New county jail in Indio to be named after Late Supervisor John J. Benoit

Riverside County’s newest correctional facility will bear the name of the late Supervisor John J. Benoit, thanks to a unanimous vote today by the Board of Supervisors.

“He was such an important part of making the East County Detention Center a reality,” board Chairman John Tavaglione said. “Today, it is near completion, and it’s only fitting that we honor our dear colleague by naming this facility after him.”

The ECDC, located adjacent to the existing Indio Jail, will be known as the John J. Benoit Detention Center.

“When you name a significant site like this after someone, it’s a serious thing,” Supervisor Marion Ashley said. “This is a case of the man matching the moment here. He did so many great things. He’s one of the great supervisors from the (fourth) district. I can’t think of anyone better to name this after.”

Tavaglione read a letter from Benoit’s younger brother, Paul Benoit, who thanked the board for the tribute, saying his sibling, a “modest and humble public servant,” would never have sought such recognition but deserved it.

The late supervisor’s son, Wildomar Councilman Ben Benoit, also expressed his gratitude, telling the board that he looked forward to driving by the detention center and pointing it out to his young daughter so that she will know “this is the facility that her grandfather worked so hard on.”

The $330 million ECDC is slated to open next year, adding more than 1,000 jail beds to the county’s current stock of 3,900. The board is planning to open the state-of-the-art facility in phases due to funding challenges.

According to Ashley and Tavaglione, Benoit was pivotal in pushing the project toward construction, coordinating with the city of Indio and working to allay the concerns of Coachella Valley residents and businesses.

The supervisor died on Dec. 26, 2016, following a battle with pancreatic cancer, which was diagnosed barely a month before his passing.

Benoit served as board chair twice and was a county supervisor from November 2009 until his death. He was a state senator when then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed him to fill the seat left vacant following the death of Supervisor Roy Wilson.

Benoit also served six years in the state Assembly, jumping into politics not long after he retired from the California Highway Patrol, where he rose through the ranks to become a station commander after three decades on the job.