State Attorney General Bonta petitions court for receiver to oversee LA County juvenile halls

Citing what he called repeated operational failures at Los Padrinos and Barry J. Nidorf juvenile halls, state Attorney General Rob Bonta said Wednesday his office will move to establish a receivership for Los Angeles County's troubled juvenile detention system.

At a downtown Los Angeles news conference, Bonta pointed to ongoing issues with the county's management of the juvenile halls, citing youth-on-youth violence at Los Padrinos in Downey and drug overdoses in the facility. Bonta called the issues "system failures ... that put lives at risk."

Bonta said he plans to file a court petition seeking to have a receiver appointed to oversee operation of the juvenile halls, accusing the county of failing to comply with a series of court judgments and orders regarding management of the facilities dating back to 2021. He said the county remains out of compliance with 75% of the court judgment provisions.

A receivership would place control of the juvenile halls into the hands of an appointed officer of the court.

"This drastic step to divest Los Angeles County of control over its juvenile halls is a last resort -- and the only option left to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the youth currently in its care," Bonta said in a statement. "For four-and-a-half years, we've moved aggressively to bring the county into compliance with our judgment -- and we've been met with glacial progress that has too often looked like one step forward and two steps back. Enough is enough. These young people deserve better, and my office will not stop until they get it. A receivership is the best and only option to turn Los Angeles County juvenile halls around, and we believe the court will agree."

The Department of Youth Development (DYD) sent out a statement in response to Bonta's request. 

"In light of the recent request by Attorney General Bonta to place Los Angeles County juvenile halls in receivership, DYD reaffirms that its paramount focus remains the well-being and support of youth within county facilities," their statement said. "Our commitment is to ensure young individuals have access to meaningful programs, services, and resources that offer a clear path to growth and healthy development. DYD will work with the CA Department of Justice monitor to ensure that DYD-supported programming remains intact under the proposed new structure."

The proposal was met with quick support from county Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose district includes Los Padrinos.

"We have spent years trying to improve conditions, exhausted every tool at the County level, and still, we are failing these young people," Hahn said in a statement. `I stand ready to do everything I can to help receivership succeed and I urge our county leadership, our Chief Probation Officer, and our county lawyers to stay at the table to shape a process that helps ensure the kids who are not only in our custody but are in our care get the help and support they need.

Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger said the development "has been a long time coming."

"For years, I have voiced my concerns about the deepening dysfunction within the department -- some of it fueled by the Board of Supervisors' micromanagement," Barger said. "Today's action is a direct repudiation of our board's ability to effectively oversee this department."

Los Padrinos has come under fire repeatedly since it was opened in 2023 to house youth transferred from two other facilities deemed unsuitable for youth detention. The Downey facility itself has been deemed unsuitable on multiple occasions by state regulators, and it continues to operate under an unsuitability declaration.

Reports and firsthand accounts have highlighted severe issues such as dehumanizing treatment and dangerous conditions created by probation staff. As of February 15, 2024, Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall and similar facilities in L.A. have been out of compliance. There have been at least 40 new behavior-related charges against youth, contributing to longer detention periods and eventual transfers to adult facilities. Despite spending over $12 million on security to prevent drug access and to monitor youth, overdoses continue to occur.

A Los Angeles juvenile court judge in May approved a Probation Department plan to draw down the number of youth housed at the facility, which has been plagued with issues stemming mostly from short-staffing, along with concerns about detainees not being transported to classes or medical appointments.

In March, 30 county probation officers were hit with criminal charges stemming from allegations that so-called "gladiator fights" were being staged among the youth detainees while officers looked on.

In early July, an outside contractor was caught allegedly bringing Xanax pills into the Los Padrinos.

Alejandro Lopez, 21, of Downey, an employee of the nonprofit organization Student Nest, was charged with one felony count each of bringing or sending a controlled substance into a juvenile hall or camp and possession for sale of a designated controlled substance, officials announced earlier this month.

It is also alleged that Lopez induced others, including Los Padrinos ward, to participate in the scheme.

Two days after Lopez was arrested, at least nine people, including one youth detainee, were taken to a hospital following exposure to an unknown substance at Los Padrinos.

Last week, another contract worker was detained after trying to bring a concealed blade into the facility.

"During the routine security screening at the facility entrance, Citiguard Security personnel discovered a flat, concealable knife inside the employee's bag," according to a Probation Department statement. "The employee was immediately denied entry into the facility and probation personnel were notified."

The employee, who was hired through Apple One to work with the county Department of Youth Development, was escorted from the premises and ordered not to return while the matter was investigated. A search of his belongings also revealed a canister of pepper spray.

Both the spray and the knife were seized as evidence. The employee's name was not released.

Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said Bonta's announcement Wednesday is a reminder of "how deeply broken our juvenile probation facility operations have become." She accused the county Probation Department's union leaders of "blocking reform at every turn."

"In order for a receivership to have a chance at successful restructuring, the state must take on the challenge L.A. County has faced for decades -- employment agreements and civil service procedures that have protected the rights of those who have harmed our young people, instead of the young people themselves," Horvath said in a statement.

The union, however, pointed blame back at the Board of Supervisors for the issues.

"For years, the Board of Supervisors has ignored our warnings and failed to invest in the sworn officers who serve on the front lines," Stacy Ford, president of the Los Angeles County Deputy Probation Officers Union, AFSCME Local 685, said in a statement. "The result has been a manufactured crisis -- one that the County itself has perpetuated through chronic hiring freezes, hostile working conditions, and the outsourcing of public safety responsibilities to untrained civilians."

L.A. County Public Defender Ricardo Garcia said in a statement: "Any state intervention must prioritize the safety, well-being, and constitutional rights of every youth. Instead of further investment in a carceral system, state action should prioritize lasting transformation of how the criminal legal system treats its most vulnerable youth and continue to move away from punishment toward healing, education, and care, not cages."

Additional reporting by City News Service. Michelle Zacarias contributed to this story.