Los Angeles Jails Remain Open Despite Budget Woes
September 22, 2009
Back in June, Los Angeles County Sheriff threatened to close Pitchess Jail in less than a week. Well, here we are three months later and Pitchess Detention Center remains open. Tonight, Sheriff Baca indicates the Department has found $25million in savings and revenues. According to the Los Angeles Times:
“There will be no jail closures, and no portion of a jail will be closed,” said Steve Whitmore, the department’s spokesman. “There will no reductions in services in unincorporated areas and no reductions in detectives.”
Instead, the department will use unspent funds and new revenue streams to cover the gap. Whitmore said the department would get $10 million of additional state revenue for housing inmates awaiting transfer to prisons and use $7 million in funds left over from programs last fiscal year. It will also use $3 million in revenue from cities that contract with the department for law enforcement, $1 million in miscellaneous revenue, $2.5 million in cuts to specialty medical clinic services and $1.5 million in reductions to fixed assets.
Bravo, Sheriff Baca! Show the rest of America how it’s done.
Posted in California Jails, In The News | 1 Comment »
September 24th, 2009 at 7:47 am
It’s amazing how there’s always a mini-emergency (in every state it seems) in funding the NECESSITIES like education and law enforcement! Why can’t municipalities and state governments fund these items 1st before all the wasteful crap they waste our tax dollars on?!? Then they always initiate some “guilt” legislation to raise our taxes! Let’s show some accountability lawmakers!