Immigrant Advocacy Groups Push Back Against Santa Barbara County’s $460 Million Jail Expansion Proposal

Immigrant advocacy groups are calling on Santa Barbara County officials to reject the proposed North Branch Jail expansion project, highlighting concerns about the project’s necessity and fiscal impacts on the county.

An online petition has been launched, urging officials of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors to limit funding to a single housing unit instead of the currently discussed 1.5-unit expansion. 

According to the petition on Change.org, the board is considering approving more than $460 million (including long-term financing and staffing) to expand the jail by 1.5 housing units (which is equivalent to 384 beds).

The petition calls for limiting the addition to only one housing unit (256 beds) that could save around $147 million and defer or cancel another jail expansion. 

Started by CLUE Santa Barbara, the petition has been signed by more than 500 supporters. 

The board’s recently discussed plan will more than double the capacity of the Santa Maria jail and lock the county into “decades of financing and higher operational costs.” 

The jail expansion project will also adversely affect the county’s financial commitments, the petition argued. The county is already facing $23 million in cuts to social and safety-net programs next fiscal year, along with a $66 million deficit in the next five years, according to the petition. 

Pointing out that the county’s jails house several non-violent residents (many with mental health or substance use disorders) who do not need to be in jail to protect public safety, the petition said expanding jail capacity instead of strengthening rehabilitation services will not improve public safety. 

Urging residents to sign the petition, organizers said the petition seeks to enable the closure of most of the “outdated” South County Main Jail, enable funding to be redirected toward board-accepted jail population reduction measures, and prioritize crime prevention over incarceration. 

During a meeting of the Board of Supervisors on February 10, 2026, regarding the expansion project, several members of the public, community organizations, as well as some members of the board, questioned the necessity and the fiscal impacts of the project. 

While the board had earlier directed staff to proceed with a 1.5-pod (housing unit) expansion, some opponents called for a 1-pod option. 

The board was discussing a proposed $5 million contract for an independent contractor to provide construction management services. Although the contract was approved unanimously, the debate brought to light several concerns regarding the project’s scope and scale. 

Residents said that the $146 million potentially associated with the extra half-pod should be spent on mental health care, substance use treatment, and housing. 

A representative of Indivisible Santa Barbara and the 805 Immigrant Coalition asked the board to postpone the contract, noting that the project’s scale was bigger than necessary. 

Public speakers also pointed out that the plaintiff’s counsel in the Murray case litigation, which sparked the need for jail improvements, had expressed skepticism about the expansion, suggesting that the county might not be able to staff it or provide the required treatment. 

The Murray case litigation mandated improvements to conditions of confinement through a court-ordered remedial plan. To comply with the 2020 judgment, the county must adhere to strict timelines to complete facility improvements by July 1, 2029.