Aiming heavy criticism at the county’s troubled Probation Department, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed a motion Tuesday requiring board approval before any further changes are made to juvenile detention facilities.
In a motion introduced on Tuesday, Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Janice Hahn called on the department to seek board approval on any updates to the Global Plan to change facilities including but not limited to Campus Kilpatrick, Barry J. Nidorf, Dorothy Kirby Center and Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall.
The board approved the motion in a 4-1 vote, with Supervisor and Board Chair Kathryn Barger voting against it.
The supervisors condemned what they called the department’s history of failures and crises, including refusing to follow board directives.
Tuesday’s motion called out the Probation Department for allegedly failing to stop using pepper spray on inmates, not having custodial staff carry Narcan, and lacking a “plan for LGBTQ+ and gender-expansive youth,” among other things.
“With Probation’s crisis and this Board’s effort to improve transparency and communication with the public and relevant stakeholders, it is critically important that this Board set clear requirements for how Probation moves forward with major changes to its facilities, and how it presents those plans to the Board, County stakeholders, and the greater public,” the motion read.
Much of the criticism in the motion was directed toward Chief Probation Officer Guillermo Viera Rosa for his alleged repeated failures to meet suitability standards in the facilities and to comply with board directives.
The motion criticized Rosa’s Feb. 18 response to the board’s March 21, 2023 directive to the department to develop a long-term plan for county youth inmates.
“At the February 18, 2025, Board meeting, Chief Probation Officer Guillermo Viera Rosa admitted that the plan presented was not developed in collaboration with County stakeholders, or community organizations,” the motion stated. “For example, the plan did not consider staffing changes that the Department of Health Services or Department of Mental Health would need to make to serve the girls population if it is moved from more centrally located facilities in Downey and Commerce to Malibu, nor did the plan consider outreach to labor partners or the courts.
“Asked how Probation would care for pregnant youth under the plan, Chief Viera Rosa wasn’t able to give a clear answer other than that there tend to be very few pregnant girls in custody. Chief Viera Rosa also conceded there hadn’t been any outreach to communities that surround Probation’s facilities and noted that they haven’t planned for, or worked out, things as critical as the best way to support visitation by families at reorganized facilities,” the motion continued.
Residents and community organizations offered public comment in support of the motion, saying the department needs to be held accountable, especially in its treatment of young girls and “gender-expansive” youth.
The motion requires probation officials to consult with the directors of Health Services, Mental Health, Public Health and Youth Development, the superintendent of schools of the Los Angeles County Office of Education, and “any other appropriate County stakeholders before submitting any further Global Plan or Facilities Plan update to the Board or appropriate cluster.”
The board also directed Rosa to expedite planning for the full closure of Central Juvenile Hall, which has been temporarily used for health care services and reserved as an emergency evacuation site.
The board wants to move all health care services to Los Padrinos, and directed the department to include any updates in monthly progress discussions.