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SOLEDAD, Calif- For the past 50 years the city of Soledad has been the host city for state correctional facilities. "We're the ones that takes their sewage, we're the ones that take their waste. We are the ones that provide police protection in an event of an emergency outside the facility," said Mayor Fred Ledesma, of Soledad.
But according to the mayor, over the past 10 years inmate work crews have started to spread their duties all through Monterey county. A service that Mayor Ledesma thinks should stay in the city.
"We are the host city so we feel that we should be getting first priority in regards to the work crews," said the Mayor.
The Mayor said there's no extra money laying around and could use the extra help to clean up city infrastructure. Due to budget cuts there are only 2 people in the Parks and Rec department and Ledesma said he could really use a full time work crew to come to the city's parks and pick up trash.
In January the Mayor said he expressed his concerns to the Department of Corrections and thought he would see a change, but didn't. We checked with the Department of Corrections and they are still working on a response.
On the Gabilan Fire Camp web site however, there are future inmate projects listed. Projects for the city of Monterey, Pebble Beach and Carmel, but none for Soledad.
"its like thinking you have a girlfriend and your girlfriend is out with someone else. It kind of bothers you a little bit," said Ledesma.
