A Bond Issue Worth Supporting

Proposition 205, a $700-million bond measure, would fund the construction, renovation, remodeling and replacement of local juvenile and adult correctional facilities statewide. This investment in correctional infrastructure is warranted, indeed badly needed, to relieve dangerous overcrowding. But would it send the state’s bonded indebtedness to the sweaty-palms level for Wall Street’s rating analysts? The answer appears to be no.

Even if all three statewide bond measures on the ballot pass in November, the ratio of the state’s bond debt to its general revenues would not exceed the previously anticipated peak of 5.3% in 1998. It would remain there through 1999-2000, and then decline.

That means that Proposition 205, the Youthful and Adult Offender Facilities Bond Act of 1996, can safely be considered on its merits, and there are many. A look at Los Angeles and Orange counties needs alone explains why.

Both jurisdictions operate under court-imposed mandates against overcrowded jails. In Orange County, the need for new facilities is great, and Proposition 205 provides the solution. Both the county’s central men’s and women’s jails are forced to handle more prisoners than their design capacity. The James Musick branch is rated for 713 beds, but has 1,256.

In Los Angeles, the need for Proposition 205 funds is perhaps even greater. The Sybil Brand Institute for Women needs restoring to safe, structurally sound condition. The Peter Pitchess Detention Center is regularly convulsed by riots and was not designed for the dangerous criminals it now houses. Proposition 205 funds will pay for improvements that can create a more manageable and secure facility.

Such needs are echoed statewide. Proposition 205’s opponents point out that more use can be made of alternatives, such as electronic monitoring and house arrest for nonviolent criminals, but that doesn’t meet the need. Proposition 205 is worthy of support and deserves a “yes” vote.