Residents, advocates press California City planning commission to demand permits and transparency for CoreCivic facility

More than 100 residents and advocates urged the California City Planning Commission on Sept. 2 to block or publicly scrutinize the operation of a CoreCivic-run detention facility in California City and to enforce local licensing and review requirements.

Speakers at a public-comment session that ran more than three hours described transfers of detainees into the city and said the facility is operating without required local business licenses, conditional use approvals and environmental review. "We really wanna encourage you all today to continue to ask questions," said Marcela Hernandez, identifying herself as with Detention Watch Network.

The comments pressed the commission to use local rules and state laws, including Senate Bill 29, which several speakers said requires two public hearings and advance notice when jurisdictions approve or license immigration detention facilities. "Transparency, proper licensing, and public trust are not optional," said Natalia Saka of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA).

Speakers also cited a 1998 conditional use permit for the site and…