Peter Bachmann

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal court panel sent state authorities back to the drawing board to draft a new plan to address California’s prison overcrowding problem after rejecting a proposal from Gov. Schwarzenegger that would have cut the prison population by 20,000 inmates over two years.

The federal panel is demanding California officials draw up a plan to reduce the total prison population by about 40,000 over two years to relieve overcrowding and improve conditions or face the imposition of a plan developed by the court.