Mahony Says No to Prison in East L.A.

Archbishop Roger Mahony, facing a crowd of about 500 cheering demonstrators, announced Thursday night that he opposes the selection of a controversial site near the Los Angeles Civic Center for the county’s first state prison.

“The City of Los Angeles within . . . this neighborhood has four detention facilities . . . and the impact of another huge prison population upon this community is something that simply cries out for attention, review and concern,” the head of the Los Angeles Roman Catholic Archdiocese told the placard-waving assemblage two blocks from the Boyle Heights-area site.

Mahony’s comments came just hours after Gov. George Deukmejian huddled for a third day with legislative leaders in an effort to break the prison issue stalemate.

Details of the meeting were sketchy, but participants reported that some progress was being made.

Further talks between the governor and legislators were scheduled for Monday.

The addition of Mahony’s voice against the 8.3-acre Crown Coach site, named for the bus company that once occupied it, was sought by opponents to demonstrate to state lawmakers and the governor the depth of the prison opposition.

A high-ranking Deukmejian Administration official earlier this week minimized the extent of the opposition to the site, saying it involved only a “hard-core” group of about a dozen people.

Mahony told The Times after his short speech that he sent a telegram to Deukmejian two weeks ago expressing his opposition, but did not receive a reply from either the governor or his staff.

“I think the governor and his staff needs to understand how overwhelmingly opposed the people are to this,” Mahony said.

He added he was exploring the possibility of seeking a face-to-face meeting with Deukmejian.

Thursday night’s rally, demonstration leaders said, was aimed at maintaining pressure on state lawmakers to hold firm in their opposition to the prison site during the current crucial negotiations. Recent strong community opposition was partially credited for a surprise state Senate vote last week that blocked the $31.4-million prison acquisition by just two votes.

Proponents, however, say they will ultimately prevail during the current two-week extension of the Legislature’s session. Prison backers argue that 38% of the state’s male inmate population comes from Los Angeles County, where there are no state prisons.

Under a 1982 law, no new prisons may be built anywhere in the state unless one is begun in Los Angeles County. But on Thursday, Atty. Gen. John Van de Kamp offered legal advice at the closed-door meeting on how the state could open prisons in San Diego and Stockton, according to state Sen. David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles). Deukmejian has made the Crown Coach site acquisition a top priority of his election-year agenda. During Thursday’s closed-door meetings with key lawmakers from both parties, the governor apparently pushed even harder for a resolution of both the prison question and a companion dispute over the use of state pension funds to restore $283 million in health and education budget cuts.