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Thursday, December 12-December 18, 2024
Adam Schiff takes oath as California's newest US senator
VOL. 12,
NO. 201
LA County probation chief backs off retirement plans amid juvey hall issues
By Joe Taglieri
By City News Service
joet@beaconmedianews.com
Guillermo Viera Rosa. | Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles County Probation Department
L Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, at far right, stands with Adam Schiff, second from right, as Schiff and other newly elected senators take the oath of office administered by Vice President Kamala Harris. | Photo courtesy of Sen. Alex Padilla's office
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dam Schiff, California's newest U.S. senator, took the oath of office Monday. Schiff, a Democrat, replaces Sen. Laphonza Butler, who was appointed after longtime Sen. Diane Feinstein's death on Sept. 29, 2023. Schiff defeated Republican Steve Garvey in the November election, and Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed the former longtime congressman from Burbank to serve the remaining few weeks of the Feinstein-Butler term in office. Schiff, 64, served nearly 25 years in the House of Representatives and won more than 65% of the vote in the Senate race. "I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve all Californians as their next United States Senator," Schiff said in a statement. "My
family came to the Golden State when I was a child in the hope of finding a strong economy, safe neighborhoods and good schools. And we found all that we could hope for in each of these respects. "I will be a tireless advocate for Californians in every part of the state and work across the aisle to deliver on day one," Schiff said. Alex Padilla, California's senior U.S. senator, escorted Schiff across the Senate floor to where Vice President Kamala Harris administered the oath. “Throughout his career, Adam has been a tireless champion for middle-class families, working to lower the cost of housing and health care while protecting our fundamental freedoms,"
Padilla said in a statement. "As California and the nation prepare for the challenges ahead, I’m glad to have Adam Schiff as a trusted partner in the Senate." In a Jan. 3 ceremony, Schiff will be sworn in again for his full six-year term. "The work ahead of us will not be easy — nothing worth doing ever is," Schiff said. "But my promise is to work every day to deliver results, and make California's future brighter for all of us in this Golden State." "I recognize that I stand on the shoulders of giants," Schiff said in his statement. "Former Sen. Dianne Feinstein leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of courage and effectiveness. Nobody can ever fill her See Adam Schiff Page 28
immense shoes, but I will continue to be inspired by her example." Newsom appointed Butler in October 2023 to Feinstein's seat and on Sunday the governor announced that Schiff would take the office Monday "to ensure Californians have their duly elected representative seated as soon as possible." Butler resigned from the Senate effective Sunday, according to Newsom's office. Laura Friedman, a former assemblywoman and Glendale City Council member, will succeed Schiff representing the 30th Congressional District. She soundly defeated Republican Alex Balekian in November. Also on Monday, Schiff said he did not want President Joe
os Angeles County's Probation Department chief, who last week announced plans to retire by the end of the year, intends to stay on the job with plans Wednesday to address ongoing issues plaguing the agency's juvenile detention facilities. "We face significant challenges, but I believe we are building a strong foundation, and there is more to be done," county Probation Chief Guillermo Viera Rosa said in a statement released Tuesday. "I remain fully committed to working with my staff, partners, county and State leaders to ensure we turn the tide on challenges the department has faced." Los Angeles County issued a statement supporting Viera Rosa's decision to stay on the job. "Los Angeles County's Probation Department faces long-running challenges that it is working diligently to address," according to the county statement. "Recognizing the importance of the work now underway, Los Angeles
County is encouraged that Chief Probation Officer Guillermo Viera Rosa has decided to remain in his position and provide the leadership, skills and innovative approaches needed to turn the corner on significant issues, including meeting our continued commitment to achieving full compliance with the Board of State and Community Corrections." The development came just days ahead of a Thursday deadline imposed by the BSCC to correct persistent substandard conditions and understaffing at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey. As it has done in the past, the BSCC recently deemed the facility unsuitable to house youth detainees, and it gave the county until Thursday to correct deficiencies or move the youth out of the facility. The county, however, has no alternative locations for housing them. County probation officials are pushing BSCC staff to re-inspect the facility in hopes of winning reversal of the closure order. But a formal
See Probation Department Page 27