Board Leaning Against Musick Jail Expansion

SANTA ANA —  With a vote scheduled for next week, a majority of the five-member Board of Supervisors believes that the present plan to expand the low-security James A. Musick Branch Jail into a maximum-security detention center is too ambitious and should be scaled back.

An environmental impact report released in August discusses converting the 1,200-bed Irvine facility into one of the largest jails in the state, one that could house as many as 7,400 inmates.

But Supervisor Don Saltarelli on Wednesday described the proposal as “unrealistic” and said the county should consider reducing the project’s scope or seeking alternative sites.

“I question whether the staff did the right thing by asking for such a large project,” Saltarelli said. “To put a facility of this size at this location is a very scary proposal. People are justifiably worried.”

Supervisor William G. Steiner expressed strong support for expanding Musick, but said the final plan will likely be much more modest than the “worst-case scenario” outlined in the environmental impact report.

Supervisor Marian Bergeson has already announced she will vote Tuesday to oppose certifying the report, which is the first step in the long development process.

Residents and elected officials in Lake Forest and Irvine are also fighting the expansion, which they fear will depress property values and lead to increased crime as inmates are released from the facility.

The Board of Supervisors commissioned the study at the request of Sheriff Brad Gates, who said the expansion is needed to ease jail overcrowding that forces the early release of thousands of jail inmates each year.

The report concluded that building a 7,400-bed jail at Musick would not pose a safety threat to nearby residents and that the site, next to the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, is the best available location for the project.

But Saltarelli and Bergeson--who represent residents in the area--questioned whether a more suitable site could be found, perhaps in a less heavily populated area.

Saltarelli also raised concerns about moving forward with the project before the county has secured funding for jail construction and operations.

Proposition 205, a state prison bond measure on the November ballot, would provide Orange County with more than $50 million in jail construction funding. But most of that windfall would go to a previously approved 1,600-bed expansion of the Theo Lacy Branch Jail in Orange.

“I’m not sure if it’s responsible to vote on something that cannot be financed,” Saltarelli said. “I would prefer to vote for something that we can build, operate and finance.”

Despite these concerns, Saltarelli said he remains committed to easing the county’s jail overcrowding problem and plans to meet this week with Gates as well as opponents of the project.

“The sheriff is absolutely right. We need more jail cells, and I am willing to vote for them,” he said. “But we need to look at the range of options. . . . The enormity of the proposal in the EIR is terrorizing people.”

Environmental impact reports usually describe larger projects than those eventually built.

That was the case several years ago when the supervisors approved a Theo Lacy jail expansion plan, prompting the city of Orange to sue the county in an effort to block the project.

Steiner eventually brokered a settlement that significantly reduced the number of inmates who could be housed there and added a variety of security measures that residents demanded.

“I think you’ll see a similar outcome in Lake Forest,” Steiner said. “The outcome will probably be far different from what is being discussed now with the EIR. That comes with compromise.”

Supervisor Jim Silva said he will wait until Tuesday’s hearing before deciding the issue. “I firmly believe in more jail beds for Orange County,” he said. “But I’m very interested in hearing the public testimony.”

Expansion opponents vow to be out in force.

“I’m confident that the supervisors will recognize the value of our concerns,” said Lake Forest Councilwoman Helen Wilson. “We don’t expect them to give this a rubber stamp before the concerns are addressed.”

A Times Orange County Poll conducted earlier this month found strong opposition to the jail plan among South County voters. Countywide, the survey found that 50% of voters oppose the expansion while 31% support it.