Hopeful Flexibility on Jail Issue

Orange County still may be a way from solving its long-standing jail overcrowding crisis, but recent developments in that arena offer modest encouragement of another sort. This comes at a time when the county on several fronts seems hopelessly mired in a stalemate between the hopes of many residents and localities on the one hand and the stubborn inflexibility of county leadership on the other.

The county is currently negotiating with Irvine and Lake Forest on a fresh plan to expand the James A. Musick Branch Jail. The most recent proposal to go to the Irvine City Council calls for 200 fewer beds than were recommended earlier this year. That earlier figure, 4,600 beds, itself was far below then-Sheriff Brad Gates’ 1996 call for 7,500; also, a designation of low security in the 4,600-bed plan represented a significant change from Gates’ maximum-security classification.

The city of Irvine and the county long have been at odds over plans to expand the facility, and its mayor-elect, Larry Agran, has made it plain that he believes county jail expansion can and should take place elsewhere. This latest round of talks follows the failure of the 4,600-bed proposal, which had won approval from Lake Forest and a majority on the current Irvine City Council but failed for lack of support among county supervisors.

But even with the formidable obstacles to resolution, such willingness to negotiate is refreshing in the usually fractious relations between the county and the South County cities. Most of this animosity arises from the impasse over El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.

With a federal court order to reduce jail overcrowding now in effect for more than 20 years, any efforts for broad-based solutions are welcome. For example, the latest plan includes a provision that the county set up an advisory committee to help find places to expand or build jail facilities. Notably, it would have the kind of broad representation that is missing on the El Toro front. The county needs more of this kind of approach to problem-solving.