LAGUNA NIGUEL : Jail Foes to Submit Written Objections

The Laguna Niguel Community Council, which has spoken out for several weeks against the possible construction of a county jail branch in the area, is about to issue its objections officially in writing.

Tom Wilson, president of the council, said Wednesday that a committee of the council is drafting arguments against a jail being situated at the South County Civic Center, Alicia Parkway at Crown Valley Parkway. The formal objections will be mailed to county government next week, Wilson said.

An environmental impact report prepared for county government and dated Sept. 15 listed the South County Civic Center in Laguna Niguel as one of 10 possible sites for a jail branch expansion.

Wilson said the county must receive comments for or against that EIR before an Oct. 31 county Planning Commission meeting.

County officials have said that the EIR is only an updated version of a year-old report listing all possible county-owned land that might be used for a jail branch. Laguna Niguel was rejected as a site more than a year ago, and nothing has changed since then, according to county planning officials.

Wilson, however, said Laguna Niguel residents are less than reassured by the county denials. “For one thing, even though our council is the advisory arm to county government, we didn’t learn about Laguna Niguel being listed as a jail site until we read about it in the newspaper,” said Wilson.

The residents of Laguna Niguel, an unincorporated area of about 40,000, will vote Nov. 7 on whether they want to become a city. Pro-cityhood leaders have said the jail site issue is another reason residents should vote for incorporation because a city would be able to fight off a county proposal better than an unincorporated area. The anti-cityhood forces have not addressed the issue.