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State board declares LA County juvenile halls unsuitable to detain youth By City News Service
county representative told the board Tuesday. The order will not impact post-disposition youth housed in a Secure Youth Treatment Facility within Nidorf hall in Sylmar. Central Juvenile Hall is in Lincoln Heights. In a lengthy presentation to the board, representatives for the county outlined the county's ambitious efforts to move youth out of the two facilities. Margarita Perez, a former assistant chief probation officer, appeared on behalf of the county and conceded there have been historic failures to correct shortcomings at the facilities, but she said another 150 days would "allow us to transfer our predisposition youth to Los Padrinos Hall ... with the least amount of
disruption to youth, their families, our staff and their partners." Perez said forcing the county to relocate all youth from the facilities within 60 days "will undoubtedly contribute to some level of chaos and confusion." But the pleas for another delay fell on deaf ears. Board chair Linda Penner said she appreciates the "extremely meaningful" improvements the county has in the works, but she added: "I've heard this before from Los Angeles County." Fellow board members Kirk Haynes added, "It is a plan that is way too late." He said the county should have anticipated a move of the youth months ago and begun its preparations then.
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In a statement following the vote, Interim LA County Chief Probation Officer Guillermo Viera Rosa said that while he was "disappointed" in the 60-day timeline being imposed, "we agree that it is time for the department to discontinue using these facilities for housing predisposition youth." "We are already executing a plan to transfer these youth, staff, programs, and services to Los Padrinos by the deadline," he said. "We also want to make clear that the BSCC's decision today will not result in the release of hundreds of youth, as some have erroneously alleged. As we look forward to the methodical See Juvenile halls Page 17
Judge's ruling favors tenants in landlord challenge to renter protection laws By City News Service
A Central Juvenile Hall. | Photo courtesy of LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis’ Office
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state regulatory board Tuesday declared Los Angeles County's Barry J. Nidorf and Central juvenile halls unsuitable to house predisposition youth and ordered the county to relocate such detainees out of the facilities within 60 days. Members of the Board of State and Community Corrections said they felt they had no alternative other than to make the declara-
tion, citing a protracted history of short-comings at the facilities, which were found in recent inspections to still be out of compliance with numerous state standards. Board members called the county's recently approved "aggressive" plans for an overhaul of its juvenile detention system too little, too late. Representatives for the county unsuccessfully asked the board for a 150-day delay
in the board's action, saying plans are already under way to relocate predisposition youth detainees to the previously closed Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey, but doing so in 60 days could create "chaos" and safety concerns. Roughly 275 predisposition youth — those who have not yet had their criminal cases resolved in court — are currently housed in the Nidorf and Central halls, a
judge has ruled in favor of tenants regarding two new city renter protection laws against a challenge from a local landlords group. On Friday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff denied a motion from the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles for a preliminary injunction to halt the enforcement of the pair of ordinances adopted by the City Council aimed at protecting Los Angeles residents from eviction and homelessness. Beckloff also permitted tenant rights groups InnerCity Struggle and Community Power Collective to join the city in the defense of the protections. The City Council adopted the new permanent tenant protections in February as COVID eviction protections expired. The laws include the Nonpayment Threshold Ordinance, which prohibits evictions based on nonpayment unless the tenant is behind at least one month's fair market rent, and the Relocation Assistance for Economic Displacement Ordinance, which requires landlords to provide relocation assistance to tenants forced to leave due to a significant rent increase. The apartment association filed a petition in March 2023 seeking to overturn the ordinances. Under the ordinances, Los Angeles residents can no longer be evicted for being a little bit short on paying rent, nor will they be forced to move in response to exorbitant rent increases without moving and relocation expenses. "The new permanent tenant protections adopted by the LA City Council were part of a historic expansion of tenant rights in the city and were designed to help keep thousands of tenants housed in an increasingly unaffordable city," said Stephano Medina, a See Renter protection laws Page 35