COSTA MESA : Protests Delay Panel’s Jail Conversion Vote

Prompted by a protest from local business owners, the Planning Commission has put off a controversial decision on whether to convert a local hotel into a 100-bed satellite jail for nonviolent offenders on work furlough.

Business owners sought the delay this week, asking commissioners to let everyone take a longer look at the issue before voting on it, said Walt Davenport, commission chairman. Before a vote, slated for Sept. 27, business owners plan to meet with project supporters.

The proposed satellite jail, operated by the Orange County Youth and Family Services, would be at the Ana Mesa Inn at 3597 Harbor Blvd. Youth and Family Services has a contract with the County Probation Department to run the countywide program, which has two other facilities in Anaheim and Buena Park.

The project would use the Ana Mesa Inn to house people convicted of misdemeanors such as drunk driving, delinquent child support payments or writing fraudulent checks, city officials said.

This is the third site in Costa Mesa to be considered by Youth and Family Services for a work-furlough facility.

The two others, on Maple Street and Newport Boulevard, were rejected earlier this year by nearby residents who feared a threat to the neighborhood.

Officials say safeguards are built into the plan to ensure that violent criminals will not find their way into this facility.

“There is a real incentive for them not to walk away from this facility,” said Perry Valantine, city planning manager. “They know that if they do, they will be returned to real jail.”

The commission had originally scheduled a public hearing and a vote for Sept. 13 but will instead hold off until its Sept. 27 meeting. It begins at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive.

In the meantime, the commission is scheduled to hold a Sept. 20 study session on the issue.