Proposed Prison Site Deal Hits Snag
In a move dismissed by corrections officials as a negotiating ploy, the owner of the downtown Los Angeles site chosen for a new prison said Wednesday that the state will have to look elsewhere for a location.
Llewellyn Werner, chairman of Crown Coach Corp., said the state has taken too long to reach agreement on the purchase of the school bus manufacturing firm’s site east of the Civic Center. Werner added that he will consider offers from several other potential buyers.
However, Werner quickly softened his rejection of the state’s plans to acquire the downtown property by saying, “I will leave a little window open.”
Werner said he has agreed to meet next week with state corrections officials to determine if there is any way to resolve the dispute.
Through a spokesman, Rodney Blonien, undersecretary of the state Youth and Adult Correctional Agency, said Werner’s statements were nothing more than a “negotiating posture” aimed at speeding up the acquisition process.
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