The Brief

Thirty Los Angeles County detention officers face felony charges — including child endangerment, abuse and battery — stemming from accusations that they allowed youths in juvenile hall to participate in “gladiator fights” two years ago, according to state authorities.

In an unsealed grand jury indictment, the California attorney general’s office said the officers “allowed and, in some instances, encouraged” 69 fights between youths at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey during a six-month period in 2023.

More than 140 victims between ages 12 and 18 were affected.

Most of the defendants were arraigned Monday in L.A. County Superior Court, the attorney general’s office said. The rest are expected to be arranged next month.

“Officers at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall have a duty to ensure the safety and well-being of those under their care,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “Instead, the officers charged today did just the opposite — overseeing ‘gladiator fights’ when they should have intervened.”

Bonta said filing the charges was an important step in holding the officers accountable and “addressing shortfalls” at Los Padrinos. State regulators have repeatedly cited the Probation Department for lack of staffing at the facility, which they say has led to lack of programming for youths and missed medical appointments.

“We found that the current staffing numbers do not allow for all required activities, operations, programs and facility functions, and to ensure the safety of youth and staff,” the Board of State and Community Corrections said in a Dec. 10 letter to the Probation Department.

In a statement emailed to LAist on Monday, the Los Angeles County Probation Department said that all staff named had been placed on leave without pay.

“While these incidents are deeply troubling, we believe this marks an important step toward rebuilding trust and reinforcing our commitment to the meaningful changes we are proposing in our juvenile facilities,” the Probation Department said.

L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose district includes Los Padrinos, said it is “unacceptable” the probation officers would use their power to abuse young people.

“This is only further proof that the culture of our Probation Department needs to change dramatically," she said.

In a statement emailed to LAist, L.A. County Public Defender Ricardo Garcia said the probation system and its underlying culture were "broken."

"As public defenders, we are their constitutional guardians, and we will not stop advocating for their safety and dignity," Garcia said. "Accountability for those who have failed to protect our youth is long overdue — there is no justice in a system that abuses the very youth it is entrusted to care for."

Details from the indictment

The California Department of Justice said it launched its investigation after video surfaced last year of probation officers at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall failing to intervene as a group of youths beat up a 17-year-old.

The video appears to show multiple youths attacking the 17-year-old — kicking and punching him — as probation officers look on. One officer seems to shake the hand of one of the attackers, according to footage published by the Los Angeles Times.

LAist asked the attorney general's office why the charges were filed now, when the alleged incidents happened in 2023. The office responded with a statement that noted it was "a complex case" involving multiple victims and defendants.

"As with all of our cases, our office conducted a thorough and intensive investigation," the office said.

The 41-page indictment released Monday lists 71 counts against the officers — most of them for child abuse or endangerment — and special allegations that the victims were particularly vulnerable and that the accused took advantage of their positions of trust to commit the crimes.

It also listed nine “overt acts” the DOJ claims the officers committed, including allowing the youths to fight each other inside the juvenile hall on several occasions between July 2023 and December 2023, telling new hires beforehand that the fights were going to occur, and telling them they were to “just watch” when the fights happened without saying anything or writing anything down.

Officers Shawn Smyles, Taneha Brooks and Nancy Sostre are specifically mentioned in those overt acts, according to the indictment. The document says the three defendants allowed the youths to fight on more than one occasion, including one in which one of the youths sustained a broken nose.

The indictment accuses Smyles of telling the youths to refuse treatment from nurses at the facility when they were sent to the medical unit.

LAist was not able to reach attorneys for the defendants late Monday.

Stacy Ford, president of the union that represents county probation officers, issued a statement that didn't speak to the charges directly but said its members had been working under difficult conditions.

“Our members have been working under extremely difficult conditions — understaffed and ill-equipped facilities that house individuals accused of murder, sexual assault, terrorism and other serious crimes,” said Ford, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. “Despite these challenges, our professional peace officers remain committed to maintaining the highest level of professionalism while upholding their sworn duties.”

A troubled facility 

The announcement of charges comes as a judge is still deciding on whether the county should be forced to move hundreds of youths housed there to other locations.

The Board of State and Community Corrections found last year that the county Probation Department repeatedly failed to meet minimum staffing requirements at Los Padrinos, which meant the young people held there were being confined in their rooms for too long and missing medical appointments.

The board gave the department until Dec. 12 to move youths out of the facility, but the county did not meet the deadline.

During a Feb. 14 hearing, Superior Court Judge Miguel Espinoza heard further comments from Probation Department officials then set a new court date for April 18, when he could make a ruling.

The defendants

Bonta’s office said 22 defendants were arraigned Monday. They were expected to plead not guilty to the charges. The remaining eight have court dates scheduled for April 18.

LAist has not yet been able to determine if all of the defendants have attorneys.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Since 1977, Richard Santillan has been to every Opening Day game at Dodger Stadium. 

“The tradition goes from my father, to me, to my children and grandchildren. Some of my best memories are with my father and children here at Dodger Stadium,” Santillan told The LA Local, smiling under the shade of palm trees near the entrance to the ballpark Wednesday morning. He was there to protest the team less than 24 hours before Opening Day.

Santillan, like countless other loyal Dodgers fans, is grappling with his fan identity over the team’s decision to accept an invitation to the White House and owner Mark Walter’s ties to ICE detention facilities.

More than 30 people joined Santillan on Wednesday morning for a press conference held near 1000 Vin Scully Drive to convey a message directly to the team. 

“We are demanding the Dodgers stop participating in funding of inhumane treatment of families and do not go to the White House to celebrate with the criminal in chief,” Evelyn Escatiola told the crowd. “Together, we have the power to make a change.”

Escatiola, a former dean of East Los Angeles College and longtime community organizer, urged fans to flex their economic power by “letting the Dodgers know that we do not support repression.”

Jorge “Coqui” Rodriguez, a lifelong Dodgers fan, spoke to the crowd and called on Dodgers ownership to divest from immigration detention centers owned and operated by GEO Group and CoreCivic.

Jorge Coqui H Rodriguez speaks at a press conference outside Dodger Stadium on March 25, 2026, to demand the Dodgers not to visit the White House following their 2025 World Series win.

(

J.W. Hendricks

/

The LA Local

)

In a phone interview a day before the protest, Rodriguez told The LA Local he did not want the Dodgers using his “cheve” or beer money to fund detention centers. 

“They can’t take our parking money, our cacahuate money, our cheve money, our Dodger Dog money and invest those funds into corporations that are imprisoning people. It’s wrong,” Rodriguez said. 

Rodriguez considers the Dodgers one of the most racially diverse teams and said the players need to support fans at a time when heightened immigration enforcement has become more common across L.A.

The team’s 2025’s visit to the White House drew ire from the largely Latino fan base, citing the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on immigrants. 

In June, the team came under further scrutiny when rumors swirled online that federal immigration agents were using the stadium’s parking, which immigration authorities later denied in statements posted on social media accounts.

The team again came under fire after not releasing a statement on the impacts of ICE raids on its mostly Latino fan base at the height of immigration enforcement last summer. The team later agreed to invest $1 million to support families affected by immigration enforcement.

When he learned the Dodgers were pledging only $1 million to families in need, Rodriguez called the amount a  “slap in the face.” 

“These guys just bought the Lakers for billions of dollars and they give a million dollars to fight for legal services? That’s a joke,” Rodriguez said. “They need to have a moral backbone and not be investing in those companies.”

According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershawsaid last week that he is looking forward to the trip.

“I went when President [Joe] Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President [Donald] Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”

The Dodgers have yet to announce when their planned visit will take place. 

Santillan sometimes laments his decision to give up his season tickets in protest of the team. His connection to the stadium and the memories he has made there with family and friends will last a lifetime, he said. On Thursday, he will uphold his tradition and be there for the first pitch of the season, but with a heavy heart.

“It’s a family tradition, but the Dodgers have a lot of work to do,” he said.

A local favorite mom-and-pop bookshop in Eagle Rock is facing displacement due to a steep rent hike. The owners say theirs is just one of several small businesses along Eagle Rock Boulevard struggling to keep up with lease increases.

Over the past 19 years, many in the neighborhood have come to love READ Books for its eclectic collection of used titles and shop dog Florence.

Co-owner Jeremy Kaplan said it’s been a delight to grow with the community over the years.

“Like seeing kids come back in, who were in grade school and now they’re in college,” Kaplan said.

But the building where Kaplan and wife Debbie rent was recently sold, and the rent increased by more than 130% to $2,805 a month, Kaplan said. He told LAist it was an increase his small business simply could not absorb.

Kaplan said he originally was given 30 days notice of the rent increase. After some research, assistance from Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s office and some pro-bono legal help, Kaplan said he pushed back and got the 90-day notice he’s afforded by state law.

California Senate Bill 1103 requires landlords to give businesses with five or less employees 90 days’ notice for rent increases exceeding 10%, among other protections.

Systems Real Estate, the property management company, did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.

What can small businesses do? 

Nadia Segura, directing attorney of the Small Business Program at pro bono legal aid non-profit Bet Tzedek said California law does not currently allow for rent control for commercial tenancies.

Outside of the protections under SB 1103, Segura said small businesses like READ Books don’t have much other recourse. And even then, commercial landlords are not required to inform their tenants of their protections under the law.

“There’s still a lot of people that don’t know about SB 1103. And then it’s very sad that they tell them they have these rent increases and within a month they have to leave,” Segura said.

She said her group is seeing steep rent hikes like this for commercial tenants across the city.

“We are seeing this even more with the World Cup coming up, the Olympics coming up. And I will say it was very sad to see that also after the wildfires,” Segura said.

Part of Bet Tzedek’s ongoing work is to advocate for small businesses, working with landlords who are increasing rents to see if they are willing to give business owners longer leases that lock in rents.

What’s next 

After READ Books posted about their situation on social media, commenters chimed in to express their outrage and love for the little shop.

While he looks for a new spot, Kaplan says he’s forming a coalition of local businesses and activist groups to see what can be done to help other small businesses facing similar displacement. He wants to address the displacement issue for businesses like his, which have made Eagle Rock the distinctive neighborhood that it is today.

Owl Talk, a longtime Eagle Rock staple selling clothing and accessories in a unit in the same building as READ Books, is facing a “more than double” rent increase, according to a post on their Instagram account.

Kaplan said he’s been in touch with the office of state Assemblywoman Jessica Caloza and wants to explore the possibility of introducing legislation to set up protections for small businesses like his, including rent-control measures or a vacancy tax for landlords. Kaplan said he also reached out to the office of state Sen. Maria Durazo.

By his count, Kaplan said there are about a dozen businesses within surrounding blocks that are at risk of closing their doors or have shuttered due to rent increases or other struggles.

When READ Books was founded during the Great Recession, Kaplan said he knew it was a longshot to open a bookstore at the same time so many were struggling to stay in business.

“It was kind of interesting to be doing something that neighborhoods needed. That was important to me growing up, that was important to my children, that was important to my wife growing up,” Kaplan said.

“And then somebody comes in and says, ‘We’re gonna over double your rent.”

Topline:

Frozen budget: Most of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting budget comes from an assessment that people who own property illuminated by lights pay on their county property tax bill. The amount people pay depends on the kind of property they own and how much they benefit from lighting. A typical single-family home currently pays $53 annually, and in total, the assessments bring in about $45 million annually for the city to repair and maintain streetlights. Changing the amount the Bureau of Street Lighting gets from the assessment requires a vote among property owners who benefit from the lights.

Ballots: L.A. City Council’s vote gives city staff the green light to prepare and send out those ballots. Miguel Sangalang, who oversees the bureau, said at a committee meeting earlier this month that he expects to send out ballots by April 17. Notices about the ballots will be sent out prior to the ballots themselves.

Near unanimous vote: L.A. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez was the only “No” vote Tuesday, saying she wanted to see a more current strategic plan for the bureau. Sangalang said the bureau developed a plan in 2022 that lays out how money will be spent. Councilmember Imelda Padilla was absent for the vote.

Vote count: Votes will be weighted according to the assessment amount. Basically, the more you’re asked to pay yearly to maintain streetlights, the more your vote will count. Ballots received before June 2 will be tabulated by the L.A. City Clerk.

How much more money: According to a report, the amount needed in assessments from property owners to meet the repair and maintenance needs of the city’s streetlighting in the next fiscal year is nearly $112 million.

Use of the money: Sangalang said at a March 11 committee meeting that the extra funds would be used to double the number of staff to handle repairs and procure solar streetlights, which don’t face the threat of copper wire theft. That would all potentially reduce the time it takes to repair simple fixes down to a week. Currently, city residents wait for months to see broken streetlights repaired. The assessment would come with a three-year auditing mechanism.