Anaheim Attacks Canyon Jail Plan on Two Fronts

ANAHEIM —  The City Council declared in a resolution Tuesday that a proposed tax increase for the construction of a new county jail in Gypsum Canyon is “regressive, premature and an unnecessary action.”

The resolution, approved by unanimous vote of the council, calls for an examination of alternatives to a tax increase and questions how much money would really be raised by Measure J, the proposed half-cent sales tax hike that will be put before the voters next month.

At the same time, the council continued its efforts to block the county from using the canyon as the site for the new jail by formally designating the property as undeveloped land. That maneuver, approved earlier by the Local Agency Formation Commission, allows the land to be considered for future annexation to the city.

Annexation would clear the property for a huge Irvine Co. housing development, making it more difficult for the county to use the land as its site for the $1-billion jail project. The company owns 2,500 acres in the canyon near Anaheim.

“There is no stopping it (annexation) now,” said Anaheim Mayor Fred Hunter, a leading opponent of the Gypsum Canyon project.

Hunter said the property’s designation as “undeveloped land” sets in motion the city’s annexation proceedings.

“The whole (annexation) process could be done by this summer,” the mayor said. Hunter has contended that the proposed canyon jail site is located too close to the city’s Anaheim Hills residential neighborhood and other planned residential developments.

“We are reinforcing our position,” Councilman Bob D. Simpson said. “There are a lot of people out there who are uninformed about Measure J. If Gypsum Canyon was the only piece of vacant land left in Orange County, we would say yes. But we don’t think all the existing possibilities and sites have been explored.”

In renouncing Measure J, the council said a sales tax increase would further burden taxpayers who already are facing other taxes that would reduce the state’s “looming deficit.”

“Measure J would contribute to the weakening economic conditions that California is currently confronting,” the council resolution stated.

Citing severe overcrowding in Orange County jail facilities, Sheriff Brad Gates has said that the initiative is needed to fund the construction of a new county jail.

“Will a half-cent sales tax increase cover the land purchase, construction and operational costs?” the city’s resolution asked. “Will voters essentially hand over an open checkbook to the county?”