Sacramento County Turned Down for State Funding

No Expansion for Rio Cosumnes Jail

Sacramento County was not among the 11 counties chosen to receive funding from the Corrections Standard Authority last week. The county was hoping to get funds needed to expand the aging Rio Cosumnes Correctional Facility.

The CSA was offering $602 million in funding for California counties in order to help them pay for jail construction and expansion projects. Due to the new realignment plan, county jails must find ways to accommodate the increasing number of inmates that will be coming to their facilities to serve out sentences instead of state prisons.

There were twenty applicants for the money. Orange County, Los Angeles and Riverside Counties each received $100 million from the grant; Stanislaus will get $80 million; Santa Barbara and Tulare will each get $60 million.

Kings and Shasta Counties are getting $33 million each; Imperial County will get $24 million; $10 million for Sutter County and Madera County gets $3 million.

The Rio Cosumnes Correctional Facility is fifty years old and houses us to 2,000 inmates. Because of the realignment plan, the jail commander thinks that soon it will only house sentenced inmates instead of detainees awaiting trial.

Santa Barbara County Granted $60 Million

The construction of a much-needed North County jail in Santa Barbara County can finally get underway thanks to a grant from the Corrections Standard Authority.

Santa Barbara County jails applied for an $80 million grant and was given $60 million. This grant is the second phase in the Assembly Bill 900. Together, the CSA has handed out $1.2 billion in funding to 22 counties for their jail construction.

In order to receive this money, the county had to let go of the $56 million that was awarded during the first phase of the plan. If those funds are shifted around, Santa Barbara may get the full $80 million that it requested.

The funding is intended to Read more »

Controversy Over Randy Quaid Bond Money

The Santa Barbara bail bonds company that posted the bond for Randy Quaid and his wife, Evi, is facing the loss of that $1 million. Within a few days, if the couple does not appear for court, the money may be forfeited.

The company was originally supposed to have the couple back in court by November 10 or face the loss of the money. On Monday, the company filed a motion to get that money back. The hearing is scheduled for November 21.

Randy and Evi Quaid have been living in Canada, and if they do not return, Santa Barbara Bail Bonds could suffer a huge financial blow. The upcoming hearing, though, could fall in the company’s favor.

“There are very specific procedures that have to be followed before a bond can be forfeited and if these procedures weren’t followed exactly, the bond company may be entitled to the return of their bond,” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Lee Carter.

The couple’s retrieval will be the responsibility of the District Attorney’s office, if the bond company does receive its money back.

If that money is not returned, it will Read more »

North County Jail in Santa Barbara Set to Close

The Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office has notified the chiefs of the Santa Maria and Guadalupe Police Departments and the commander of the local CHP office that the North County Jail and Substation will be closing, effective June 27th.

The 20-bed facility houses people arrested in the Santa Maria Valley area for a wide variety of criminal offenses.

Santa Barbara County is facing a budget deficit of $70 million. Sheriff Bill Brown said that closing the jail and substation will save over $1 million each year. His entire department is facing nearly $8 million in budget cuts, resulting in the loss of 62 positions.

While the move will save millions of dollars, it will also strike a hefty financial blow to the Santa Maria and Guadalupe Police Departments.

Instead of being able to take anyone arrested in their jurisdictions to a jail nearby, officers will Read more »

Santa Maria Jail Information

General Information

Santa Maria Jail
812-A West Foster Rd.
Santa Maria, CA 93454
Phone 805-934-6159
Santa Barbara County Bail Bonds

The Santa Maria jail facility is a remote booking facility, which can only house inmates for up to 96 hours.  Those arrested in this area will be held there temporarily until they are released or transferred to the Main County jail located in Santa Barbara, which is the main jail in Santa Barbara County.

The main jail is a secure correctional facility which holds pre-trial detainees (both male and female sentenced inmates).

Inmate Visiting and Call Information

• The exact time of inmate Read more »

1/2 Cent for New Santa Barbara Jail

In a push to get the new Santa Barbara County Jail off of the ground, Sheriff Bill Brown says it will take a half-cent public tax increase. This would essentially amount to an added $30 million a year over 10 years for the new jail facility. The funding would also be aimed at recidivism programs.

Through Assembly Bill 900, the state has committed $56.3 million toward the construction of the new jail facility. It seems as though everything has come into alignment for the build. However, there are bridges yet to be crossed.

Budget costs just to run and operate the new facility would be in excess of $15 to 17 million per year. When you add the states fiscal woes to the mix, it creates an overal proposal that some believe can’t be met. The County would still have to come out of pocket another $23.7 million to meet the needs of the facility. However, Brown Read more »

Lock Down at Santa Barbara Jail

Last Friday morning an inmate at the Santa Barbara County jail was left seriously wounded from a stabbing incident which required hospitalization and stitches. Both the weapon and the assailant have yet to be determined. The Sheriff’s Department is investigating what is the third violent showdown in recent weeks.

An inmate was injured during a Read more »