Governor Brown's proposed budget unveiled Thursday would cut about 3,000 state jobs while avoiding any furloughs.
Brown's plan to reduce the state workforce would come mostly from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation or the prison system.
The California Men's Colony near San Luis Obispo has just under 1,900 full-time staff members, more than a thousand of which are sworn custody staff.
According to the CMC website, there are just under 6,500 inmates.
Now that the Supreme Court has ordered California to reduce its overall prison population, staff reductions at all prisons are expected to follow.
The California Correctional Peace Officers Association says the prison system has already been cut in recent years in the number of prison guards and parole officers.
A spokesperson says the union is still analyzing the Governor's proposed budget but he says more cuts could become a public safety concern.
"We're highly concerned with these proposals", says CCPOA spokesperson JeVaughn Baker, "We already have a custody staff shortage and we certainly can't afford to lose any more of our parole positions."
"There are going to be reductions, we just have to make sure that its done in a manner that maintains public safety", Baker says, "it has to be done in a manner that protects public safety and is fair to the men and women who wear the badge."
The state finance director says the administration will try to minimize the number of layoffs by relocating employees whose positions have been eliminated but she says the total state workforce will continue to go down.
The anticipated position cuts equal fewer than half the 7600 state workers who retired through the first 9 months of the current fiscal year that ends in June.
State records show 200,000 full-time state employees received paychecks last month.
