By Brad Branan
bbranan@sacbee.com
A Sacramento County committee couldn't reach an agreement today on a $6 million proposal to reopen part of a county jail to handle new criminal offenders from the state.
The committee deadlocked on a 3-3 vote because Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel was away on a family emergency. The committee plans to vote again Oct. 13.
The committee is fashioning a public safety plan to handle the thousands of offenders the county will receive as a result of state laws passed earlier this year. Under the laws, counties will receive lower level offenders who were once sentenced to prison, as well as parolees once handled by the state. Counties started receiving offenders Oct. 1.
The committee has been considering a mixture of rehabilitation and incarceration. The state has appropriated $13.1 million for the county for nine months this fiscal year.
The committee approved a $4.2 million proposal for the county probation to run a day reporting center, which will provide rehabilitation to offenders. It also approved two other Sheriff's Department proposals: $555,000 for a supervised release program and $2 million for a home detention program.
Committee members have wrestled with how much - if any - jail funding should be approved.
Final approval for funding will have to come from the Board of Supervisors. The board can reject a funding plan with a 4-5ths vote. The board expects to receive the plan Nov. 1.
Call The Bee's Brad Branan, (916) 321-1065.
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