Blythe Fills 3 Buses for Capitol Plea for a Prison

Three busloads of residents from the desert community of Blythe arrived at the Capitol Tuesday after an all-night trip to plead for something few towns want: a state prison.

Nearly 140 townspeople trooped off the buses after traveling more than 600 miles to hold a rally on the west steps of the Capitol, the site of numerous protests over the years. Chanting “We want the prison,” the weary travelers marched and carried signs with slogans such as “We Need Life in Blythe.”

Sen. Robert Presley (D-Riverside), who represents the town and favors building a prison there, told the picketers, “We see a lot of groups come here to demonstrate. But never have I seen anyone here for a prison.”

The orchestrated show of strength in Sacramento was an attempt to surmount opposition from farmers in the Blythe region who have threatened to block construction of the proposed prison by denying the facility access to water.

Prison in Backyard

In recent years, Californians have supported tougher penalties for criminals and the construction of more prisons. But few communities want a prison built in their backyards.

However, Blythe’s business and civic leaders, hoping that a prison and its $13-million annual payroll would revive the town’s slumping economy, launched a campaign to demonstrate community support for construction of a 1,700-bed medium-security penitentiary.

“Our town has suffered some real economic setbacks,” said Mayor Ernie Weeks, who runs a small printing business. “We would like to overcome that by bringing clean industry to town, and we consider the prison a clean industry.”

Blythe, population 7,500, is on the eastern edge of Riverside County just across the Colorado River from Arizona. In recent years, it has suffered from a loss of jobs, especially with the closure of Kaiser Steel’s Eagle Mountain iron mine.

Last year, Weeks and other town leaders asked the state to put a prison in Blythe and corrections officials picked two possible sites near the town.

However, state studies recently showed that the water at both locations is controlled by the Palo Verde Valley Irrigation District, which is dominated by farmers who oppose the prison on grounds that it would damage the area’s rural character.

The irrigation district has indicated it would not let the prison use the water. And some farmers have threatened to go to court over water rights for the prison, which could delay construction for years.

Two weeks ago, the Department of Corrections halted work on the architectural and engineering design work for the prison because it had progressed as far as it could go.

Bart Fisher, a third-generation Blythe farmer who heads the Stop the Prison Committee, said many residents who oppose the prison also fear it would lead to an increase in crime.

“This issue has really torn the community in half,” he said in a telephone interview. “It’s divided on economic lines--the rural residents against those of the city residents who stand to gain economically.”

Apply Pressure

After the rally, a delegation of Blythe residents met with Presley and correction officials to discuss the water problem and how to pressure the irrigation district to provide water for the prison.

“Our position is we want to build a prison there,” said Rodney Blonien, undersecretary for the Youth and Correctional Agency. “We want to build it as soon as possible. We are not interested in protracted litigation to test water rights.”

Outside the meeting, the demonstration continued.

Carol Ellsworth, who with her husband runs a vending company in Blythe, said she at first didn’t like the idea of a prison near town but changed her mind after recognizing the potential economic benefits.

“Anybody can be opposed to a prison, but it takes someone special to be in favor of one,” she said.