3 Cities Sue County for Delay in Proposed Gypsum Canyon Jail

In an effort to delay the county’s proposed Gypsum Canyon jail, Anaheim and two other cities have sued the Board of Supervisors, claiming the county failed in several ways to consider the effects the jail will have on its surroundings.

The lawsuit would force the board to reconsider the environmental impact report on the site and correct any inconsistencies with the county’s general plan.

“This buys us time and gives the board more hurdles to jump over before they can build their jail here,” said Anaheim Mayor Fred Hunter.

The supervisors did not allow enough time for opponents of the jail to study the report, Hunter said.

The lawsuit was filed Friday in Orange County Superior Court by Anaheim, Yorba Linda and Corona.

3-2 Vote for Report

The environmental impact report was prepared for the county by P & D Technologies of Orange and presented to the board in July. The following month, the supervisors approved the report 3 to 2 after shortening the public review time from 45 to 30 days because the state Legislature had been considering jail-funding proposals. Supervisors Thomas F. Riley, Roger R. Stanton and Harriett M. Wieder voted in favor while Gaddi H. Vasquez and Don R. Roth opposed it.

The county is under a court order to reduce severe overcrowding in existing jails. The jail proponents on the board were not available for comment on the lawsuit Saturday.

“The supervisors short-circuited the public,” Hunter said. “They ramrod the report in 30 days instead of the appropriate 45 days.”

Traffic Impact Questioned

The lawsuit has two other primary complaints, Anaheim City Atty. Jack L. White said.

It states that the environmental report does not indicate how the jail would affect traffic. Residents of the area have complained that the jail, designed to house up to 6,720 inmates, would adversely affect traffic.

White said the report is also inconsistent with the county’s general plan because the site would be used for a public facility instead of for housing.

“The report is not right,” White said. “We hope the lawsuit would prohibit them from going any further than they are now.”

Joining the cities in the suit are two citizen groups opposing the jail and a couple from Anaheim Hills.