The Irvine City Council, in a special meeting on Dec. 21, will discuss the option of filing an Amicus Brief supporting the Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes’ decision not to release inmates due to an outbreak of COVID-19 within the O.C. jail system – despite a court order to do so.

Per the court, Barnes was ordered to release 1,800 inmates to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 within inmates.

Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan explained that this closed City Council meeting was called to ensure that Irvine was protected at all costs.

“It’s mainly about the safety of our community,” Khan wrote in a text to Irvine Weekly.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Dec. 18, Irvine City Council member Anthony Kuo wrote that the City Council would hold a special meeting on Monday, Dec. 21.

https://www.facebook.com/AnthonyKuoIrvine/posts/3470556153040039

“The Irvine City Council will meet in a special session on Monday to consider filing an Amicus Brief in support of the Sheriff’s efforts to keep Orange County safe,” Kuo wrote in the post.

Earlier this month, Sheriff Don Barnes received a court order to reduce the inmate population by 50 percent, following a COVID-19 outbreak in an Orange County jail.

In a formal statement on Dec. 11, Barnes said the release of more than 1,000 inmates would create an environment for potentially dangerous activity, considering the violent nature of those slated for release.

https://www.facebook.com/OCSheriffBarnes/posts/1494274064104634

“We have received an order from the court in a case regarding COVID-19 in the Orange County jails. The order mandates a significant reduction of the jail’s inmate population. We are evaluating the order, its impacts and our options for appeal. If the order stands, it will result in the release of more than 1,800 inmates. Many of these inmates are in pre-trial status for, or have been convicted of, violent crimes and will be released back into the community. This order puts our community at substantial risk and does not take into account the impact on the victims of these crimes,” the statement read.

On Thursday, Dec. 10, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department reported that more than 100 inmates had tested positive for COVID-19, after two inmates began displaying symptoms a day earlier.

After testing was conducted, the Sheriff reported that 72 inmates tested positive for COVID-19. As of Monday, Dec. 21 the Orange County Sheriff reported 835 current positive cases of COVID-19, with 906 test results pending.

To date, 7,432 inmates have been tested for COVID-19 with a total of 1,521 testing positive, and 5,920 testing negative, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

The Irvine City Council Special Meeting is scheduled to meet at 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 21.

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting Irvine Weekly and our advertisers.