$197.5-Million Jail Bond Issue Placed on Ballot

Los Angeles County supervisors agreed Tuesday to place a $197.5-million bond measure on the November ballot to help pay for an ambitious jail expansion program. However, in the face of community pressures, the board put off a decision on whether to spend the money to enlarge the downtown Central Jail.

The board voted 3 to 1 to put the bond proposal on the election ballot to finance construction of 5,104 new jail beds in the county. To succeed, the measure will need the approval of two-thirds of the voters.

A rare coalition of Latinos and Asians has formed to protest expansion that would nearly double the size of the Central Jail, located on the edge of Chinatown. On Tuesday, in a partial victory for the opponents, the supervisors made it clear that they were not ready to approve specific jail sites.

In pushing for the bond issue, Sheriff Sherman Block told the board that the county’s jail system is already overflowing with prisoners. He said issuing general obligation bonds can be used to help build additional jail facilities in Lynwood, Lancaster and downtown Los Angeles.

Block, who is under federal court pressure to ease jail overcrowding, said 18,000 prisoners have been released since last May and warned that without more jail space, the quality of prisoners granted early releases will begin to change.

“We are running out of the kinds of people to release who do not constitute a risk to the community,” said Block, who added that an escalation will mean releasing prisoners who are not in jail on mere misdemeanors.

The supervisors, however, made it clear that in approving a plan to finance new jail beds, they were putting aside the politically sensitive issue of where to locate the facilities.

“The issue is a simple one, one of financing (jails) in the most cost efficient way and being tough on crime,” said Supervisor Ed Edelman, who added that the alternative would be to cut other county services to pay for jail construction.

In noting that a decision on specific sites will not be made until later, Edelman said growing community opposition to an expanded Central Jail warrants particular study.

The plan to build twin towers next to the downtown jail and add 2,408 beds to the facility is opposed by many residents of Chinatown, East Los Angeles, Lincoln Heights and other nearby communities.

Asian community leaders, who fear that the jail expansion will hurt business, have joined forces with Latinos, who have succeeded in stalling construction of a state prison in East Los Angeles.

“It’s the best combination,” said Sampson Chan, honorary mayor of Lincoln Heights. “The Latinos have the political experience and the Asians have money.”

Participants in the newly formed LA ACTION coalition (Latino/Asian Coalition to Improve Our Neighborhood) predict that the coming together of two ethnic interest groups could have long-lasting benefits beyond the prison issue.

“The Latinos are bringing us . . . experience, a tremendous amount of spirit and a willingness to speak out,” said Sharon Lowe, a spokeswoman for the 300-member coalition. “I am really looking forward to seeing that rub off on some of our Asians.”

But on Tuesday, the prison plan was the primary concern for coalition members who arrived at the board chambers by chartered bus to protest the expansion plan.

Lowe urged supervisors to postpone the bond issue and said that local residents are worried about safety, traffic congestion and an image as a dumping ground for prisoners.

“We feel our community is being turned into a penal colony,” she said.

Meanwhile, coalition members have already begun circulating petitions printed in English, Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese, which will be presented to supervisors later.

“I’m spending eight hours a day knocking on doors to get signatures and making telephone calls to explain the issue to others,” said Soledad Castellano, a member of the new coalition and head of an advisory council at the William Mead housing project directly behind the prison. “There are 400 families in this housing project alone. About 50% of them are Asian.”

In approving the bond measure for the ballot, supervisors assured coalition members that they will be able to review environmental assessments of the proposed jail expansion and other concerns before the board votes on where new facilities will be located.

The county, which is also relying on funding from an earlier state bond issue, must begin construction of its jail facilities by Oct. 1, 1989, to qualify for an anticipated $160 million in state money, officials said.

If voters approve the local bond issue in November, a county homeowner owning a house with an assessed value of $125,000 would pay an additional $11.84 the first year and $6.75 the second year.

Supervisor Pete Schabarum, who voted against the bond proposal, said the timing was wrong to float a bond issue with the ballot already crammed with nine other bond measures, and he questioned the county’s effectiveness in using other bond money.