Countywide : Judge Postpones Ruling in Jail Suit
A Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge Friday postponed a ruling in a case filed by environmentalists to block construction of the new Ventura County Jail near Santa Paula.
Judge Ronald C. Stevens--who was assigned the case after all Ventura County judges had disqualified themselves--said he did not have time to read the amended petition that was submitted by Citizens to Save the Greenbelt, an environmental group opposed to the Todd Road jail site.
The group is attempting to scrap the project by suing the county, alleging that the environmental studies on the impact of the jail at Todd Road were inadequate.
Stevens scheduled another hearing on April 2 to consider whether to allow the group to amend its petition a second time.
Rosemary Woodlock, the attorney representing the group, said she intends to file a separate lawsuit against the state Department of Fish and Game, alleging that the agency violated state laws in allowing the county to use the Todd Barranca for storm-water drainage from the new jail.
The $53-million jail is being built on 157 acres of farmland in a greenbelt between Santa Paula and Ventura. It is designed to hold 752 inmates, and will be expanded to house 2,300 inmates.
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