COUNTYWIDE : Supervisors Act to Speed Jail Approval

In a move designed to speed up an approval for the proposed Ventura County Jail near Santa Paula, the Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to sit in place of an environmental panel at a public hearing Jan. 8.

The move could advance the approval process by a month, provide relief more quickly for the vastly overcrowded central jail and save the county money, county officials said.

But Santa Paula area resident Roger Orr urged the board to allow the county’s normal process to go forward.

“Cost is important, but fairness is at least equally important,” Orr said.

The county proposes to build a $52-million jail to house 752 prisoners on the site of a 157-acre lemon orchard on Todd Road south of the Santa Paula Freeway. The county has spent nearly $500,000 on a study to evaluate the effects of the proposed jail.

Usually, the environmental review committee would hold the public hearing.

But with supervisors scheduled to hold the hearing, the process will go more quickly, said Arthur Goulet, director of public works. The public will have the same opportunity to comment, but the board will hear the arguments directly instead of having them reported by staff members, he said.