Context for the LAT story: This is a very small amount of people in the system. The state acknowledges this is roughly the same number of people who regularly enter the state's prisons every month.
There are more than 114,000 people in the state's "adult institutions" — 134% capacity. The number being released — in the coming weeks, not immediately even — only amounts to roughly 3% of the total population in the institutions. So, they'll still be significantly overcrowded. 
What's worse, these anticipated releases have nothing to do with addressing the people in California's care who are most at risk with COVID-19. These releases are based on them having 60 days or less until their release date AND being "nonviolent offenders."
So, the step that California is telling a court is sufficient is releasing a small handful of people whose release will still leave the state's prisons significantly overcrowded — and they're doing nothing to reduce the number of elderly or otherwise at-risk people in prison.
