Musick

There are at least five remote sites in Orange County that are more suitable for a maximum-security jail than the James A. Musick Branch Jail (Editorial, June 28). The five sites are currently under engineering study and will be presented to county government along with an offer to purchase the 100-acre Musick facility next year. If The Times' staff would care to do a little investigative reporting, they would discover that it is not difficult to locate "remote" jail sites in Orange County.

From the big house comes a dollhouse. For years, Southern California's top home builders have competed to build the most exotic playhouses in the land -- miniature estates and castles, complete with turrets, that sell for tens of thousands of dollars in the name of charity. This year, professional architects and engineers have some competition -- a group of Orange County inmates.

Leaning toward a compromise that would allow expansion of the James A. Musick Branch Jail, the City Council has called for a special public meeting today before taking a final vote. "I think it's important to have a good public discussion of the issues," said Mayor Christina L. Shea. "I don't think many people are clear on exactly what's being proposed."

A Newport Beach man once accused of impersonating an attorney escaped from a low-security jail in Irvine with an accomplice Tuesday in a flight that involved bloodied razor wire, a rented getaway car and a televised high-speed chase. The escapee's undoing, authorities said, was that the getaway car, rented by an unknowing accomplice, was equipped with an electronic-tracking device.

Moving to end one of Orange County's hottest land-use battles, the Irvine City Council voted narrowly Friday to abandon its lawsuit blocking a massive expansion of the James A. Musick Branch Jail in return for a scaled-back proposal. At a raucous afternoon meeting, the council voted 3-2 for a compromise that opponents denounced as a "deal with the devil," drawing loud applause from dozens of angry residents. The settlement would limit the population at Musick, now 1,256 low-security inmates, to 4,600 minimum- and medium-security inmates prisoners and set up safeguards to protect nearby residents.

Regarding the proposal to expand the James A. Musick Branch Jail, it is unconscionable even to consider building a maximum security jail within 700 feet of a residential area. Certainly there are alternatives to this ridiculous plan. Why should we risk the safety of our neighborhoods and our children for the convenience of the planning committee? It will house 7,860 minimum, medium and maximum security inmates, including emotionally unstable juveniles. Also included is a sheriff's station, 900 parking spaces, and 28 acres for future expansion.

It is appalling that two Orange County supervisors have given the cold shoulder to an expansion of the James A. Musick branch jail. That expansion, even though it is not as big as originally proposed, is still substantial. Compromise on this issue would benefit everyone. Last week the city councils of Irvine and Lake Forest swallowed hard and acceded to the notion that Musick eventually would house more inmates than they would prefer. It was a difficult decision, because Musick is on their borders, with some of the nearest residents less than 1,000 yards from the jail.

On March 7, an overwhelming 67.3% of Orange County voters said "yes" on Measure F--the Safe & Healthy Communities Initiative. Measure F's provisions can be summed up in one sentence: The county supervisors must first get two-thirds voter approval before they can spend taxpayer dollars building or expanding airports, toxic waste dumps, or large jails near residential neighborhoods. While the controversy over El Toro airport inspired the initiative, much of the Measure F campaign actually focused on jails.

One wonders what the supervisors have to fear in televising their meetings (Feb. 16). Is it the fact that they just try to ram their pet projects down our collective throats (and wallets)? Or the fact that they behave like a bunch of babies when they don't get their way? Even if their meetings were broadcast, do they really think that the entire county is going to drop what they are doing and watch their supervisors "at work doing the people's business"? I really doubt that. Watch the supervisors instead of a "Simpsons" rerun?

Michael (Irish) O'Farrell, a Hells Angels leader, received the club's traditional funeral honors Saturday as bikers wearing jackets emblazoned with a winged skull escorted his body to a cemetery. O'Farrell, believed by law enforcement officials to be second in the Hells Angels hierarchy only to the motorcycle club's spiritual leader, Ralph (Sonny) Barger Jr., died during a bloody bar brawl on Tuesday. O'Farrell, 40, who along with Barger was awaiting sentencing on federal explosives convictions, was stabbed in the neck, chest and back, as well as being shot four times from behind, according to the Alameda County coroner's office.

Deputies were searching Sunday for Juan Ruiz, 23, who escaped from the James A. Musick Branch Jail, where he was serving a sentence for a narcotics violation, sheriff's officials said. Ruiz is not considered dangerous, they said.

In Irvine's thick environmental report detailing plans for a Great Park on the former El Toro Marine base, city officials have proposed annexing a controversial county jail near Lake Forest. The plan drew swift opposition from Sheriff Michael S. Carona and Tom Wilson, chairman of the Board of Supervisors.

Irvine and Lake Forest officials Wednesday rejected county Supervisor Cynthia P. Coad's final offer on a compromise limiting the planned expansion of the James A. Musick Branch Jail and called for the creation of a jail system advisory committee instead. "I believe that both Lake Forest and Irvine let an opportunity pass them by," a disappointed Coad said after the meeting.

A county supervisor is proposing limiting the planned expansion of the James A. Musick branch jail in Lake Forest to 3,600 beds--less than half of what the county could build--but Lake Forest and Irvine would have to find a new jail site. Chairwoman Cynthia P. Coad floated the idea in a closed board session Tuesday. Her plan was presented to representatives of both cities last week.

Ending nearly a decade of legal challenges, the California Supreme Court has rejected a last-ditch appeal by South County cities trying to block a massive expansion of the James A. Musick Branch Jail between Irvine and Lake Forest. The county wants to add space for up to 6,712 more beds at the jail, which now accommodates 1,256 inmates.

The James A. Musick branch jail will be expanded into one of the largest jails in Southern California as soon as there is enough money to pay for it, a majority of Orange County supervisors said this week. The county will proceed with a plan that could allow up to 7,968 beds for inmates at the onetime rural honor farm on the eastern edge of Irvine, board Chairman Chuck Smith said.

A memorial service for former Orange County Sheriff James A. Musick, who died Tuesday, will be Monday at Calvary Chapel in Santa Ana. Musick, who was 82, was elected sheriff seven times and served for 28 years before retiring in 1975. He was also a former professional football player. The service begins at 11 a.m. at the church, 3800 S. Fairview St. A private graveside service will precede the public service, Sheriff's Lt. Dick Olson said.

In calculated moves, a newly seated majority on the Irvine City Council on Tuesday resurrected planning for a city park at the closed El Toro Marine base and, separately, debated whether to oppose expansion of a jail that sits at the city's border. Incoming Mayor Larry Agran and new council members Chris Mears and Beth Krom had promised during their campaigns to reverse earlier council approvals to shift park funding to the state and to allow a limited expansion of the James A.

Rejecting a legal challenge filed by South County cities, an appeals court Friday cleared the way for the Sheriff's Department to build what would be Orange County's largest jail near a residential area of Lake Forest. The ruling removes a major barrier in the decade-long effort to expand the James A. Musick Branch Jail and ease chronic overcrowding that has plagued the jail system.