison with the possibility of being transferred out under the CITP. There have also been two high-profile escapes from CIM in 2018 and 2003.  

To learn more and to sign the petition to halt these transfers, visit cityofchino.org/CIM.  

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