Council May Join in Jail Report Response
Council members, determined to block a proposal to expand the James A. Musick Branch Jail, will decide tonight whether to join a private panel that will address a county environmental report due in November.
The report will deal with the feasibility of enlarging the minimum-security camp to house maximum-security prisoners.
Residents and city officials have vehemently opposed expanding the Musick facility, which is only 300 feet from a residential neighborhood.
“Nobody really wants to have a maximum-security prison across the street, I don’t care how safe they say it is,” Mayor Richard T. Dixon said.
If the city joins the study group, two council members will be appointed to it.
The county has been seeking ways to deal with chronic overcrowding at its jail in Santa Ana. That situation often leads to early prisoner release, officials say.
The environmental report would be a step toward determining whether expansion of the Musick facility would be feasible. County officials say they hope to have a report completed by November, when an $80-million bond measure for jails will be on the ballot.
If the measure is approved, county officials said, they would hope to submit a jail proposal as soon as possible and apply for funding.
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