LANCASTER : Jail Expansion OKd but Not Funded

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved expansion of the jail at the Antelope Valley court facility, but refused to fund the project, saying it wants to assess the cost of such an expansion once details of the state budget are available.

The expansion of the lockup facility, which holds jailed defendants awaiting court appearances, is expected to cost between $500,000 and $540,000, according to deputies to Supervisor Mike Antonovich.

Antonovich pressed for approval of the lockup expansion, saying it is needed because of overcrowding at the facility in Lancaster. But Supervisor Edmund D. Edelman said he wouldn’t vote to fund the expansion until the bids are in and its exact cost can be weighed against other projects competing for scarce state and county dollars.

The 3-0 vote by the supervisors formally allows the county to solicit bids for the expansion project and a similar expansion of the San Pedro Courthouse lockup. Supervisors Kenneth Hahn and Gloria Molina were absent.

The board action also exempted the Antelope Valley project from requirements for an environmental impact report, because it is an expansion of an existing facility.