Officials Call Jail Crisis an ‘Impossible’ Situation

Painting a bleak picture of San Diego County’s ability to build jails without the half-cent sales tax that has been struck down by a court, county officials said Tuesday that, even if the county eliminated a wide range of social, health and law-enforcement programs, only a small portion of the needed jails could be funded.

Without funds from Proposition A, a half-cent sales tax projected to raise $1.6 billion for jails and courtrooms over the next decade, the county will be “placed in an absolutely impossible position,” Assistant Chief Administrative Officer David Janssen told the supervisors.

In a glum message aimed more at the public than the supervisors, who are already aware of the county’s severe fiscal constraints, Janssen pointed out that the board has total discretion over only about $40 million of the county’s $1.3-billion budget. The rest of the budget, he explained, consists of funds for programs mandated by state or federal laws--money for which the county serves essentially as a financial funnel.

This year, the county’s discretionary revenue is being spent on programs that include the Sheriff’s Department’s street gang and narcotics units, probation honor camps, parks, health services and programs for seniors.

‘Far, Far Short’

Even if those and other programs were dropped from the budget, the $40 million in savings would only equal about 16% of the annual amount that would be raised under Proposition A, which was narrowly approved by voters last June but ruled invalid by a Riverside County Superior Court judge in March.

“The bottom line is you could eliminate all of these programs--and I don’t think anyone would suggest that’s very desirable--and it still would be far, far short of what we need for jails and courts,” Janssen said.

In his March decision, Judge Gordon Burkhart ruled that San Diego voters’ 50.6% support for the half-cent sales tax fell short of the two-thirds margin for new taxes mandated by Proposition 13, the landmark property-tax cutting initiative approved by statewide voters in 1978.

Should Burkhart’s ruling not be overturned on appeal--a process that could last up to two years--the county “frankly would have no way to build jails,” Janssen said.