Santa Barbara County supervisors voted unanimously in early July 2026 to award Sletten Construction Company a $138.65 million design-build contract for a 348-bed addition to the Northern Branch Jail in Santa Maria. Total project cost is estimated at $167 million. Two firms submitted proposals. The award moves the project into design.
Project Scope
The existing Northern Branch Jail runs 133,000 square feet with 376 beds. The addition roughly doubles that, bringing total capacity to about 724. Beyond the housing units, the scope covers a secure connector to the existing facility, a new central utility plant, and site improvements. A newly formed jail construction governance committee will carry design direction forward, with attorney-client meeting space and dedicated mental health and substance abuse accommodations flagged as priorities during the award debate.
Why It Matters
Corrections work has its own rulebook. Security electronics, detention hardware, sightline requirements and specialized concrete and glazing push both the design coordination and the subcontractor pool well outside what a typical institutional GC handles. Design-build helps, which is likely why the county went that route. The politics are also live: South County jail population has been trending down, and advocates argued against adding beds at all. That tension is what produced the governance committee, and it means design decisions here will get more outside scrutiny than a normal county project. Two figures are circulating in coverage, so it’s worth being precise. The $138.65 million is Sletten’s contract. The $167 million is the county’s all-in estimate.
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Project Team & Details
| Owner / Client | County of Santa Barbara |
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| General Contractor | Sletten Construction Company |
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| Status | Planned |
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| Delivery Method | Design-Build |
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| Funding Source | Public (Municipal) |
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