City Moves Ahead on Annexing Jail to Stop Expansion
The City Council this week agreed to move forward with a plan to annex James A. Musick Branch Jail, hoping to block county plans to expand the facility.
Irvine officials have said that annexing the jail would give the city more say in its future development. The proposed annexation would add about 98 acres of county-owned land to the city.
Lake Forest and Irvine have opposed the county’s plans to turn the minimum-security facility into a 7,500-bed maximum-security jail, citing its proximity to residential neighborhoods and businesses.
The Local Agency Formation Commission must make the final ruling on the annexation proposal. The city expects to have that decision by November.
For more than a year, the city has been battling the county over the proposed annexation. Since the county is the sole landowner of the jail, it could halt annexation proceedings in a protest to LAFCO.
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