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OAKLAND – The political tug-of-war over the size of a juvenile detention facility in Alameda County shifted Tuesday once again in favor of those who advocate the construction of a larger facility in Dublin. 

Supervisor Alice Lai-Bitker moved the board reconsider a vote she placed last month, which moved the county away from plans to build a 450-bed facility in Dublin. 

Members of a coalition that includes the youth advocacy group Books Not Bars, the Friends of Dublin and the Vote Health group advocating in behalf of renovating the Fairmont Hospital, praised Lai-Bitker’s swing vote at the time. 

But their support quickly dissipated Tuesday morning, as they heard Lai-Bitker change her vote and then introduce a proposal to raise the number of beds up to 420. 

Lai-Bitker’s proposal directs staff to plan the juvenile facility keeping a 420-bed capacity in mind.  

However, the proposal also calls for a contingency structure, which could provide for an additional 30 beds. 

Lai-Bitker said such a capacity would allow the county to meet its juvenile detention needs not only for the immediate future, but also in the long run. 

“We will only open (the juvenile hall) with the beds we need in 2005. I hope we can open it with less than 420,” Lai Bitker said. “The (420-bed capacity) may well be meeting our needs in the next quarter century.” 

Lai-Bitker’s proposal passed 3-2, with supervisors Nate Miley and Keith Carson, who represents Berkeley and parts of Oakland, opposing it. Supervisors Scott Haggerty and Gail Steele voted to approve the proposal.  

Lai-Bitker also challenged and defeated a study she helped approve last week, which directs staff to look at building two facilities, one in Dublin and another in the current location. 

Opponents of the Dublin site say that it puts juvenile offenders too far away from their families, in essence cutting them off from their society. 

Another concern of those who oppose a larger facility say that the size of the facility would dictate the way the county deals with issues of youth discipline. A larger building, they say, would lead to higher detention rates. 

Opposing the 420-bed facility, Miley said he couldn’t support it because he is not convinced that the county is committed to lowering the number of juveniles that it puts away. 

“I just don’t feel that the county has a policy that is directed toward detention alternatives,” Miley said.