Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to close one state prison. The independent Legislative Analyst’s Office recommends closing two, the office announced Friday.

The state could save $100 million more per year by closing two, the analyst’s office said in the report.

Newsom when he released his state budget proposal in January set a goal to close one of the state’s 34 prisons within five years. Last fall, he acknowledged the difficulties the proposal would entail in an editorial board meeting with The Fresno Bee.

“You can’t do that flippantly,” Newsom said. “And you can’t do that without the support of the unions, support of these communities, the staff, and that requires an alternative that can meet everyone’s needs and desires.”

Neither Newsom nor the Legislative Analyst’s Office, which advises state lawmakers, has specified which prison or prisons should be closed.

The main difference between Newsom’s proposal and that of the analyst’s office is how each treats contract prisons.

Newsom’s proposal calls for getting inmates out of all contract prisons, both private and public, before closing a state prison. The analyst’s office suggests the state could save more money and reduce its lawsuit risk by leaving inmates in public contract prisons and closing two state prisons.

In total, prioritizing prison closures over eliminating contracted prison beds could save $100 million per year, according to the analysis.

California’s correctional system spends about $16 billion per year.

Twelve of the state’s prisons were built between the 1850s and the 1960s, and those 12 prisons need $11 billion worth of repairs to keep the prisons functional and safe, according to the analyst’s office, which quotes figures from a recent independent assessment. The outdated buildings, some of which lack fire sprinklers and kitchen ventilators, present lawsuit risks, according to the analysis.

The other 22 prisons need about $8 billion worth of repairs, according to the analysis.

Like the governor, the analyst’s office acknowledges the difficulties of closing state prisons.

The state was responsible for about 123,500 inmates as of early February, but is only allowed to house 117,000 in the 34 facilities the state owns and operates, according to the analysis. The cap is set by a federal overseer under court direction.

About 2,450 inmates are housed in public and private contract facilities, and the state places additional inmates at the California City Correctional Facility, which is privately owned but staffed by state employees.

To close prisons, California would need to reduce its inmate population.

The state reduced the population by about 5,800 from 2017 to 2019 through an increased focus on rehabilitation under Proposition 57, a voter-approved initiative in 2016 that expanded parole for nonviolent offenders and gave CDCR more flexibility to reduce prison terms.

The analyst’s office projects the population will drop by 6,200 inmates by June 2024, after the state removes 670 male inmates from private contract prisons. State law requires the corrections department to remove inmates from the private prisons before reducing the population elsewhere.

The analysis recommends the Legislature require the corrections department to submit a plan for the closures by January 2021.