Lawmakers mull selling San Quentin

Carleton Bryant The Washington Times - April 1, 2009, 06:03AM

California lawmakers are considering selling San Quentin Prison to shore up the state’s budget shortfall, the San Francisco Chronicle is reporting.

The 435-acre parcel overlooks San Francisco Bay, and real estate experts say it could reap more than $2 billion. About half of that amount would be used to build a new prison for San Quentin’s 5,300 inmates.

SEE RELATED:

The first rule of real estate is location, location, location. So who had the brght idea of locating a prison on such a sweet plot of land? Donald Trump?

The fact that new construction would be done on the site of a former prison would be a HUGE selling point — like building a house on an ancient Indian burial ground.

All this time every San Quentin inmate has had a room with a view. Who knew?

I hear that former inmates sometimes like to return to the prison where they served their sentences. I hope they include that in the San Quentin real estate brochures.

About the Author

Carleton Bryant

Carleton Bryant is a senior editor at The Washington Times, where he oversees the National and Metropolitan desks. He also serves as the newsroom’s internship coordinator. He has served as an assistant managing editor; a National, Metropolitan and Features desk editor; an assistant National desk editor; and a reporter on the National and Metro desks.