Stanton Proposes El Toro Jail, Funded by Musick Site Sale

SANTA ANA —  County Supervisor Roger R. Stanton said Tuesday that he is working on a proposal to shut down and sell the James A. Musick Branch Jail in Irvine and use the proceeds to build a new jail at El Toro Marine Corp Air Station.

“It makes a lot of sense to me,” Stanton said. “We would be able to put a new jail in a truly remote place, something the county has always wanted.”

Stanton said he and his staff are investigating the merits of such a proposal. He added that he intends to discuss the idea with other members of the Board of Supervisors in the next few weeks.

Since the Musick facility’s operations are already budgeted, Stanton said, the county would need to pay only for the construction of a new jail at the 4,700-acre base, which is scheduled to close by 1999. That construction, he suggested, would be offset by the sale of Musick, which is located on 100 acres of prime real estate in Irvine.

Not only would the county get a facility in a remote area, Stanton said, but a residential community in Lake Forest, which is adjacent to the Irvine facility, would get rid of a jail and the problems associated with it.

Stanton, who described his ideas as preliminary, added that the new facility could potentially be expanded when the county has more funds to address its severe jail overcrowding problem.

“It’s certainly an interesting concept,” said Lake Forest Councilwoman Helen Wilson. “The fact that facility would be relocated would definitely be something that we would want to look at.”

Irvine City Manager Paul Brady Jr. said the he would “wait and see if it pencils out or makes sense before I comment.” He said the Musick jail has had only a minimal impact on his city.

Stanton said his proposal would not preclude the development of a commercial airport at the base--a plan that was approved by Orange County voters Nov. 8 through Measure A.

Musick is a minimum-security facility that is equipped to house 1,256 inmates, county officials said. County Administrative Officer Ernie Schneider said it is an older facility that “is fast approaching the end of its useful life.”

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“If we can get something that would replace it, that would be great,” he added.

Schneider said Stanton’s proposal “has merit and (county staff) would look forward to working with him on the details. . . . It’s a potential win for everybody.”

The county could get El Toro property for free because the federal government encourages local governments to use part of closed bases for jail facilities, Schneider said. In fact, the federal Bureau of Prisons has also submitted a request with the Department of Defense for up to 200 acres of the base for a minimum-security prison.

Although the details of his proposal are sketchy, Stanton said his idea could help the county form a long-term plan to meet its jail overcrowding problem and possibly avert future expansions at the county’s Main Jail in Santa Ana, which is in Stanton’s 1st District.

Recently, the Orange County Grand Jury issued a report recommending that the county build a 3,000-bed maximum- to medium-security jail next the Sheriff’s Department headquarters in Santa Ana at Flower Street and Santa Ana Boulevard. The panel also said the county should build another 3,000-bed, maximum- to medium-security facility next to the Musick jail.

The board is expected to discuss the grand jury’s report next Tuesday.

Supervisor William G. Steiner, who last week negotiated a tentative agreement with the city of Orange that would set the stage for a 1,660-bed expansion of Theo Lacy Branch Jail in Orange, said he would be supportive of a plan that would share the jail burden throughout the county.

Steiner said a “critical” aspect of the negotiations with Orange officials was a commitment from the county that it would consider other jail sites and expansions.

Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez said he would reserve judgment on any proposal until he has had a chance to study it. Supervisors Thomas F. Riley and Harriett M. Wieder could not be reached for comment.

Stanton’s jail proposal was not the first time he has suggested that the county look into base reuse development projects. Last September, the supervisor suggested that part of the base be used as a satellite campus of USC or some other academic institution. His staff is still looking into that proposal.

* AIRPORT LAND REQUEST

County will formally ask Navy for El Toro land to use as civilian airport. B5