7351 Rosanna St. — Site of Approved Detention Facility Moratorium
Marin County supervisors are set to consider a 45-day moratorium on new or expanded detention facilities in unincorporated parts of the county, a move officials say would close a gap in local planning rules just as similar federal immigration detention projects are being pursued near Gilroy and Dublin. The proposal would take effect immediately if approved and would bar the siting, construction, conversion, expansion or operation of new or expanded detention facilities, whether publicly or privately run.
What the Proposed Ban Would Do
According to a county announcement cited by SFGATE, Marin currently has no planning regulations specifically addressing federal immigration detention facilities, leaving the county without clear tools to evaluate such a project if one were proposed. County official Derek Johnson said other California counties have already acted to prohibit such facilities over concerns about public health, safety, infrastructure and emergency response, and that the urgency ordinance would preserve Marin’s ability to plan before it ever receives a detention-center application.
County official Sarah Jones put it more bluntly, saying a building is not suitable for detention merely because it can be converted into one. Marin officials have said they plan to examine the potential effects any such facility could have on water and wastewater capacity, emergency access, public health and surrounding neighborhoods, and the county has cited infrastructure constraints and preparations for the upcoming storm season as part of its reasoning, per the same SFGATE report. Notably, the Board of Supervisors could extend the moratorium for up to two years if officials decide they need more time to develop permanent regulations.
Limits Built Into the Proposal
The moratorium, as described in the SFGATE account, would apply only where the county actually holds land-use authority and would remain subject to state and federal law. It would not halt federal immigration enforcement, and it would not close any existing detention facilities. The move follows an earlier step by the Board of Supervisors, which on October 20 adopted a separate policy prohibiting the use of county property, resources and confidential information in connection with federal immigration enforcement…