Press Release: Monterey County Jail Lifts Temporary Closure to the Public Due to Power Disruption

DATE/TIME: 7/17/25 at 11:45 AM

TYPE OF INCIDENT: Monterey County Jail Lifts Temporary Closure to the Public Due to Power Disruption

LOCATION: 1410 Natividad Road, Salinas, California

MEDIA CONTACT: Andres Rosas, Commander Phone: 831-261-5492 Email: rosasae@countyofmonterey.gov

The Monterey County Jail has lifted the temporary closure to the public and visitations are now being allowed.

The jail facility had been closed to the public after PG&E identified a power safety issue on Tuesday July 15th, 2025. This issue resulted in power being shut off to the jail facility until repairs could be made. The jail has been operating on emergency power generators that were providing limited power to the facility.

On July 16th, 2025, just before 10:00 PM, a supplemental emergency power generator was brought in and is now providing additional power to the Monterey County Jail facility. This includes areas of the jail that were previously without power such as our administrative offices, break rooms, briefing room and our main lobby where public visitations are processed.

All areas where incarcerated persons are housed have been receiving power throughout the duration of this disruption.

Public visitations have resumed as normal however, it is important for the public to know that work on the power safety issue is still in progress. We are continuing to work with our county partners and PG&E to repair the power safety issue. There may be intermittent power outages during times that repairs are being made which could result in the unexpected temporary suspension of jail visitations at a future time.

The Monterey County Jail continues to prioritize the safety of our incarcerated population, jail staff and the public while we work to restore the jail facility to full grid power as quickly as possible. We wish to thank the public for their understanding and flexibility during these unusual circumstances.