Neighborly Suggestions

Even the most serious of subjects sometimes lends itself to a little gallows humor. Such it is with last week’s proposal to build a new Orange County jail in, of all places, Riverside County.

Orange County Supervisor Don R. Roth revealed that he had been talking for a year to a Riverside County supervisor about building the jail at a remote location in the neighboring county to be jointly operated by the two counties. It would, Roth said, obviate the need for a jail in Gypsum Canyon east of Anaheim Hills--an area he represents.

Roth’s constituents vehemently oppose the Gypsum Canyon site, saying in part they believe it would be too far from criminal courts in Santa Ana and would make busing inmates to court hearings costly.

But, leaving aside the merits of the regional jail idea, we know Roth’s constituents wouldn’t mind busing inmates into and out of Riverside County. We’re sure they would be happy to support a jail that puts the Gypsum Canyon proposal on ice forever.

Maybe Board Chairman Thomas F. Riley should start negotiating with Riverside County supervisors too. They might have some more remote acreage to accommodate the new regional airport location Orange County has been searching for all these years.