State Justices Uphold Jail Expansion

Ending nearly a decade of legal challenges, the California Supreme Court has rejected a last-ditch appeal by South County cities trying to block a massive expansion of the James A. Musick Branch Jail between Irvine and Lake Forest.

The county wants to add space for up to 6,712 more beds at the jail, which now accommodates 1,256 inmates. But Irvine and Lake Forest have tried to derail the effort with a lawsuit claiming the county failed to examine the effects such an expansion would have on nearby homes and businesses.

Appellate judges ruled last year that the county had already performed a satisfactory analysis of how the project would affect safety, traffic and other issues in nearby neighborhoods, and the state Supreme Court decided last week to let that ruling stand.

The plans, which were drawn up to ease chronic overcrowding in the county’s jail system, allow the Sheriff’s Department to house up to 7,968 maximum-security inmates at Musick. The site is 700 feet from homes in Lake Forest.

After the Supreme Court decision, South County leaders said they will continue pressing the county for a compromise that will allow for some expansion of Musick.

“We’ve always felt very strongly about a resolution with the county to work out the needs of our residents and the countywide needs for additional beds,” Lake Forest Councilman Peter Herzog said.

Compromise, however, appears unlikely for the moment.

The most recent attempts to forge a compromise died in December, when the Irvine City Council rejected an agreement that would have capped the number of beds at Musick at 4,400, saying the figure was still too high.

“The county has a ways to go before there is any resolution on the Musick jail issue,” Supervisor Tom Wilson said in a written statement released Wednesday.

Irvine City Atty. Joel Kuperberg said the South County cities could pursue other legal options to block the project, though he declined to elaborate.

The county has long argued that expansion of Musick would help the Sheriff’s Department comply with a federal court order to reduce chronic jail overcrowding. Hundreds of thousands of inmates have been granted early releases to make room for incoming offenders, and officials in recent years have said the tight conditions have led to jailhouse disturbances.

Sheriff Michael S. Carona said the county needs about 4,650 additional jail beds by 2025. His department is adding 500 beds at the Theo Lacy Branch Jail in Orange. Carona said he will make solving the space crunch a priority for his administration, going so far as to vow that he will not seek reelection if he fails.