Senate Narrowly Defeats Bill to Site Prison in L.A.

A bill to allow the state to move ahead quickly with the purchase of a proposed state prison site in downtown Los Angeles fell one vote short of passage in the Senate Thursday, but its author said he expects to have enough support to pass the bill when it is reconsidered next week.

The measure, which would allocate $31.4 million to buy 30 acres of land near 12th Street and Santa Fe Avenue two miles south of the Civic Center, was defeated on a 26-5 vote after controversy erupted over the state’s intention to buy the property without first conducting environmental studies. At least 27 favorable votes were needed for passage.

Sen. Robert Presley (D-Riverside), who introduced the measure, blamed the defeat on the early departure of several Republicans for a $1,000-a-plate fund-raiser featuring President Reagan at the Century Plaza in Los Angeles. Presley received permission to have the action reconsidered on Monday, and he said he expects to have enough votes then.

Rejection of the measure came after Sen. Art Torres (D-South Pasadena), whose district includes the proposed prison site, pleaded with his colleagues to turn down the purchase because of a precedent it could set in allowing big state projects without thorough environmental impact reviews.

“Forget about the fact that you are going to put a prison in my district,” Torres said. “Think about your own constituents in your districts and let that be on your conscience.”

State law generally requires a full environmental assessment before purchasing property for major projects such as prisons. But Presley said it was necessary to press ahead without an environmental review because the property might not be available if the state delays.

Under Presley’s measure, the state would have to conduct a complete environmental review before beginning actual construction of the 1,750-bed medium security prison on the property, which is owned by Crown Coach International. However, by waiting until the property is purchased, the state would not have to consider as part of that review other locations outside the proposed prison site area.

Torres argued that residents of Boyle Heights, some of whom live within a mile of the Crown Coach property, would have no opportunity to present their views on the project before the state “expends millions of dollars on a piece of property it might have to sell back at a loss.”

Already 4 Jails in Area

“This is within one mile of the neighborhood that I grew up in and my grandfather still lives in,” Torres said. “There already are four jails within a four-mile radius and a proposal for a new federal corrections center. If anything, we’ve done more (to house offenders) than any other (Senate) district.”

Most lawmakers agree that a prison should be built somewhere in Los Angeles County so that offenders who commit crimes there are not forced on other communities that have prisons. But the choice of a site has become a political football, with virtually all legislators and county supervisors unwilling to have it in their districts.

Meanwhile, the population of the state prison system has swelled beyond all expectations, forcing Gov. George Deukmejian to request an emergency appropriation to make room for an additional 5,050 prisoners by next year.

The sense of urgency and frustration spilled over into Thursday’s debate when Sen. Ruben S. Ayala (D-Chino) told Torres that while Los Angeles may have more detention facilities--primarily county jail cells--Ayala’s district, which contains the California Institution for Men, houses more convicted felons, “not weekend drunks.”

Torres at first attempted to block Presley’s bill by rewriting its provisions on the floor to require a full environmental review before the property could be purchased. However, his amendments fell far short of passage and Torres said he is not hopeful that he can defeat Presley’s bill when it comes up again.

“They shoved other things down our throats in East L.A., like freeways and (jails),” Torres said. “I’m sure they will have the power to shove a prison down our throats.

Restriction Planned

Torres and other opponents of the downtown prison are placing their hopes on a bill by Assemblywoman Gloria Molina (D-Los Angeles) that would ban construction of a prison within a 10-mile radius of any county or federal jail that houses more than 7,000 inmates, such as the Los Angeles County Jail.

The Molina measure already has been approved by the Assembly and has cleared its first committee hearing in the Senate.

Both Torres and Molina said they believe that the prison should be located in a rural area of the county.