The correctional officers' union has mounted a public relations campaign about inmates released early from the Fresno County jail, right as county supervisors are expected to take up the issue.

Service Employees International Union protested layoffs of correctional officers and early releases during a news conference Monday in front of the county jail in downtown Fresno.

The union also began airing advertisements on Valley radio stations criticizing Supervisors Phil Larson and Judy Case for their votes on the sheriff's budget. Larson and Case are running for re-election this year, although an SEIU official insists the ads are for informational purposes only.

From Jan. 8 through Sunday, the jail released 727 inmates early, as Sheriff Margaret Mims tries to thin the population to meet reduced capacity.

The union's activities come as Fresno County Supervisor Henry Perea is expected to try once again Tuesday to get other supervisors to delve into the sheriff's budget. Like SEIU, Perea wants Mims to find other places to cut besides correctional officers to make up a nearly $4 million shortfall in the current fiscal year that ends June 30.

By Feb. 8, Mims expects to cut 69 correctional officers, bringing the total for the fiscal year to just under 100. The cuts will force her to reduce jail capacity by more than 40%, from more than 3,000 beds in August to less than 1,800 beds next month.

Perea will need support from at least three of the other four supervisors on the board to get the budget item taken under consideration.

SEIU took aim at Case and Larson in the radio ads, which feature a parody of the Bob Marley song "I Shot The Sheriff." The ads say, "Phil cut the sheriff," or "Judy cut sheriff," referring to their votes on the 2009-10 budget.

The ads criticize Case and Larson for cutting Mims' budget while raising the salary of the county's top administrator, John Navarrette, by 17%. But every supervisor voted for the budget except Susan Anderson, who said the budget was unrealistic and needed more cuts.

Case said the ads are inaccurate because the Sheriff's Office got the same amount of money this year as last year. Mims' most recent round of cuts are the result of a decline of sales-tax revenue, Case said.

During the news conference Monday, SEIU members said Mims should cut other areas - such as the crime lab or helicopter services - before firing correctional officers.

They also said inmates at the jail joke about the early releases, saying they know when they're eligible to leave.