The decision to expand the Northern Branch Jail has huge financial implications for Santa Barbara County.

The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to add 384 beds to the relatively new jail facility near Santa Maria and downsize the space used in the aging Main Jail near Santa Barbara.

During deliberations, Supervisor Joan Hartmann said the decision was the most difficult of her time on the board.

“We’re considering financing $216 million in construction, which would permit the county to pay from the general fund $35 million more each year, including $15 million for debt service and $20 million more for staffing,” Hartmann said.

“So this is the most sobering decision I’ve ever come to while on this board, because it really binds future boards.”

The Northern Branch Jail, which opened in 2022, was built to alleviate overcrowding in the Main Jail. The new facility was designed to be a modern jail that required lower staffing ratios and provided more services to people in custody.

It has only 376 beds, which means the county is operating both facilities.

The county spent $90 million on its jail system during the Northern Branch Jail’s first year, the most ever, and is on track to spend $95 million this year.

The poor conditions of the Main Jail led to a 2017 class-action lawsuit and stipulated an agreement to make some major changes. The county considered renovating sections of the Main Jail or adding onto the Northern Branch Jail to address those issues, and opted for the expansion plan.

The estimated construction cost for the additional jail beds is $179 million. The annual cost increase is estimated at $14.6 million, including additional staffing and debt service.

The board has already decided to downsize the Main Jail in Santa Barbara and use it primarily for booking. The county plans to use the Northern Branch Jail as its primary facility moving forward, and supervisors considered building an additional 256-512 beds.

They voted 3-2 to build 384 beds.

Expanding the Santa Maria Jail

The decision to add 384 beds came after nearly five hours of discussion at Tuesday’s meeting, 38 public speakers, and arguments for and against expanding the jail. In the end, the Board of Supervisors approved the expansion in a 3-2 vote.

Supervisors Laura Capps, Roy Lee and Hartmann were in favor. Steve Lavagnino and Bob Nelson wanted to build more beds, citing a need for space and the potential cost of having to build more in the future.

Before approving the housing units, Lee proposed including an amendment that would require staff to maximize the number of beds for inmates who need mental health care.

Hartmann originally said she would not approve of more than one pod of new jail housing, but ultimately agreed to Lee’s idea.

Lavagnino acknowledged that people may not want to spend money on the jail system but said that it was needed. He also cited the need for additional space and called it a “math problem.”

“I looked at the 2020 census. There are 448,229 people in Santa Barbara County. Let’s just say 800 people are in jail. (…) 0.017 of the population is now eating up 23% of our discretionary general fund. That’s insane,” Lavagnino said. “Something is significantly wrong there.”

Sheriff Proposes Rehabbing Main Jail Section

Heading into Tuesday’s meeting, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown lobbied for the board to approve the maximum number of additional beds at the Northern Branch Jail.

In his remarks to the board, Brown pushed back against the idea that many of the people at the jail are non-violent or are there for minor crimes.

“Gone are the days when significant numbers of people in the Santa Barbara Jail are being held for petty theft, for not making their child support payments, or for first-time drunk driving. Those people don’t even see jail before,” Brown said.

Brown argued that the 2024 passage of Proposition 36, which imposes stricter penalties for crimes, means that the public is fed up with the status quo.

“They want order in the public square, and they want neighborhoods that are peaceful, safe and secure for their families, friends, coworkers and neighbors. Holding criminals accountable and having sufficient jail capacity plays a key role in that formula,” Brown said.

With this option, the system-wide number of rated beds would decrease from what it is now. Because of that, Brown raised the proposal of rehabbing the Northwest Facility of the Main Jail in addition to the new housing, for more capacity.

A table shared with the board estimated that the cost of running one housing unit at the Northern Branch Jail and the Northwest Facility would be $11.5 million to 12.5 million annually. The document did not factor in the cost of renovating the Northwest Facility.

A staff report estimated that the cost of running the Northwest Facility would be an additional $3.5 million annually.

The supervisors’ vote did not include the Northwest Facility, but it’s unclear if that proposal will come back to the board in the future.

Public Comment

During public comment, opponents of the jail expansion asked the board to focus on adding more access to mental health care rather than adding to the jail.

Before the discussion on the jail expansion, the board approved a new two-year contract with the California Forensic Medical Group for $49.8 million. The organization provides medical and mental health services at the county’s jails.

Some of the speakers shared stories of family members who were able to avoid jail because of access to mental health services. Others shared stories of how jail made the mental health of their loved ones worse.

Gail Osherenko with the League of Women Voters warned the supervisors that spending such a large amount of money on additional housing units could strap future boards with millions of dollars in debt.

“If you are adding, especially if you are adding more than one (housing unit), you will not be making our community safer,” Osherenko said. “You will be sentencing us to living in a more inequitable and inhumane place with a wider gap between the haves and the have nots, and that will not make us any safer.”

One of the speakers in support of the expansion was Neil Gowing, president of the Santa Barbara County Deputy Sheriffs Association, who said he represented the “boots on the ground.”

He said building the additional units would allow for better inmate security by allowing staff to separate people who are at risk of assault. He added that he agreed that the county needs better mental health services but that he believes there is still a need for more jail space.

“We all know construction costs will are only going to increase. If you make a decision today, to me, we build two pods and make sure we have the bed space and hope we don’t have to use them,” Gowing said.