Board to Study Plan for Development Next to Pitchess Jail

In the future, to say that you booked a room at Pitchess might no longer be a euphemism for having spent the night in the County Jail.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to study whether to build a hotel, golf course and conference center on 400 acres of county-owned property adjacent to Pitchess Detention Center near Castaic.

The supervisors were undaunted by the reputation of the sprawling Pitchess facility, which for the past several years has become best known as the site of frequent brawls among its 8,500 inmates that often escalate into full-scale riots.

In 1995, a group of 14 prisoners--two of whom have never been recaptured--escaped from the jail.

Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who represents the area and is pushing the development idea, said it’s no more unusual than having lockups in downtown Los Angeles--where there is a county jail and a federal prison--or in Marin County, where San Quentin Prison is located.

Antonovich said the idea is important because the cash-poor county desperately needs methods to generate revenue and because selling or leasing the property near Pitchess to a developer could be easily accomplished.

“This is an opportunity to generate funds at a time when we need money,” the supervisor said. “And in this area, there is a need for a convention center and golf course.” A Sheriff’s Department spokesman said Sheriff Sherman Block was unavailable for comment Tuesday.

The idea for developing the site dates back about 20 years to the tenures of Sheriff Peter J. Pitchess and Supervisor Warren M. Dorn. Their idea failed for lack of support from other county officials.

Several months ago, Dorn broached the subject to Antonovich, this time with the idea of including a championship golf course designed by professional golfer Arnold Palmer and named in honor of comedian and golfing enthusiast Bob Hope.

Dorn, who attended Tuesday’s board meeting, reported that the Red Lion restaurant chain was among those interested in developing the hotel and conference center.

In fact, so many details about the project have been discussed around the Hall of Administration during the past two weeks that Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky asked during Tuesday’s meeting: “Is this a done deal?

“If there’s a deal already cut, then this is disingenuous,” he continued. “I hope you would not have an objection to widening the scope” of the project.

Antonovich agreed, so instead of soliciting bids for a hotel and golf course, the board will seek proposals that include ideas for other projects on the land as well.