Probation Department proposes relocating detainees from Downey juvenile hall
LAHSA seeks additional funds from LA for staff, other services
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Supervisors call for review of Los Padrinos depopulation plan
VOL. 13,
LA County board seeks better emergency prep at Mirador Apartments
By Joe Taglieri
By Joe Taglieri
joet@beaconmedianews.com
joet@beaconmedianews.com
I
n response to a court ordered plan submitted last week to reduce the number of youth detainees at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors instructed the chief probation officer Tuesday to review other options for depopulating the troubled facility. Supervisors cited an April 24 meeting of the county's Probation Oversight Commission that yielded a broader set of recommendations intended to safely reduce the Downey juvenile hall's population, compared with the strategy submitted Friday by Chief Probation Officer Guillermo Viera Rosa to move youth to other facilities. Earlier in April, LA Superior Court Judge Michael Espinoza directed the Probation Department to submit a plan to depopulate Los Padrinos. The facility has been operating for several months despite a shutdown order by state regulators, who deemed it unsuitable to house youth. "The Probation Department has made it clear that moving youth to other facilities is the primary
T
A mural painted by youth previously housed at Los Padrinos. | Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles County Probation Department
strategy they plan to deploy to comply with the Judge’s order," according to a statement from Supervisor Janice Hahn's office. "However, there is an opportunity to do more." The commission's April 24 recommendations included considering some youth for release and expediting the transfer to other facilities of detainees who have already been sentenced. A motion Tuesday by Hahn and Supervisor Lindsey Horvath called on the department to consider these and additional recommendations. While the Probation Department plan would reduce the facility's popula-
tion from 278 to 175, Hahn wants the number reduced to 100. "The Probation Department is going to need to move youth from Los Padrinos to other Probation facilities, but that shouldn't be the only strategy we rely on," Hahn said in a statement. "Our Probation Oversight Commission has put forward thoughtful recommendations to reduce the number of young people coming into our custody and work with the courts to identify youth who can and should be safely released with supportive programs or See Los Padrinos Page 28
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ankle monitors. Our Probation Department needs to consider all these strategies and if there are any they won't pursue, they need to be transparent about why." In addition to considering some youth for monitored release, the commission also suggested an overhaul to the intake process in an effort to slow the influx of new detainees and relocating lower-risk boys awaiting sentencing to Probation Department camps. Commissioners and supervisors also called for evaluating youth detainees
he Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday called for improved emergency preparedness and response for the Mirador Apartments in Altadena after deficiencies were experienced by residents during the Eaton Fire. The approved motion by Board Chair Kathryn Barger calls for a focused effort by county agencies to provide better assistance during future emergencies for Mirador residents, who are older adults, people with disabilities, mobility issues and medical conditions and formerly unhoused county residents. "Recently, concerns regarding the residents of the Mirador Apartments ... shared that they had little to no assistance during the storms and were left to fend for themselves," according to the motion that the board will consider Tuesday. “Many residents of the Mirador Apartments were left to navigate a dangerous situation on their own, despite being among the most medically and physically vulnerable in our
communities,” said Barger said in a statement. “My motion seeks accountability and concrete improvements to ensure safety isn’t compromised in future emergencies.” According to the motion, building management notified residents they could safely return 15 days after being evacuated amid the intense firestorm fueled by hurricane-force winds the night of Jan. 7. Upon their return, Mirador residents found that the building was unsafe and still full of ash, dust and the heavy odor of smoke. The motion directs the Los Angeles County Department of Aging and Disabilities to directly engage with the senior residents at the apartment complex. County workers "will assess their needs, enhance support systems and improve emergency response planning tailored to their circumstances," according to Barger's office. If adopted, the motion will also require county agencies to explore methods to improve emergency
See Mirador Apartments Page 28
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