Local News in Brief : Anaheim : Judge to Begin Weighing Evidence in Jail Site Suit

A lawsuit against a planned Anaheim jail site ended Wednesday much as it began two weeks ago, with the city’s attorneys trying to discredit studies the Orange County supervisors relied on, and county attorneys dismissing it as a political disagreement rather than a legal one.

The city contends that the Board of Supervisors, in voting to build a jail on its property at Douglass Road and Katella Avenue, based its decision on an environmental impact report that fell short of the standards set forth by the California Environmental Quality Act.

The city’s attorney argued that building the jail on that site would harm property values near the city’s major tourist attractions: Disneyland, Anaheim Stadium and Anaheim Convention Center.

The county has argued that the report was adequate, that supervisors have the authority to build a jail wherever they choose and that a jail would not have adverse environmental effects on the site or surrounding area.

The county is under a federal court order to ease overcrowding in its jails, and the supervisors have proposed building the jail in Anaheim to comply with that order.

Retired Orange County Superior Court Judge Claude M. Owens took the evidence under submission and will receive additional briefs from both sides. Owens is expected to rule in early May.