Compromise Offered in L.A. Prison Dispute

The Legislature’s chief opponents to building a state prison on Los Angeles’ heavily Latino Eastside proposed a compromise Monday that would allow the state to open two new penitentiaries in San Diego and Stockton while the search continues for an acceptable prison location elsewhere in Los Angeles County.

But few lawmakers said they expect the compromise to survive intact. Little action of any kind is expected until Gov. George Deukmejian decides whether to push ahead with purchase of the controversial site, two miles southeast of the Civic Center.

In a surprise announcement last week, owners of the so-called Crown Coach site near Boyle Heights said they were tired of waiting for the Legislature to act and had agreed to sell the parcel to a private developer. Deukmejian spokesman Kevin Brett said the governor is still “weighing his options.” Because the sale of the Eastside parcel will not be final for 90 days, there is no pressing deadline for deciding whether to abandon the effort, Brett added.

The latest compromise plan was announced by Democratic Assemblywoman Gloria Molina, a Los Angeles City Council candidate who has been rejoicing over news of the land’s sale as a victory for leaders of the largely Latino community adjacent to the proposed prison location.

Molina’s bill would allow immediate occupancy of the two new prisons, which, under state law, may not be opened until a site is selected for a prison in Los Angeles County. Her bill also would require appointment of a “nonpartisan commission” to select a new prison location in Los Angeles County within eight months.

Although the state has the power to force the sale of the land, Administration officials have expressed concern over using the power on an unwilling seller.

Sen. Art Torres (D-Los Angeles), who also opposes Deukmejian’s Eastside prison plan, is in the process of drafting similar legislation, a Torres spokeswoman said. Torres called last fall for a blue-ribbon commission to select a new prison location after negotiations between Deukmejian and Senate Democrats bogged down.

“By removing the site selection responsibility from the Department of Corrections, we depoliticize the selection process and guarantee proper safeguards for the health and welfare of the surrounding community,” Torres said.

Molina agreed, adding that using a commission to make the final decision could resolve the “long stalemate” between the Republican governor and the Democratic-controlled Legislature by taking the issue “out of the political spotlight.”

Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco), meanwhile, predicted a “fairly quick” resolution to the dispute.

However, other key lawmakers were less optimistic.

Sen. Bill Lockyer (D-Hayward), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee that must approve the bill, said it is unlikely that legislators would be willing to give up their authority to an appointed commission.

Another Tool

Lockyer predicted that action would be taken to open the new prisons in San Diego and Stockton. But he suggested that the Legislature would first have to find another tool to pressure Los Angeles lawmakers into accepting a prison somewhere in the county.

Sen. Robert Presley (D-Riverside), the Senate’s chief supporter of Deukmejian’s prison plan, said there has been talk of withholding some state funding from Los Angeles unless a site is quickly found for a prison.

But Presley cautioned that such an effort could end up penalizing city and county officials when it is state lawmakers who have been unable to reach an agreement.