Santa Ana Council Supports Tax for Jail : Measure J: The action comes as no surprise because voter approval of the plan could result in the jail’s being built in Gypsum Canyon, far outside the city limits.

The City Council on Monday unanimously approved a resolution in support of Measure J, a sales tax initiative for new jail construction on the May 14 ballot.

With passage of the resolution, Santa Ana became the first city to back the measure, which, if approved, would increase the county’s sales tax by half a cent and raise an estimated $343 million annually for a new 6,700-bed jail.

The council’s support for Measure J came as no surprise. For years, city officials have been scrambling to keep a new jail out of Santa Ana. They’re hoping that Measure J will be approved and will open up Gypsum Canyon near Anaheim for the new jail.

“The resolution is symbolic of our support (of Measure J),” Councilman Miguel A. Pulido Jr., who had campaigned heavily against a new jail in Santa Ana, said in an interview. “We very much hope that it translates into votes for the initiative on May 14.”

The city’s resolution also addresses the possibility that any extra revenue brought in by the jail tax would defray the fees that each city must pay to have prisoners booked at County Jail. The Board of Supervisors implemented the booking fee earlier this year. Santa Ana may eventually have to pay $3 million to $4 million a year in booking fees, which go into effect in July.

The city’s resolution specifically refers to Gypsum Canyon as the new jail site. Last June, the city successfully battled a carefully crafted ballot measure that designated Santa Ana, the county’s seat, as the site of a new jail. The county’s voters rejected that measure by a 2-1 ratio.

Last month, the Orange County Regional Justice Facilities Commission was activated, and commissioners at their first meeting called for a special election on the jail tax initiative. However, under provisions of a state law that allowed creation of the commission, commissioners were not allowed to name a jail site on the ballot.

Nevertheless, backers of Measure J, including Sheriff Brad Gates, Dist. Atty. Michael R. Capizzi and Costa Mesa Police Chief David L. Snowden, submitted a sample ballot argument last week that names Gypsum Canyon as the location for a new jail. Some backers had feared that naming Gypsum Canyon, which is 10 miles east of downtown Anaheim, would generate further opposition. Protests already have been raised by residents in Yorba Linda and Anaheim Hills.

Gates said he welcomed Santa Ana’s support and will ask other cities for similar resolutions.

The Board of Supervisors has twice approved a new jail for Gypsum Canyon, once in 1987 and again last December.