LA County approves emergency declaration to address staffing problems at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall

Los Angeles County supervisors on Tuesday approved a motion to declare a state of emergency at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall, which state authorities have said was unsuitable to house youths because of insufficient staffing and other problems.

The declaration authorizes the Probation Department to hire or move staff to the juvenile hall and offer incentives, like signing bonuses and other benefits.

Supervisors voted 4-1 to approve the declaration. It comes less than a week after the Probation Department blew a state Dec. 12 deadline to move more than 200 youths out of Los Padrinos.

The Board of State and Community Corrections said low staffing was leading to youths being kept in rooms too long, missing medical appointments and outdoor recreation time.

“It’s not about the physical location or the facility,” Supervisor Kathryn Barger told reporters at a Tuesday news conference. “The biggest issue continues to be staffing.”

In a statement, Probation Chief Guillermo Viera Rosa said he supported the supervisors’ emergency proclamation.

“Drastic and decisive measures are needed to root deep-seated issues plaguing our only secured youth facility, Los Padrinos,” Viera Rosa said.

But many who spoke during the public comment period at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday said the declaration was a step in the wrong direction. Dozens of criminal justice reform activists with the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, the Youth Justice Coalition and other groups spoke against the motion.

Tyrique Shipp with the Anti-Recidivism Coalition urged the supervisors to vote no, arguing that the declaration would undermine the county’s plan to eventually replace juvenile detention halls with home-like housing and programs that provide a range of mental health and other services.

“In this motion we’re trying to give Probation more power,” Shipp said.

Supervisor Lindsey Horvath was the sole dissenting vote, saying she was not convinced the declaration would grant any additional powers to the Probation Department.

“Doubling down on failed tactics — which led to crisis after crisis — is not the way forward,” Horvath said. “I believe this motion reinforces young people being subjected to unsafe conditions, not accountability on them or on stuff."

What the emergency declaration does

Among other things, the local emergency declaration:

• Allows the county to designate certain employees who work at Los Padrinos as Disaster Services Workers, which mandates their attendance
  
• Directs County Counsel to pursue all legal options to prevent youths housed at Los Padrinos from being released into the public. An amendment from Hahn requires the declaration not to hinder ongoing work to place youths outside of jail-like settings, whenever possible.
  
• Calls for bringing on qualified California peace officers and recent law-enforcement retirees to work with the Probation Department, offering sign-on bonuses of $24,000 or other bonuses to those who make the move.
  
• Directs the county human resources department to expedite hiring and recruitment.

Ongoing staffing problems

In a recent letter to the Probation Department, the state board said a re-inspection of Los Padrinos this month found that of 45 shifts reviewed, 24% did not meet the department’s required minimum staffing.

“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 letter states.

L.A. County officials are pushing back on the Board of State and Community Corrections that Los Padrinos was unsuitable to house incarcerated youth. In a letter sent to the board last week, county attorney Esteban Rodriguez wrote that the board had “applied incorrect standards to determine whether Los Padrinos had adequate staffing,” and called for a stay of enforcement.

What’s next?

The state board has called a special meeting Wednesday to discuss the situation, but it’s unclear what enforcement actions, if any, the body can take.

The agenda is available on its website.

Probation officials are due in L.A County Superior Court next week when they are expected to make a case to a judge as to why they shouldn’t be ordered to shut down Los Padrinos.