Keep Bailing

City officials are up in arms about the proposed state budget to build a new jail in downtown Redwood City.  Due to jail overcrowding, a new San Mateo County jail is proposed to be built at cost around $150 million dollars and city leaders are worried that a new jail might put a damper on businesses and developers.

Since 2006, Redwood City officials have rallied against this plan and have gone as far as hiring a public relations company to help cease this proposal from going forward.  County officials have started an internet and media plan of their own in hopes of winning the public votes to move ahead with this project.

Redwood City Manager, Peter Ingram states, “It’s a big perception issue.  There’s a real concern that downtown Redwood City is predominated by incarceration facilities.”

The State of California needs to cut the jail population by about 40,000 inmates over a two-year period and are considering moving those inmates to county jails.  This would add additional stress to San Mateo, as they have three jails that are already overcrowded and this could add an additional 300 inmates to their facilities.

The new jail would allow the county to close a facility that is beyond repair and would double the amount of inmates being held to around 1,450.  It would also allow the county to provide better inmate rehabilitation through education and work programs.

Redwood City officials claim the plan would hinder the already proposed bid to renovate the downtown area and bringing in more music and art venues, housing, retail stores and restaurants.  Chairwoman of Redwood City, Nancy Radcliff, says, “It is unfair for our population of 76,000 to bear the burden of hosting another jail.”

Redwood City has spent over $310,000 on a public relations firm to fight the county’s jail proposal.  The firm mailed letters and sent emails with details about the city’s opposition against the jail proposal and even went door-to-door campaigning against this facility in local neighborhoods.

The County decided to fire back and started their own campaign through the media and on the Internet.  President of San Mateo County’s board of supervisors, Richard Gordon, says he was disappointed that the city of Redwood would hire a public relations firm in hopes of persuading the county to change its new jail plan. 

Right now both sides have agreed to put everything on hold and have started exploring other options that could put the new jail north of downtown.  The details are unclear at this point since that land is privately owned.