City Delays OK on Housing Others’ Offenders in Excess Cells

Voicing last-minute concerns, the City Council has delayed preliminary approval of contracts to house out-of-town offenders in city jails.

Last week, the city held the grand opening for its $107-million police administration and jail facility, which has a capacity for 473 inmates. That jail will free space at the city jail, which contains 48 cells.

Santa Ana’s current needs top out at about 150.

Jail officials had expected to begin renting out excess jail space early next month, but that could be delayed if the council fails to approve the final contracts at its meeting on Feb. 3.

Police Chief Paul M. Walters and some council members noted that it has long been the city’s intention to rent out excess cells and turn a profit for the city on the condition that the out-of-towners not be released in Santa Ana.

But the majority of council members sided with newly elected Councilman Brett Franklin, who asked for more details on the arrangements.

Franklin and Councilman Ted R. Moreno also took the opportunity to question the concept of renting jail space to outsiders.

“My feeling was,” Franklin said, “this was a Santa Ana jail.”

Under one of the agreements on the table, the Orange County Probation Department would pay $1.74 million a year to operate the 48-cell jail for juveniles, and rent an additional 64 spaces for juveniles in the new jail, said Santa Ana jail administrator Russell M. Davis. The juveniles would serve their regular terms elsewhere and be housed in Santa Ana only on a short-term basis.

The other agreement, estimated to bring in $100,000 a year, would allow misdemeanor offenders sentenced to jail by other California courts to serve their terms in the new city jail, Davis said.