Compared to other competing counties, San Mateo was considered low in the priority for state funding. The county was ranked ninth in the large county population category, falling behind the counties of Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, Orange, Kern, Sacramento, Santa Clara and Fresno.

The main deciding factor in the ranking of the counties was how many inmates each county sends to state corrections centers each year. For Los Angeles County, that number is near 19,000 inmates. In San Bernardino, approximately 5,800 inmates are transferred to state facilities. San Mateo County only sends about 560 inmates annually.

County officials are hopeful that, if one of the other counties drops out of contention, San Mateo County will have a good chance of securing funding. The site for the new jail has already been purchased and planning is currently underway. The estimated total building cost for the new facility is $165 million. State money could cover more than half of that amount, reducing the amount of debt San Mateo County will face.

Regardless of whether or not San Mateo receives state funds, the plans to build a new jail will move forward. Overcrowding has continued to plague the San Mateo County corrections system, with the Maguire Correctional Facility averaging over 1,000 inmates when it is only rated to house 688.

County officials will continue to monitor the situation of applying for state funding in order to be prepared should the opportunity arise for them to pounce.

A brand new San Mateo County Jail in Redwood City is expected to open its doors in Octobert 2014.  The construction budget, which is forecasted to be between $145 million and $160 million, will help create a state-of-the-art facility that promotes educational opportunities. Although this is not a new concept, it’s been expanded beyond what’s considered to be the norm.

Greg Rynerson Bail Bonds continues with the nineth in our series on California jails: Inside the New San Mateo County Jail.  Here, we’ll fill you in on

• Rehabilitation Programs
• Class Offerings
• Inmate Housing

The Option B model for the new jail provides for a transitional housing program in order to help prepare inmates for reentering society. What program is to be used has not yet been decided.

The cost for building the new detention facility could be between $100 and $165 million, with annual operating costs estimated at $44 million, according to a district report. If Sheriff Munks’ proposal is approved for a grant, the county could receive up to $100 million in state funding.

The only opposition in both votes was from Supervisor Dave Pine. The normally calm Pine, representative of District 1, made his frustrations known to fellow board members. He feels that the county has failed to seriously consider alternative programs which could enable inmates to become productive members of society.

One option that is being debated in San Mateo is whether a new jail should be built in Redwood City, with a price tag of $165 million. Over the next year, County Sheriff Greg Munks anticipates that an extra 350 inmates will be sent to the detention facilities in San Mateo, which are already woefully overcrowded. His recommendation to the board is for a new maximum-security facility which will include the space needed for the increased population as well as programs that will help rehabilitate the inmates during their incarceration.

A “full build” will be able to house up to 832 inmates while the “partial build” will hold 640. The most practical option for the county, however, is one that will house up to 576 inmates and include an unoccupied floor that can be used for an extra 256 beds, according to Sheriff Munks.

The county could receive up to $100 million in supplemental assistance from the state, according to Munks, to help with development of the new detention facilities.

Tom Merson, the sheriff’s office risk manager, mentions that due to budget cuts Redwood City jail is not staffed to maintain seven days of visitation, especially with the expected influx within the next few weeks.  Inmates will no longer be able to have visits on Wednesdays except from their attorney’s.  “Our jail is already grossly overcrowded.  We have a capacity in our men’s jail of 688, and on any given day we run roughly around a 1,000” said Merson.

San Mateo County has long been in the jail planning stages. The state’s public safety realignment plan is due to begin on October 1st and calls for the transferring of 33,000 state prisoners.

According to Marshall Wilson, the supervisors already spent $17.4 million for purchasing the site which may impact them financially when trying to fund the construction of the site. If the bond route is chosen, the county will seek them out over the next three years. Instead of raising taxes and using the taxpayers’ dollars, the bonds would instead fill funds for reserves.

The Assembly Bill 900, which was passed by legislatures in 2007, provides funds for jail construction projects. Sheriff Greg Munks, along with the county, hopes to be able to use this bill.

Munks stated that the jail cannot be put on hold any longer, even with the county’s deficit, because overcrowding is very much an apparent problem. The expected new jail costs are to exceed $100 million by 2015. Munks said, “When people say, ‘can we afford to do it?’ I say we can’t afford not to do it.”

Currently, the county is in the phase of designing the new facility which is expected to hold approximately 768 inmates at one time. Munks stated that the new facility is expected to open by the end of 2013.

On Tuesday, officials are holding a meeting to discuss and determine whether or not to accept a purchase option agreement that includes four properties on Chemical Way.

This alternate site was a solution to the original preferred site located in the downtown area. This site was rejected due to city official’s opinion that the new jail would interfere with the city’s goal of restoring the downtown area.

The new Redwood City Jail site will cost $17.4 million, plus an additional $2.25 million for the relocation of inmates. However, if the city officials delay their decision further, the site could go up to $17.9 million. The deadline for the decision is December 27, and if city officials want to extend the deadline they will be responsible for paying up to $475,000 to keep the option open. However, if city officials want to extend the deadline to January 31, the county will be paying out $215,500. Furthermore, a $138,500 fee taken from the extension amount will not be used towards the purchase.

According to city officials, the fee and extension would be paid for by reserve funds and possibly, backfilled bond funding. Overall, even if city officials do approve the plan, they don’t think they will have enough to cover the expense of their new jail, or monies to cover the cost of keeping it running.

The agreement is being proposed to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, which will include the option for the county to purchase four industrial land-plots near Highway 101 for the new jail facility.

This proposal serves as an alternative to the declined proposal for building the new jail in Redwood City’s downtown district. The downtown building idea left speculators thinking that the jail would negatively impact the areas efforts to revitalize.  The future jail for San Mateo County is necessary due to the overcrowding of their current Redwood City Jail.

City officials have been opposed to the downtown jail plan from the beginning saying that the additional jail facility is not compatible with the city’s downtown renewal efforts. The alternative land being purchased, east of Highway 101 on Chemical Way, is considered a “very viable” option, according to Sheriff Greg Munks.

So far, the city council has been able to secure $332,000 dedicated to the real estate and environmental consulting services for Chemical Way. They are still asking for an additional $13 to $14 million.

However, even if the plan is approved, Redwood City officials have said they will not abandon the downtown site.

Currently, the defendants are held at the Maple Street facility and Maguire Jail, but both have high overcrowding. If the new jail is to open, the Maple Street facility will be closed.

The new jail will be able to house both men and women. This plan is said to go before the council on October 11.

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.