State Gives S.B. County $60 Million for New Jail

Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown received $60 million from the state Thursday to build a new North County jail, a big step in the slow walk toward a much-needed custody facility.

While Brown had asked the state for $80 million, the Corrections Standards Authority (CSA) gave him only $60 million. The money comes to the county under the second phase of Assembly Bill 900. Thus far under the two phases, the state has passed out $1.2 billion to 22 counties for jails.

In order to make itself eligible for this new award, Santa Barbara had to relinquish a $56 million amount it received under phase one of AB 900. So, the county currently sits with $4 million more than it did at the beginning of the week. And it could still very well receive the full $80 million it requested. (The $56 million phase one money the county gave up could also be shifted and become phase two funding, and then potentially be applied to the county’s full $80 million request.)