Its most famous prisoner was perhaps Cesar Chavez, jailed there for 20 days in 1970 after the union leader refused to call off a lettuce boycott. Now, the Old Monterey County Jail sits idle but is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, in part because Chavez, co-founder of the United Farm Workers Union once stayed there.
A special Board of Supervisors meeting has been called for 10 AM Friday. County and state officials are expected to discuss a $15 to $18 million dollar renovation proposal. The county hopes the state will pick up some of that cost.
