Musick Jail Triggers Heated, 5-Hour Debate

A debate over the future of the James A. Musick Branch Jail fueled a nearly five-hour verbal free-for-all among Irvine City Council members and residents that sizzled with accusations, insults, conspiracy theories, political grandstanding, audience outbursts and an apology by Mayor Christina L. Shea for losing her cool.

At the center of the storm Tuesday night in council chambers was Larry Agran, a former mayor, current council member and the only mayoral candidate in the upcoming election.

Agran wanted the council to rescind its February approval of a plan allowing Musick to expand from its current 1,200 beds to up to 4,600 beds for minimum- and medium-security prisoners.

That plan was a compromise offer by the council to stave off a county plan to build a maximum-security jail at Musick with up to 8,000 beds.

The county so far has snubbed Irvine’s offer. When Agran suggested that the city reconsider its offer, words flew.

At one point after loud boos and hisses from the packed crowd, Councilman Mike Ward pointed out a group of high school students in the audience and lamented that they “are better behaved than some of the adults.”

At another point when the crowd started booing, Shea snapped: “Well boo-hoo to you too.” She later apologized. “This issue should not be tossed around like some kind of tennis ball so someone can get elected,” Shea said in defending the council’s February decision to try for a limited expansion of Musick rather than risk a full build-out.

Representatives for Sheriff Mike Carona joined the debate to defend Carona from accusations by Agran-backed council candidate Chris Mears that the sheriff conspired with Shea, Ward and Councilman Greg Smith to “sell out” Irvine for what would be the largest jail in California.

Agran said Carona had promised during his 1998 campaign to oppose any expansion of Musick.

Asst. Sheriff Rocky Hewitt said Carona promised only to fight the county’s plans for the largest jail there.

Councilman Dave Christensen, who voted in February against the jail deal, said he now supports it because of the threat that the county could go ahead with a much larger, maximum-security facility.

He chastened Agran, a former council ally, for resurrecting the issue to create publicity for his slate of council candidates.

“They’re using a very sensitive issue as an election prop and they don’t seem to care that it could cause irreparable harm to the cities of Ivine and Lake Forest by killing the search for a remote jail site,” Christensen said.

Earlier this month, a majority of county supervisors said they wouldn’t accept the jail offer by Irvine and Lake Forest, which had approved it unanimously.

Lake Forest Mayor Richard T. Dixon attended Tuesday’s meeting in Irvine to plead with the council to uphold the offer.

But Mears, an attorney and city planning commissioner, sent an “urgent” letter to residents Monday asking them to urge the council to take back its earlier vote.

Agran insisted that the Musick deal “is still alive” and that a change of heart by one supervisor could seal the deal.

“If ever there was a more urgent situation. I don’t know what it is,” he said.