Board to Discuss Musick Jail Expansion

SANTA ANA —  The Board of Supervisors today will discuss whether to move forward with planning for the possible expansion of a South County jail, but officials from adjacent communities want the vote delayed until they can better understand the proposal.

Some board members have already expressed support for ordering an environmental impact report on the project, which involves converting the minimum-security James A. Musick detention camp outside the Irvine city limits into a full-fledged jail that would house some maximum-security inmates.

Sheriff Brad Gates proposed the conversion last month as one way to reduce the county’s jail overcrowding, which has resulted in the early releases of thousands of inmates.

Lake Forest leaders, however, said they have grave reservations about having a high-security jail within a few blocks of a residential neighborhood.

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On Monday, some officials urged the board to delay action on the jail study until they could meet with county staff to discuss the report’s scope.

“I think we need to get the heads-up on these things instead of being told at the last minute,” Lake Forest Councilwoman Ann Van Haun said. “We would certainly like to have some input in the process.”

Van Haun said a nearby homeowners association has drafted a list of issues it would like addressed as part of an environmental impact report.

Supervisor Marian Bergeson, who represents the area, is expected to ask for a delay in the vote so that residents can have an opportunity to discuss their concerns directly with county officials.

Though no specific plans for a Musick expansion have emerged, Gates has said the 100-acre site should be able to accommodate a jail that would provide several thousand new beds.

The county has not secured funding for the project. For now, the county’s top funding priority is the expansion of the Theo Lacy Branch Jail in Orange, which has already been planned and approved by the board.