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| Measure A resolves questions over control of jail |
| By paloaltoonline.com - Daniel DeBolt |
| Published: 05/13/2012 |
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County officials hope voters approve Measure A on June 5, as it would resolve a legal quandary over a restructuring of the county's jails two years ago. In 2010 the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors transferred control of much of the county's jail system to the county sheriff in a restructuring that has saved $7 million a year. Opponents of that decision, including Supervisor Liz Kniss and the Santa Clara County Correctional Peace Officers Association, said the move violated a 1988 amendment to the county charter and therefore needed a public vote. After two lawsuits claiming the board's 2010 decision was illegal, including one from the correctional officers association, the board is finally requesting that public vote. Measure A would confirm the 2010 restructuring and give county supervisors the leeway to make such restructuring moves in the future. Measure A asks voters to "reaffirm the recent restructuring, ensure compliance with the law, and clarify and broaden the Board of Supervisors' discretion in determining how to most efficiently operate the county jails" says the argument for it, signed by all five county supervisors. "I firmly support Measure A," said Kniss, whose district includes Mountain View and Palo Alto. "When the proposal was made to move the Department of Corrections under the jurisdiction of the sheriff, I voted against it. I believed then as I do now that only the voters can reverse the arrangements they put into place when the Department of Corrections was made a separate department in 1988." Shortly after the 2010 restructuring, San Jose lawyer James McManis sued the county "to make sure the county followed the law like the rest of us." Read More. |
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