How best to apply/get hired for an RN job at CA prisons?

Agency will get you in the facility in a much shorter time.
Course if you later want to hire with the state, there is often a penalty so you will have to lie to your agency, if you have no problems with a lie, then not a issue for you.
The state process will take along time.
Arnold wants to cut back alot of staff, so not sure how that will turn out.
I worked for Valley Health Care Systems.
Its a complicated system, but i took home way more then other agencies at the same facility, even though it looked like my hourly rate was way less.

example some people got 50 hr.
my pay said i got 15 hr, but i got like 3000 a month for food which can't be taxed. So i ended up taking way more then them.

So don't focus on what the hourly is.
Don't even care what the hourly is with an agency.

ONLY FOCUS ON HOW MUCH YOU WILL TAKE HOME!!!!!!!!