Articles & News

September 4, 2008

Monterey County seeks more time to select re-entry site

By SUNITA VIJAYAN, The Salinas Californian

The state’s deadline has already passed for Monterey County to identify a specific site for a 500-bed state prison re-entry facility.

But county officials will ask this week for a six-month extension.

The facility, where prisoners with a year or less left to serve will receive job training and behavioral counseling in preparation for their eventual release, would bring $80 million to the county for improving its jail facilities. But strong community opposition has nixed Salinas and property surrounding the existing jail as a site for the prison.

On Thursday in Berkeley, a delegation including Sheriff Mike Kanalakis and Supervisor Fernando Armento will submit the request to the board of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

“We need more time … to identify a site or sites in unincorporated Monterey County,” said Wayne Tanda, director of the county Resource Management Agency. “(If the request is granted), then in earnest, we’ll begin the process of identifying locations.”

Armenta said once the state grants the extension, the county begin a staff review of the county’s unincorporated areas and their potential to house a prison re-entry facility. That will be followed by community discussions.

Until that takes place, the county will not name any possible sites, he said.

“Right now, we don’t want to run into the same situation, where we’re getting ahead of ourselves without community input on the sites,” Armenta said. “We can’t go on Thursday and pin down a site without asking for more time.”

The extension request comes nearly a week after supervisors rejected Salinas as a site to house the facility.

The county Board of Supervisors will meet Tuesday afternoon to receive an updated report from staff.