City Councilwoman Hernandez pushes for redevelopment of Lincoln Heights Jail for housing
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez introduced a motion today seeking a report on the feasibility of rehabilitating the site of the former Lincoln Heights Jail for affordable housing and mixed- use development to serve the surrounding neighborhood.
The jail located at 401 N. Avenue 19 has been vacant since 2014, according to Hernandez's motion.
It was originally built in the 1930s to hold 625 people but quickly became overpopulated and ultimately held nearly 2,800 people by mid-century. The city and county of Los Angeles decommissioned the jail in 1965 due to overcrowding and the cost of maintenance.
"The Lincoln Heights Jail is a physical embodiment of the criminalization and discrimination that has impacted generations of residents in Northeast L.A.," said Hernandez, who represents the First District, where the jail is located. "This parcel of land is sitting vacant and almost entirely unused in the middle of a neighborhood with an unprecedented need for deeply affordable housing, community resources and economic development. My office will be leading the charge to finally demolish this jail and rehabilitate the land for use that will serve Lincoln Heights and the broader Northeast LA community."
The Lincoln Heights Jail has a long history of overcrowding, poor conditions and mistreatment of prisoners, according to Hernandez.
In 1951, seven incarcerated people were brutally beaten in the jail by over 50 officers in an event that came to be known as Bloody Christmas.
During the 1950s and 60s, the city of Los Angeles and the police chief at the time began a long-running effort to target the LGBTQ+ community for arrest and criminalization.
After being decommissioned, the space was used to house city departments and the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts until 2014.
There is currently a Department of Transportation yard on the property that is expected to vacate the premises during the upcoming summer.
Hernandez's motion noted that there is significant remediation needed for the land, which has several environmental hazards. Prior attempts by the city to identify an adaptive reuse project for the site have faltered and there is currently no plan for redevelopment.
The motion would direct a report back within 120 days with an order of operations to assess possible uses of the site and funding needed to move forward with remediation.
Her motion also asks the Economic and Workforce Development Department to develop a robust community engagement plan to redress social harm the jail brought on the surrounding community.
