Substation Design Work to Proceed

The county will press on with plans to design a new sheriff’s substation at the James A. Musick Branch Jail near Lake Forest despite attempts Tuesday by two county supervisors to delay the work.

Supervisors Thomas W. Wilson and Todd Spitzer wanted to wait until later this month, when a judge is expected to rule on a lawsuit by the cities of Lake Forest and Irvine challenging the adequacy of environmental documents prepared for the expansion of Musick to a maximum-security jail.

The two supervisors argued that the $240,000 contract for design work could hold until the judge’s ruling, expected by Nov. 16. Their three board colleagues disagreed, saying the design work is unrelated to the Musick expansion and wouldn’t be affected by what happens in court.

“I’d like to see the politics taken out of it and the focus on public safety,” said Supervisor Jim Silva. “We’ve waited long enough.”

South County residents support the need for a new substation but oppose efforts to expand Musick, which now houses 1,200 inmates in a medium-security setting. Lake Forest and Irvine sued in December after supervisors approved a maximum-security Musick plan calling for 7,500 inmates.

Board Chairman William G. Steiner said the new substation already has been approved and is sorely needed by sheriff’s deputies, who patrol seven South County cities on contract with the sheriff’s department. Design and construction is being funded through developer fees already paid by companies that built the South County communities.

Spitzer argued that the judge’s ruling could affect the substation because it is mentioned in environmental documents for the jail and because both Irvine and Lake Forest argued in court that it is part of the larger project.

In late 1995, the county built a $3.4-million sheriff’s substation in Aliso Viejo for patrols on the west side of the freeway, replacing aging, rat-infested trailers that had served as sheriff’s headquarters in South County since 1978.

The new substation at Musick would serve patrols on the expanding area to the east of the freeway.

Wilson said he wants county officials to consider selling Musick and using the money to buy land for a jail in a more remote area. Currently, homes are within 700 feet of the facility. If the jail moves, the substation would have to go elsewhere, he said.

“I think it’s a package deal,” Wilson said. “It’s not an emergency issue, so I don’t see why we couldn’t have waited two weeks to see what the judge says.”