In re Williams CA4/1

Steven G. Williams, an inmate at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility (Donovan) in San Diego, has filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus. Williams alleges the appeals coordinators at Donovan abused their discretion and violated his due process rights and his rights under California’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) regulations by improperly canceling his inmate appeal in which he requested that prison officials “accept liability” for various items of his personal property he claims were lost or damaged when he was transferred to Donovan from the California Medical Facility (CMF). We conclude Williams has failed to demonstrate he has a protected liberty interest in the prison’s administrative lost-property appeal process, and he has failed to satisfy the habeas corpus jurisdictional requirements under California law. Accordingly, we deny his petition.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

A. Cancellation of Williams’s Lost-property Appeal

On April 10, 2014, Williams transferred to Donovan from the CMF. One week later, prison staff provided Williams with his personal property. One of the items, a television, was confiscated as…