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VOL. 12,
NO. 159
State regulators again find deficiencies at LA County juvenile facilities
5 San Gabriel Valley residents arrested in drug trafficking case
By City News Service
By City News Service
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ollowing yet another state inspection that found deficiencies in operations at two critical Los Angeles County youth detention facilities, the county’s chief probation officer insisted Thursday that the agency is moving toward major improvements, but more time is needed to complete the process. But at least one member of the county Board of Supervisors expressed frustration at the continued short-comings in operations at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey and the Barry J. Nidorf Secure Youth Treatment Facility in Sylmar -- saying the problems plaguing the facilities are not new. “To say I am disappointed is an understatement,” Supervisor Janice Hahn said in a statement. The California Board of State and Community Corrections, at its Feb. 15 meeting, is scheduled to discuss the suitability of both facilities to house youth offenders. A recent inspection by the agency cited continued failures in several areas, saying hardly any of the issues raised in reviews last year had been addressed -- such as inadequate staffing, improper training, shortcomings in safety standards, lack of sufficient recreational opportunities and failure to get detained youth to school on time. If the BSCC determines the facilities are unsuitable for youth detention, the county will be given a short timeline to implement corrective actions or the facilities might be ordered to close. In a statement, the county’s chief probation officer, Guillermo Viera Rosa, said the agency is committed to bringing the facilities into full compli-
| Photo courtesy of Canva
I The Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey. | Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles County Probation Department
ance. But he added, “Making the comprehensive changes requested by the BSCC and shifting the overall culture of the county’s juvenile institutions is a monumental undertaking that necessitates both time and dedication.” “We have the dedication, we need the time. The issues identified by BSCC and others have been persistent for over 20 years. We cannot piecemeal the solution. This is a systemic problem that requires changing an entire operational culture.” He also referenced what he called “conflicting requirements” imposed by the BSCC and state Department of Justice as hampering the efforts. “It’s important to understand that these conflicting mandates create confusion, add complexity to our compliance efforts, and ultimately delay our ability to meet the standards set by the BSCC and other external agencies,” Rosa said. “Streamlining and harmonizing these requirements is essential to expediting our compliance efforts and ensuring that we can effec-
tively meet all regulatory obligations.” He repeatedly insisted that BSCC has declined to give the county enough time to fully implement operational changes. “While the goals that BSCC has given to us are not ambitious in and of themselves -- the timeframe they gave us to complete the work is,” he said. “To effectuate meaningful change, it is imperative to address deeply ingrained practices and foster a cultural shift that prioritizes rehabilitation, support, and the well-being of the young individuals in our care.” But Hahn, in her statement, said the county has long known what the issues are at the juvenile halls, and she was disappointed that improvements are so slow in coming. “We have long known what the BSCC’s expectations were and it is troubling that the department made so little progress and fell so short in meeting them,” Hahn said. “It is clear that our Probation Department has enormous challenges, from staffing to programming,
but it is imperative that we bring these two facilities into compliance because the future of the youth in our care is in jeopardy. I pledge to put every available county resource behind bringing these facilities into compliance. The alternative is unacceptable.” The county reopened Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey and transferred all pre-disposition youth to the facility, moving they away from Nidorf hall in Sylmar and Central Juvenile Hall in Lincoln Heights. The move followed the BSCC’s declaration last year that both facilities were found unsuitable to house youth detainees. But Padrinos was quickly plagued by issues highlighting the difficulties of operating such a facility. The facility experienced a pair of escapes, although both detainees were quickly re-apprehended. In January, eight probation officers were placed on leave for a “significant incident” involving detainees. The Los Angeles Times reported that the officers stood idly by while a teen detainee was beaten by a group of other youths.
ve alleged members of an international drug trafficking ring based in the San Gabriel Valley were arrested Wednesday for allegedly shipping methamphetamine from Los Angeles County to Australia and New Zealand. A 27-count federal grand jury indictment charges the defendants with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute the drug. Two of the defendants also have been charged with maintaining premises where the methamphetamine was stored and packaged, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The following defendants are scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in federal court in Santa Ana: -- Yangqiang Chen, 45, of Monterey Park; -- Jie Chen, 40, of Rosemead; -- MeiMei Chen, 41, of Rosemead; -- Guorong He, 50 of Rosemead; and -- Yien He, 32, of Rosemead. A sixth defendant, Zuxing Lin, 44, of Rosemead, is currently a fugitive, according to federal prosecutors. A seventh, Xingyun Chen, 54, is now in Louisiana in immigration custody. Prosecutors said that law enforcement seized 91 packages of methamphetamine destined for foreign countries. In those packages, authorities allegedly seized almost 441 pounds of methamphetamine. The value of the drugs seized, if sold in Australia and New Zealand, exceeds $20 million, according to law enforcement estimates. During search warrants executed Wednesday at three locations in Rosemead and Monterey Park, law enforcement seized about 40 pounds of methamphetamine, more than $100,000 in cash, and more than 1,000 gift cards from various retailers, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The indictment filed in L.A. federal court alleges that defendants Yangqiang Chen and Jie Chen ordered and received items from online retailers, such as spools of 3D printing filament, utility cases, wine opener sets, and drive shafts, for use in concealing methamphetamine in international shipments to foreign drug customers. Zuxing Lin, Meimei Chen, Xingyun Chen, Guorong He, and Yien He packaged the methamphetamine, at a residence in Monterey Park and elsewhere, for delivery to foreign drug customers, prosecutors allege. Yangqiang Chen, Zuxing Lin, Meimei Chen, Xingyun Chen, and Yien He delivered the packages containing methamphetamine to UPS stores and international shipping companies so they could be shipped to foreign drug customers, the indictment alleges. If convicted of all charges, each defendant would face a sentence of between 10 years and life in federal prison, prosecutors noted.