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LA County probation chief announces resignation
Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey
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Robert Garrova / LAist
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Los Angeles County’s chief probation officer has announced he will leave the department by the end of the year.
The county did not provide a reason for Guillermo Viera Rosa's resignation, but it's notable that the news comes days before a Dec. 12 deadline to move more than 200 incarcerated youths out of Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall, where a state board found insufficient staffing.
The Probation Department runs the county’s juvenile halls.
The backstory
Viera Rosa told the L.A. County Board of Supervisors he would be leaving by the end of the year. Through a spokesperson, he declined to comment to LAist about the resignation.
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Twice this year, a state board deemed Los Padrinos, which is in Downey, unsuitable to house youth. The facility houses more than 200 youth who have come in contact with the criminal justice system.
The Probation Department avoided having to shut down Los Padrinos in April after the Board of State and Community Corrections determined the county met minimum requirements on staffing levels and safety checks.
But in an Oct. 14 letter to Viera Rosa, the board said further inspections revealed Los Padrinos was still out of compliance on staffing.
“The continued lack of staffing continues to negatively impact delivery of required services and compliance with additional regulations, including education, outdoor recreation, youth being confined in rooms, and youth missing medical appointments,” the board’s letter read.
Ongoing inspections
A Probation spokesperson said in an email that the department formally requested a re-inspection of Los Padrinos by the state board, which the Board of State and Community Corrections started last week. A state board spokesperson said the department has made “positive changes” at Los Padrinos but was still out of compliance with staffing requirements as of Monday.
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In an email to LAist, L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose district includes Los Padrinos, thanked Viera Rosa for his service to the county.
"We have a lot of challenges in the Probation Department and I thank him for taking on this job during some difficult times," Hahn said Monday. "I wish him the best."
More scrutiny
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced in November that his office filed a joint motion with L.A. County in Superior Court, seeking additional monitoring of two local juvenile hall facilities, including Los Padrinos.
Bonta’s office cited “serious ongoing deficiencies in the treatment and conditions of youth” at the Downey facility and Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Secure Youth Treatment Facility in Sylmar.
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