State Sen. Pro Tempore Don Perata has said he welcomes a Republican push on fixing California's prison overcrowding problem, but feels there's a more broad solution than just building more prisons.

In a statement issued after Republicans called for support legislative support on a bill that would make it easier for new state prisons to be built, Perata welcomed the bill, SB 1705.

"In addition to building more beds, the population must be reduced," Perata said in the statement. "That is why Senate Democrats wrote reforms as part of our budget plan. The package would save the state $531 million and significantly reduce the prison population."

In a press briefing earlier Thursday, legislative Republicans, including Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines (R-Fresno) and Senate Republican Leader Dave Cogdill (R-Modesto) said legislators had largely ignored the problem of prison overcrowding.

As a result, they said, a lawsuit against the state, set to go to trial in November, could result in a three-judge panel imposing a cap on the state's prison population, leading to the early release of prisoners.

SB 1705 would fix parts of AB 900, a bill passed last year that was designed to build more prisons. Republicans said several entities, including the attorney general's office and fellow legislators, hadn't worked diligently enough to implement AB 900.

A spokesman for Attorney General Jerry Brown said that wasn't the case, noting that attorneys from the attorney general's office are working on the state's behalf on the suit over prison overcrowding.

"What they're saying doesn't really make sense," said spokesman Gareth Lacy, of the Republicans' charge that the attorney general's office dallied on approving the language that would allow bonds for prison construction to be sold.

"When something is going to market, that's when we would issue a bond opinion," Lacy said. "The thing hasn't gone for sale yet."

• EARLIER on Politicker.com: Republicans warn early prison release is possibility