Supervisors and lawmakers to discuss next step for Old Monterey County Jail

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) The Monterey County Board of Supervisors and several state lawmakers are meeting Friday to discuss what the next step is for the Old Monterey County Jail.

The jail has been empty for years, but it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was added to the list in 2004 for its architectural significance and for being a place where Cesar Chavez was imprisoned.

Chavez, the co-founder of the United Farm Workers, was held there for 20 days in December 1970 for refusing to call off a lettuce boycott.

The county has several options it is considering, but it is asking lawmakers to fund a project that would allow the county to reuse the Old Monterey County Jail facility.

The potential project would require some heavy-lifting and would cost an estimated $15 to $18 million dollars. In September 2019, the board of supervisors decided to seek State Budget funding to retain the administration wing and add a new building, preserve the Alisal facade and add a park or retain the administration wing and add a new park.

The board of supervisors said preserving the administrative building and/or Alisal facade retains a part of the historic resource, and the administration building could be used as a museum. The supervisors said the park could be dedicated to Cesar Chavez.

It will be discussed at a special board of supervisors meeting Friday at 10 a.m.