The Brief

The Los Angeles County Probation Department has put eight officers on leave after an incident between the officers and youth detained at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall.

Probation Department Chief Guillermo Viera Rosa said he immediately put the officers on leave after being notified of the “alleged misconduct.” Viera Rosa said in a statement that the department is “actively identifying and removing those who do not align with our core values and standards to eliminate the negative influences within our organization.”

The incident is being independently investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Michael Chen, a spokesperson for the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, said it is not usual protocol to transfer investigations. When asked why the L.A. County Sheriff's Department was asked to handle the investigation, he directed LAist to submit a request for further information.

"We initiated an investigation on January 8th, 2024," they said in a statement. "It’s extremely early in the investigation process as Sheriff’s investigators are continuing to review evidence and information to determine the extent and scope of the alleged misconduct."

The Probation Department did not respond in time for a request for comment.

Diane Terry sits on the Probation Oversight Committee, composed of civilians who advise the Probation Department and the Board of Supervisors on reform and policies. She said she appreciates the transparency of the department in informing the public of the officers' leave. However, she did want more information on what happened, what the next steps are and how the L.A. County Sheriff’s investigation might look like given youth are involved.

Supervisor Janice Hahn, in whose district Los Padrinos is located, did not respond to a request for comment.

Tauheedah Shakur, director of organizing at the nonprofit organization Youth Justice Coalition, said she wasn’t surprised to learn about the alleged misconduct, because “misconduct in terms of probation officers happens all the time.”

“I've seen firsthand parents getting turned away from visiting their kids because they have spaghetti straps on or because they had open toed shoes or they had baggy sweatpants or their tattoos were showing,” she said. “They get to decide randomly when they want to reinforce rules or when they don't."

Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall reopened last year, after being shut down for child abuse, and Shakur’s organization opposed the move by the supervisors.

“We weren't in favor of Los Padrinos opening back up because oftentimes kids don't have access to clean facilities, like the facilities are very decrepit, kids were peeing on themselves, plumbing is an issue,” she said. “Why pay more money to open up a facility that got closed down because it was so toxic, and instead, why don't we invest in better alternatives.”

Big Bear’s famous bald eagles — Jackie and Shadow — appear to be welcoming a new chick into the world.

The first pip, or crack, was spotted in one of the feathered duo’s two eggs around 10 a.m. Friday, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley, the nonprofit that runs a popular YouTube livestream of the nest overlooking Big Bear Lake.

More than 26,000 people were watching the livestream shortly after the organization confirmed a pip had been spotted, which signals that an eaglet is starting to poke its way out of the egg shell.

“Yesterday afternoon, evening and throughout the night we heard little chirps coming from the chick,” Friends of Big Bear Valley wrote on Facebook to more than a million followers. “This indicates that the chick was able to break the internal membrane and took its first breath of air.”

As of Friday, the first egg is around 38 days old and the second egg is about 35 days old. Jackie and Shadow's usual incubation timeline is around 38 to 40 days, according to the nonprofit.

There’s still time for the second egg to show signs of hatching, and a pip could be confirmed in the coming days.

What we know

Jenny Voisard, the organization’s media manager, told LAist earlier this week that hatching is an arduous process for chicks that takes some time.

For example, last season, the first chick hatched more than a day after the initial pip was confirmed, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley records. The second chick hatched about a day after pipping as well, and the third chick worked its way out into the world about two days after the first crack was confirmed.

The chicks may look like little blobs of gray fluff at first, but they grow quickly, as fans saw with Jackie and Shadow’s eaglets last year. One of last season’s trio of chicks, believed to be the eldest and most dominant sibling, died during a winter storm within weeks of hatching.

In March 2025, Jackie and Shadow welcomed two eaglet chicks with one remaining egg in their nest.

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Jackie and Shadow's three chicks on March 7, 2025. One of the chicks later died, while Sunny and Gizmo successfully fledged a few months later.

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Jackie and Shadow's eaglets during a feeding of fish in April 2025.

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Friends of Big Bear Valley

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Sunny and Gizmo in Big Bear's famous bald eagle nest on Friday, April 18, 2025.

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Friends of Big Bear Valley

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Viewers watched as the surviving eaglets, Sunny and Gizmo, grew from a few ounces to several pounds in a matter of months before fledging, or taking their first flight away from the nest, last June.

But any chicks arriving this season will have to learn how to feed before they can fly.

The initial meals may be a bit awkward while the chicks learn to sit up straight. Jackie and Shadow could start feeding the chicks the same day they hatch, typically tearing off pieces of fish or raw meat and holding it up to their beaks.

Bald eagles don’t regurgitate food for their young, unlike other birds. But the feathered parents do pass along a "substantial amount of saliva” full of electrolytes and antibodies to their chicks during feedings, according to the nonprofit.

Voisard said new life coming to the nest is a reminder “why it’s so important to conserve their lands.”

Big Bear fundraiser

Friends of Big Bear Valley is trying to raise $10 million by the end of July to purchase land pegged for a planned housing project that some say would harm rare plants and wildlife in the area, including bald eagles.

You can learn more about the fundraiser here.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta provided guidance this week to childcare providers on new legal requirements to protect children and their families from immigration enforcement activities.

Under a new law that went into effect this year, childcare providers are not allowed to collect information about a child's or family member’s immigration status, unless necessary under state or federal law. Bonta’s office says there currently is no such requirement, though that could change with federal programs like Head Start.

“Childcare and preschool facilities should be safe and secure spaces so children can grow, learn and simply be children,” Bonta said in a statement.

His office says daycare centers also should not keep information about a formerly enrolled child longer than is required by state law.

The new law also requires facilities to inform the attorney general’s office and the state’s licensing agency if they get any requests for information from law enforcement related to immigration enforcement.

Facilities also must ask families to regularly update a child’s emergency contact information to make sure someone can be reached in case a parent is detained by federal immigration officials.

The Santa Ana winds are here to welcome us into the weekend, bringing warmer temperatures.

The winds will reach Point Mugu to the Santa Clarita Valley, down to Orange County and parts of the Inland Empire valleys and foothills east of the 5 Freeway.

Peak gusts are expected to reach 35 to 55 mph. The western San Gabriel Mountains, Highway 14 corridor, Santa Susana Mountains and the western Santa Monica Mountains are under a high wind warning until 6 p.m., when gusts could reach 65 mph.

As for temperatures, highs for L.A. County beaches will reach the upper 70s and up to the low 80s for inland areas.

Parts of Orange County and Coachella Valley will see temperatures in the mid- to upper 80s, with the warmest areas expected to reach 88 degrees.