Would Fund New Jail; Cities Must Approve : County Seeking to Increase Parking Fines

Having failed to persuade voters to pay for new jails through an increased sales tax, San Diego County supervisors decided Tuesday to fund construction of the next major jail by increasing fines on parking tickets and by collecting a bigger share of all other fines levied by the courts.

The supervisors ordered the county’s top administrator to draft urgency legislation to increase the surcharge on parking fines to $5 from $1.50. The board also wants to take $2, rather than the current $1, out of every $10 paid in fines for other offenses.

If approved by the county’s 18 cities, the increased fines would be used to pay off the debt from the construction of a proposed $50-million, 500-bed jail that is the county’s highest criminal justice priority.

The jail, which probably would be built in Kearny Mesa or downtown San Diego, would house suspected felons from the time they are booked until they are released or brought to trial.

Such a facility would free space in the county’s six other jails for inmates on trial or already serving their sentences.

County officials envision construction of the pretrial jail under the “build to suit” concept, in which a private developer designs, builds and perhaps finances the facility and then leases it to the county.

Under state law, the so-called “lease revenue bonds” issued by the county to finance the jail would not have to be approved by county voters.

The most recent proposal evolved from discussions after the defeat of Proposition A on the November ballot, which would have increased the sales tax a half-penny on the dollar to fund a $420-million program for jail and courthouse construction.

Without that pot of funds, the county has decided to finance each project on the list with whatever sources it can find, ranging from the increased surcharges on fines to funds from a state bond measure and possibly the issuance of general obligation bonds, which would have to be approved by the voters.

According to Richard Robinson, director of special projects for the county, the county’s effort to collect more money from fines needs the approval of the 18 cities in the county. San Diego officials have already indicated that they support the move, and Robinson said an effort will soon be made to obtain approval from the other 17 cities.

Under the county’s plan, the average parking fine would increase to $23 in 1991 from $16 today. The average fine for other offenses would climb to $111 from $93.

In other action involving criminal justice programs, the supervisors Tuesday:

- Ordered the chief administrative officer to seek approval from the Legislature to create a special district that could increase the sales tax with the approval of only a simple majority of the voters. Proposition A was approved by barely more than 50% of the voters but needed two-thirds for passage. Such a district also could issue bonds with the approval of a majority of the voters.

- Agreed to seek a special joint session with the San Diego City Council to discuss the role of cities in helping the county solve its jail overcrowding.

County officials say they routinely house about 2,900 inmates in space designed for 1,689. By the year 2005, the county expects to have 12,937 inmates in space designed for 7,163.

- Accepted a progress report on plans for a jail and honor camp in Otay Mesa. An environmental impact report on the site will be presented to the board in February, and purchase of the property is scheduled to be completed by July. The 865-bed project is to be completed by September, 1989.