‘A human dignity issue’: Sheriff warns costs will rise if supervisors don’t OK jail upgrade funds

A new jail serving north San Diego County would cost some $950 million and take nine years to construct — if the work were to begin today, Sheriff Kelly Martinez told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

The replacement costs for the Vista Detention Facility would climb even higher if the spending were delayed, the sheriff warned. Construction costs are generally rising some 3% per year, she said.

San Diego County’s other jails need $289 million in immediate infrastructure upgrades and renovations because virtually all of the detention facilities have exceeded their useful lifespans, Martinez added.

Martinez also said the Sheriff’s Office will need dozens of new deputies, medical and mental health workers and planning and design experts to pull off a systemwide remake of the county’s aging detention facilities.

“We must make decisions soon, because the costs will continue to escalate,” she said. “This is not just a health issue; it’s a human dignity issue … Deferred maintenance is not a savings, it is a complicating liability.”

The sheriff’s presentation lacked details on exactly how much her office needs to make long-delayed repairs and improvements.

Last month, Martinez told the Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board that an outside consultant had finished a needs assessment and that she would be presenting it to the Board of Supervisors on Dec. 9.

But on Tuesday, Martinez said the overall cost assessment was ongoing, and ...