Articles & News

September 4, 2008

Tri-county partnership plan for prisoner re-entry facility approved

By Sam Womack/Staff Writer

A plan for Santa Barbara County to partner with two other counties and the city of Paso Robles on a regional prisoner re-entry facility was unanimously approved Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors.

However, the proposal - and a related $56.3 million state grant to help pay for a new County Jail in northern Santa Barbara County - is running up against a deadline for approval by all the affected agencies.

Sheriff Bill Brown told the board Tuesday that San Luis Obispo and San Benito counties were on board with the proposed 500-bed re-entry facility, and that the Paso Robles City Council would approve the project Sept. 16.

But Paso Robles Police Chief Lisa Solomon said approval by the Paso Robles council is not certain.

“Santa Barbara County found out they needed a partner in mid-August ... Now our city is being put under pressure to approve it,” Solomon said. “A lot of bases need to be covered before (the project) is formally endorsed.”

The community of nearly 30,000 was tagged as a suitable location for a state-run re-entry facility, which would provide real-world help for inmates who are a year away from being released.

The initial proposal was for San Luis Obispo and San Benito counties to split a 250-bed facility on state-owned land adjacent to the Estrella Youth Correctional Facility.

However, the plan was not one of the few accepted by the state in its competitive awards available through AB 900 funds, and talks between the counties and the city were dropped.

Up until a month ago, Santa Barbara County planned on its own 500-bed re-entry facility adjacent to the proposed North County Jail at Black and Betteravia roads just west of Santa Maria.

On Aug. 12, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) notified the county that the facility must be operated by the state, according to language in AB 900, and so Santa Barbara County opened negotiations with Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo and San Benito counties to join their project.

A re-entry facility is necessary in order for Santa Barbara County to receive a conditionally awarded $56.3 million toward the construction of a North County jail.

For Santa Barbara County to remain in the running for the funds, the CDCR must also receive agreements from the partnering counties and Paso Robles, and an assurance of the site for the facility before a decision is made by the Corrections Standards Board at its meeting Sept. 18, according to Seth Unger of the CDCR.

It doesn't appear that the city of Paso Robles shares the county's urgency over the deadline.

“It's not likely that (the re-entry facility) will be on the City Council's agenda” for the Sept. 16 meeting, Solomon said.

“I feel for Santa Barbara County, I really do,” Solomon said referring to the millions of dollars hinging on their decision. “But we can't let another community's need override our own due diligence. We have to make sure it's a good thing for Paso Robles.”

She added that negotiations were ongoing, but Paso Robles residents and officials need the opportunity to have questions and concerns addressed after the contract language had been hashed out.

The item is scheduled to be discussed by the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors Sept. 9.

Calls to San Benito County were not returned before deadline, the board's next meeting agenda was not available online and they have not discussed the partnership in recent weeks.

Tuesday, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors agreed to a siting agreement and a resolution of cooperation with CDCR, Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo and San Benito Counties. Brown is scheduled to return to the board Tuesday with a finalized agreement with the CDCR.

If all goes as planned, Santa Barbara County still faces the challenge of funding approximately $24 million in construction costs and $13 million in annual operating costs for the 304-bed North County Jail.

Sam Womack can be reached at 739-2218 or swomack@santamariatimes.com.