Press releases are posted on Independent.com as a free community service.
Today, Assemblymember Gregg Hart introduced AB 2257 to strengthen accountability and restore checks and balances in the governance of California’s county jails.
AB 2257 will give counties the option to maintain sheriff-run jails or appoint an official other than the sheriff to operate the county jail system, if warranted by the need for improved jail operations and administration. The bill restores local choice in jail governance — a flexibility counties had prior to 1993.
“California’s county jails are in crisis,” said Assemblymember Hart. “Jail deaths are at record highs. People with mental illness languish without adequate care. Staffing shortages persist, while financial mismanagement threatens essential public services. Counties deserve the authority to ensure their jail systems are safe, constitutional, and fiscally responsible.”
Since the passage of Senate Bill 911 in 1993, elected sheriffs have held sole and exclusive authority over the operation of county jails. At the same time, county boards of supervisors have remained legally obligated to fund those jails — without authority to compel needed changes. This structural imbalance has created a governance model with limited checks and balances.
“With their policymaking authority ending at the jail door, boards of supervisors are put in the position of writing blank checks while jail issues persist,” Hart said. “Reintroducing local choice will encourage collaboration and accountability. If a sheriff-run model is serving the community well, it can continue. If not—and particularly in the face of longstanding issues—a board of supervisors should have the authority to evaluate and pursue a structure that better serves the community.”
In Santa Barbara County, for example, numerous preventable deaths have occurred in the county jail, devastating families and resulting in millions of dollars in legal settlements paid by taxpayers. Meanwhile, recurring jail budget overruns by the sheriff have forced the County to divert funding from other essential public services — including health and human services — to cover shortfalls.
Despite these ongoing challenges, the board of supervisors has had limited options to improve jail administration under current state law. At a recent hearing on the issue of chronic overspending, the sheriff reminded the board of supervisors of their lack of authority in this space. With a change in the law, sheriffs would be incentivized to take seriously the concerns of boards of supervisors, rather than rebuke their oversight efforts.
Under AB 2257, counties would not be required to change their jail governance structure. Instead, the bill restores flexibility and local control — allowing counties to determine the model that best ensures public safety, fiscal responsibility, and humane conditions.
“Good governance requires real accountability,” Hart said. “When human lives and millions of public dollars are at stake, counties must have the tools to ensure their jail systems are safe, effective, and responsibly managed.”
