Sheriff Alex Villanueva announced on Wednesday he plans to sue Los Angeles County supervisors over the pending closure of Men's Central Jail.
“They’re exceeding their authority and they’re jeopardizing the safety of not just the public at large, they’re also jeopardizing the safety of the inmate population,” he said.
In June, the Board of Supervisors voted to create a team to close the jail. During that time, Supervisor Hilda Solis said the jail has been "tainted by mismanagement, corruption [and] mistreatment of people."
“MCJ has been a brooding symbol and a stain on LA County that has caused generations of trauma, especially for Latinx and African American Angelenos,” she said.
Supervisor Sheila Kuehl called the jail "decrepit, overcrowded, and outdated."
Supervisor Kathryn Barger voted against the motion that also called for demolishing the jail, moving inmates to other facilities and releasing some 4,500 people behind bars to residential programs or into community treatment.
County council said in a statement there's nothing in writing on this from the sheriff yet and he will not comment on what Villanueva said.
