Hind Baki Alice Beener Angela Blakes Mamie Burleson Carolyn Cobb Joel Thomas Floyd

Must be a citizen of the United States, 18 years of age or older, and a resident of the State of California and Los Angeles County for at least one year immediately prior to selection 2. Must not be serving as a trial juror in any California court.

Preventing homelessness Within the state of California, more than 600,000 people are living from paycheck to paycheck, spending more than 80% of their income on rent.10 A healthcare issue, job loss, or other unforeseen expense, can easily push this population into homelessness. This investigation explores measures taken by government institutions to prevent people from slipping into homelessness.

Cannot have been discharged as a grand juror in any California court within one year of the beginning date of service 4. Cannot have been convicted of malfeasance in office or any felony or other high crime 5. Must possess sufficient knowledge of the English language 6. Must be in possession of his or her natural faculties, be of ordinary intelligence, sound judgment and good character TERM OF SERVICE Every July 1, 23 citizens of Los Angeles County are sworn as Civil Grand Jurors to serve for a period of twelve months. Civil Grand Jury duty is a full time job, with each Civil Grand Jury establishing its own work schedule. Everyone who is nominated to serve must be fully cognizant of the time involved. Each prospective nominee should thoughtfully weigh any and all personal and business obligations before accepting the nomination. The Superior Court judges nominate persons representing the cultural, ethnic, and diverse life experience of residents of Los Angeles County, so that the Civil Grand Jury reflects the many interests and concerns of the citizens. Following the nominations, the selection process for Civil Grand Jurors involves a random choice of prospective jurors and alternates. COMPENSATION A Civil Grand Juror receives $60 for each day’s attendance, plus mileage at the current available rates, and free parking. If a Civil Grand Juror chooses to use public transportation to sessions of the Grand Jury, he or she will be reimbursed for the cost of that transportation. FOR MORE INFORMATION OR AN APPLICATION, PLEASE WRITE OR CALL: Los Angeles Superior Court Civil Grand Jury Coordinator 210 West Temple Street Eleventh Floor – Room 11-506 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Telephone (213) 628-7914 https://www/grandjuryco.la.ca.us . . CONTENTS INVESTIGATIVE COMMITTEES A DIET FOR LANDFILLS: Cutting Down on Food Waste Bail Reform in the County of Los Angeles Can Technology Eliminate Police Pursuits? Children: Not For Sale DNA 4 Those Forgotten FREE AT LAST HASHTAG: OUR KIDS MATTER Home Sweet Home HOSPITALS ON VENTILATORS In Remembrance of Those Who Walk Amongst Us LA-HOP (Los Angeles Homeless Outreach Portal) “Maybe I Voted?” Nursing Homes: Only the Strong Survive AREAS OF REVIEW Dare to Walk in L.A.? Spiritual Care Provided at LAC + USC Medical Center The Compton Creek STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS AUDIT Complaints Continuity Detention EDIT Information Technology PUBLICATION Social Speakers & Tours 8 INVESTIGATIVE COMMITTEES 10 A DIET FOR LANDFILLS: Cutting Down on Food Waste 2019-2020 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury etsaW dooF no nwoD gnittuC :SLLIFDNAL ROF TEID A A DIET FOR LANDFILLS: Cutting Down on Food Waste EXECUTIVE SUMMARY "Cutting food waste is a delicious way of saving money, helping to feed the world and protect the planet.” --Tristram Stuart, Environmentalist1 Food does not belong in the garbage. When edible, it can and should be consumed (Appendix 1 and 2). Food waste is the largest portion of the “organic waste” stream taken to landfills every year, instead of being separated and recycled for secondary 2 use. Diverting organic waste from landfills will significantly reduce methane gas emissions, which have a negative impact on public health and contribute to climate 3 change. This Committee investigated how Los Angeles County (County) disposes of its waste, and more specifically, how it addresses one of its own diversion goals: reducing waste 4 sent to landfills by 80% by the year 2025, with a 75% reduction in the organic waste sent there.5 Organic waste--which also includes green/yard waste, nonhazardous wood waste, and 6 7 food-soiled paper --makes up the largest portion of the garbage going to landfills. The State of California has mandated that all commercially-generated organic waste must be diverted from landfills, and recycled.8 9 According to the County sustainability plan: “Most important to the growth of organics recycling is proper source separation of waste. Any contaminated waste streams provide difficulties to waste management and oftentimes deem waste non-recyclable. It is critical that all LA County residents are educated on waste separation.” 1 https://www.azquotes.com/quote/1504986 (accessed 4/20/20) 2 2018 Countywide Organic Waste Management Plan Annual Report (published December 2019), https://pw.lacounty.gov/epd/swims/News/swims-more-links.aspx?id=4# (accessed on 4/16/20) 3 https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/reducing-impact-wasted-food-feeding-soil-and-composting (accessed 4/14/20) 4 https://dpw.lacounty.gov/epd/Roadmap/PDF/annual_report_2019.pdf (accessed 10/22/19) 5 “Los Angeles Countywide Sustainability Plan”, https://ourcountyla.lacounty.gov/strategies/strategy-9d?goal=836 6 ibid 7 https://www.salon.com/2018/12/15/already-a-climate-change-leader-california-takes-on-food-waste_partner/ 8 https://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/Recycle/Commercial/Organics/ 9 “Our County” Los Angeles Countywide Sustainability Plan, https://ourcountyla.lacounty.gov/strategies/strategy-9d?goal=836 A DIET FOR LANDFILLS: Cutting Down on Food Waste 11 This separation of organic waste is an important component in sustaining an effective recycling program. Once organic waste is properly separated (both from the rest of the garbage, and by whether it’s green or food waste), it can be processed through composting or anaerobic digestion.10 Within the County, the latest estimate shows that 1.9 million tons of food waste is being sent to landfills each year,11 with a per day estimate of 4,000 to 6,000 tons.12 In order for that to change, this Committee found that an adequate framework at the grassroots level is needed. We discovered a labyrinth of ways that food waste continues to end up in landfills, with many roadblocks standing in the way of fully implementing the State mandate. In addition, those residents, schools, and businesses committed to appropriate food waste separation and recycling are often left to their own devices, unless their waste hauler or jurisdiction offers this service. The Committee identified several opportunities for supportive public policies that can incentivize and create avenues to increase food waste recycling and organic waste diversion rates. 2018 Countywide Organic Waste Management Plan Annual Report (see footnote 11) 10 ibid. Compost: The product, rich in nutrients, results from the decomposition of organic material. Anaerobic Digestion: Organic matter, such as food waste or sewage, is broken down to produce biogas and biofertilizer. https://ourcountyla.lacounty.gov/strategies/strategy-9d?goal=836 and https://ourcountyla.lacounty.gov/wp- content/uploads/2019/07/OurCounty-Final-Plan.pdf (Appendix IV) 11 https://pw.lacounty.gov/epd/swims/News/swims-more-links.aspx?id=4# 2018 Countywide Organic Waste Management Plan Annual Report, 12 https://www.sgvtribune.com/2016/07/30/your-food-waste-is-clogging-up-californias-landfills-heres-how-recycling-could-fix-it/ (accessed 9/12/19) A DIET FOR LANDFILLS: Cutting Down on Food Waste 12 BACKGROUND “People put their trash out, and I like to joke that they think the trash fairies picked it up . . . they don’t know where it went . . . they just want it gone.” --waste management expert13 Critical mass in the need for more effective waste management has been building for years in the County. The year 2019 provided this Committee with two urgent reasons to make changes when it comes to food waste separating and recycling.

Providing temporary shelters Ultimately, temporary shelters are short-term solutions to a larger problem. However, the currently unsheltered have basic needs right now: a meal, a bed, restroom, shower and laundry. The Committee looked into the many and varied shelter options in the County.

Best practices and innovative building solutions Since 2016, when the City of Los Angeles (City) passed Measure HHH, a bond measure to build 1,000 housing units a year for 10 years, we have seen very few housing units completed. Only one housing complex of 62 units finally opened in 2019, with a total cost of $549,500 per unit.13 Through this investigation, the Committee discovered many innovative and affordable bridge and permanent proposed housing options, plus housing currently available which the County has not implemented. 8 https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Harvard_JCHS_State_of_the_Nations_Housing_2019.pdf (accessed 4/23/20) 9 https://www.csrwire.com/blog/posts/733-the-three-economic-principles-of-sustainability. Scarcity. (accessed 4/23/20) 10 Per Committee interview with UCLA Law Professor, 11/3/19 11 https://www.lahsa.org/documents?id=3422-2019-greater-los-angeles-homeless-count-los-angeles-continuum-of-care.pdf (accessed 4/26/20) 12 Per Committee interview with UCLA Law Professor, 2020, 11/3/19 13 https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-01-07/homeless-housing-project-proposition-hhh-bond-measure (accessed 4/26/20) Home Sweet Home 152 The Committee found that this integrated approach—taking care of the people currently on the streets, preventing people from becoming homeless, encouraging housing development policy at both the local and state level, and exploring inexpensive building options to immediately house the homeless—is what is needed to solve this overwhelming problem. BACKGROUND Here is a timeline of notable events leading up to the current homeless situation in the County: 1907: The First Homeless Shelter Opens The Union Rescue Mission, which had been offering food and clothing to the less fortunate since 1893, expanded its services to open the City’s first homeless shelter.14 1908: The First Zoning Ordinances in Los Angeles (and the United States) The earliest zoning ordinances in the United States originated in the City. They established both residential and industrial districts. Those early ordinances have much in common with zoning laws today in that some are a mechanism to insulate a neighborhood from unwanted “elements.” The first such ordinance was a prohibition against laundries, since many were owned by Chinese residents.15 These early zoning ordinances created a culture of exclusion, including prohibition of multifamily units in many neighborhoods.16 As discussed later in this report, this has exacerbated homelessness. 1969: California Housing Element Law Enacted The housing element law seeks to ensure that cities in the State zone for enough new housing to accommodate future population growth. The law also tries to ensure that some of that zoned capacity for housing is specifically for income-restricted, subsidized affordable housing.17 The Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) is the tool used by the County’s planning body to divvy up those housing needs amongst the County’s municipalities.18 14 https://urm.org/about/history/ (accessed 5/15/20) 15 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoning_in_the_United_States (accessed 4/23/20) 16 https://ternercenter.berkeley.edu/blog/california-needs-to-build-more-apartments (accessed 6/10/20) 17 https://www.lewis.ucla.edu/2019/05/10/rhna-flawed-law/ (accessed 5/1/20) 18 http://www.scag.ca.gov/programs/Pages/Housing.aspx (accessed 6/10/20) Home Sweet Home 153 1970: California passes the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)19 This statute addresses concerns about water quality and smog in the State. It supplements the new federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandates with even stricter standards regulating pollution and preserving the natural environment. • Requires the State’s public agencies and local governments to measure the environmental impacts of development projects or other major land use decisions, and to limit or avoid those impacts when possible. • Large projects must prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR), as opposed to only providing a negative declaration, which indicates the project will not have a significant impact on the environment. • When an EIR is required, the local approval process necessary to get these developments underway can take years to complete. • If an agency allows a project to move forward without proper environmental review, members of the public can sue. It allows anyone who does not like a project to block or delay it with legal challenges.20 1978: California Passes Proposition 13 (Prop 13) Under Prop 13, properties are reassessed to current market value only upon a change in ownership. As long as a home is not sold, property tax increases are limited to a maximum of 2% per year.21 Prop 13 has led to decreased tax revenues, thereby forcing municipalities to raise money through alternative means, such as increasing development fees. Increased development fees can discourage further development, contributing to the lack of sufficient housing.22 1986: California Passes Proposition 58 (Prop 58) Prop 58 excludes reassessment of property values when property is transferred between parents and children.23 So, if a property already has a much lower tax liability than similar properties due to Prop 13, then that benefit, and negative impact on municipal revenues, transfers to the next generation. 19 http://opr.ca.gov/ceqa/ (accessed 4/28/20) 20 ibid 21 https://www.californiataxdata.com/pdf/Prop13.pdf (accessed 4/26/20) 22 https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3497#Did_Assessments_Associated_With_Development_Rise_After_Proposition.A013.3F , , “Did Proposition 13 Increase Fees on Developers?” (accessed 6/10/20) 23 https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3706 (accessed 4/26/20) Home Sweet Home 154 1986: City of Los Angeles passes Proposition U (Prop U) Prop U reduced the Floor Area Ratio in half (the relationship between the lot size of a property and the size of the structure on that property) for most of the City’s commercial and manufacturing zones.24 It decreased the approved size of a building on any given lot. Its aim was to permanently and dramatically decrease the development potential of the City’s commercial corridors.25 One of the effects was a decrease in housing development potential.26 1993: Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) LAHSA is an independent, joint powers authority. It coordinates and manages over $300 million annually in federal, State, County, and City funds for programs that provide shelter, housing, and services to people experiencing homelessness.27 LAHSA is the broker for distributing the funding provided by County Measure H (passed in 2017) to its various programs, which they refer to as strategies for alleviating homelessness.28 2016: City of Los Angeles passes Proposition HHH (Prop HHH) Prop HHH includes a $1.2 billion bond measure to build 1,000 housing units per year for the next 10 years in the City.29 2016: City of Los Angeles passes Measure JJJ Measure JJJ was intended to bring more affordable housing to the City by incentivizing market-rate developers into the affordable housing business. Two important parts of Measure JJJ are: 1. Developers who receive a requested change in zoning must pay prevailing wages to their workers and set aside a percentage of affordable units.30 2. A Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) program provides density bonuses and other incentives for projects that include affordable units near transportation hubs.31 2017: Los Angeles County passes Measure H Measure H provides supportive services, rental subsidies and housing to the County’s homeless through a Countywide 0.25% increase in sales tax.32 2019: California passes AB 1482—Tenant Protection Act of 2019 24 https://www.lewis.ucla.edu/proposition-u/ (accessed 4/26/20) 25 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposition_U (accessed 4/26/20) 26 https://www.lewis.ucla.edu/proposition-u/ (accessed 6/10/20) 27 https://www.lahsa.org/about (accessed 4/25/20) 28 Per Committee interview with high ranking LAHSA official, 2019 29 https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-hhh-spending-commitments-20190421-story.html (accessed 6/10/20) 30https://ballotpedia.org/Los_Angeles,_California,_Affordable_Housing_and_Labor_Standards_Initiative,_Measure_JJJ_(Novem ber_2016) (accessed 4/22/20) 31 https://therealdeal.com/la/2017/11/10/everything-you-need-to-know-about-las-new-transit-oriented-development-incentives/ (accessed 4/22/20) 32 https://homeless.lacounty.gov/history/ (accessed 4/20/20) Home Sweet Home 155 The State is placing limits on rent hikes. A landlord can only raise the rent 5% plus the rate of inflation per year. For example, if on a given year the rate of inflation is 1.5%, the landlord is forbidden to raise the rent more than 6.5% for that year.33 2019: California passes five Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) bills34 • SB 13:35 Eliminates additional parking space requirement for ADUs o Prohibits development impact fees on units smaller than 750 square o feet and significantly limits the impact fees that may be charged on larger ADUs Suspends local owner occupancy laws for five years o Reduces the ADU application approval time from 120 to 60 days o • AB 670:36 A Homeowners Association (HOA) can no longer prohibit an owner from adding an ADU on their property • AB 671:37 provides government incentives when building ADUs with affordable rent • AB 881:38 no minimum lot size requirement for building an ADU • AB 68:39 no minimum lot size requirement for building both an ADU and a junior ADU (two accessory dwellings) on the same property Relaxing ADU regulations should encourage more of these units to be built creating more rental units in the State. 2019: California passes SB 330—Housing Crisis Act of 2019 SB 330 is designed to speed up housing construction in California during the next half-decade by slashing the time it takes to obtain building permits, limiting fee increases on housing applications, and barring local governments from reducing the number of homes that can be built.40 33 https://la.curbed.com/2019/9/24/20868937/california-rent-control-law-bill-governor (accessed 4/29/20) 34 https://www.hcd.ca.gov/policy-research/AccessoryDwellingUnits.shtml (accessed 4/28/20) 35 https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB13 (accessed 6/10/20) 36 http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB670 (accessed 6/10/20) 37 http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB671 (accessed 6/10/20) 38 http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB881 (accessed 6/10/20) 39 http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB68 (accessed 6/10/20) 40 https://sd09.senate.ca.gov/news/20191009-gov-newsom-signs-sb-330-%E2%80%9Chousing-crisis-act-2019%E2%80%9D (accessed 6/10/20) Home Sweet Home 156 METHODOLOGY The Committee toured numerous County and City facilities, as well as private and Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs) providing services to the homeless population. The committee met with specialists at those sites. Here is a list of sites toured: • Salvation Army Shelter, Pasadena • Downtown Women’s Center, Los Angeles • Salvation Army Bell Shelter, Bell • Tri-City Mental Health Services, Claremont • Hope for Home Homeless Services Center, Pomona • Wellness Center, Pomona • Parkside Family Apartments, Pomona • Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing (SCANPH), Los Angeles • Union Rescue Mission, Los Angeles • Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission, Pacoima • Restrooms, showers, and cleaning stations provided for the unsheltered in various locations around the County In addition, the Committee interviewed outreach workers, shelter staff, LAHSA officials, professors, and advocates specializing in homeless issues. The Committee researched the topic of home scarcity, innovative housing, and homeless issues utilizing: § Articles and pamphlets § Government bills, statutes and mandates § Books § Academic research papers § In-person interviews, site visits, and phone interviews Home Sweet Home 157 RESULTS OF INVESTIGATION Following are the investigative results of the five general areas outlined in the Executive Summary above: 1. Encouraging development of affordable and market-rate housing “You don’t have to love developers (or capitalism) to recognize that they are a necessary means to a shared goal: more homes for people who need them, lower prices, greener cities, more equity.”41 Dan Bertolet, PhD, Research Director, Housing and Urbanism, Sightline Institute42 The oft-cited cause of the displacement of people from low-income housing is gentrification.43 Rising rents in traditionally middle class neighborhoods, chase the middle class into low-income neighborhoods. The new middle-class residents make neighborhood improvements, rents rise, and low-income renters are priced out of their homes.44 This Committee believes, based on its investigation, that it is the scarcity of affordable housing overall that is to blame for the rising rents, not the process of gentrification itself. Anti-gentrification activists use discretionary permitting and state environmental review laws as leverage to demand costly concessions from developers, or to block projects outright. The costs, delays, and uncertainties involved in negotiating a community benefit agreement drive up the cost of new housing development and adds to the housing shortage.45 The Committee’s investigation found the shortage of housing in the State and County, and, in particular, affordable housing, was due to the following issues: § Zoning: In order to produce more homes in the County, developers have to use less land per new housing unit; that is, building homes on smaller lots or stacking homes vertically in apartment buildings. A well-functioning housing market would see more apartments built in high-rent areas within the County. However, many neighborhoods within the County are zoned to prevent this type of building.46 41 https://www.sightline.org/2017/09/28/impact-fees-an-urban-planning-zombie-in-need-of-slaying (accessed 4/26/20) 42 https://www.sightline.org/author/danbertolet/ (accessed 6/2/20) 43https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentrification (accessed 6/2/20) 44 ibid 45 Elmendorf, Christopher S., Beyond the Double Veto: Housing Plans as Preemptive Intergovernmental Compacts (December 1, 2019). Hastings Law Journal 79 (2019), pg 91. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3256857 46 https://ternercenter.berkeley.edu/blog/california-needs-to-build-more-apartments (accessed 4/23/20) Home Sweet Home 158 Compared to other highly populated urban counties, the County is several times less dense, and therefore could easily accommodate higher density construction: 47 48 In many municipalities within the County, residential development of multi-unit buildings must undergo discretionary review49 before obtaining a building permit.50 Developers seeking to build apartments must request approval on a case- by-case basis from the local city council and/or zoning board, while holding public meetings at which existing residents can raise objections. This ad hoc approval process makes building new housing a longer, riskier, and more expensive proposition for the developer, which translates into higher costs for the finished housing unit.51 Another obstacle to home creation in the County is a direct result of the passage of the 1986 Prop U, which limits high-density commercial and office buildings in the City.52 This proposition has had a long reach and is a key driver of the low-slung urban form defining most of the City’s commercial areas. Transit stops, retail spaces, restaurants and other amenities now fill these commercial areas without negatively affecting the property values of nearby residential neighborhoods. This contradicts the fear that originally drove the passage of Prop U.53 With the repeal of Prop U, these areas could be the foundation for walkable, transit-oriented, and mixed-use neighborhoods, including the creation of apartment units on top of retail spaces.54 47https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/newyorkcitynewyork,sanfranciscocountycalifornia,cookcountyillinois,losangelesc ountycalifornia,US/PST045219 (accessed 4/22/20) 48 Density percentages from formula (1 – (pop per sq mile of LA/ pop per sq mile of compared county)) 49 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discretionary_review (accessed 6/2/20) 50 https://www.law.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Examining-the-Local-Land-Use-Entitlement-Process-in- California.pdf (accessed 4/23/20) 51 https://ternercenter.berkeley.edu/blog/california-needs-to-build-more-apartments (accessed 4/23/20) 52 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposition_U, (accessed 4/22/20) 53 https://www.lewis.ucla.edu/proposition-u/ (accessed 4/23/20) 54 ibid Home Sweet Home 159 Allowing more multifamily units in both residential and commercial areas would go a long way to create more homes in the City, and subsequently, bring down the costs. § Municipal codes, including Building and Fire: Because of the lack of affordable housing units, residents of the County must often share homes. Certain municipal codes often restrict this activity. For example, Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission offers a family transitional housing program and had acquired a 12- bedroom home in Chatsworth to house families and individuals exiting their group shelters. The Los Angeles Fire Department, citing that there would be more than six people living there who were not related, and therefore did not constitute a single family, issued a citation on October 31, 2019 to Hope of the Valley. There was no fire-related issue. Though not successful, the ensuing court case ended up costing Hope of the Valley around $7,000 in court and lawyer fees that could have gone to provide services for other people in need.55 Enforcement of these antiquated municipal codes interferes with the development of transitional housing. The Salvation Army Bell Shelter (the largest homeless shelter west of the Mississippi) currently provides temporary housing for up to 500 homeless individuals at an old Army base.56 In 2018, the Bell Shelter built a 64 unit low- income, permanent housing apartment building. A second apartment complex was planned; however, the municipal code parking requirement prevented the project from going forward.57 Once again, the enforcement of an unrealistic municipal code interfered with the development of much-needed permanent housing. § Development fees: Builders build homes only if it is profitable to do so. If the cost of building a home is greater than the potential profit in either renting or selling the home, then builders will not build.58 The inefficient property tax structure created by California’s Prop 13 and subsequently Prop 58, has municipalities offsetting the loss in income by driving up development fees.59 The Committee’s investigation found City and County developer fees to be several times higher than those found in other United States counties. For example, in Salt Lake City, developer fees are $3,538 per unit for a multi-family apartment60 versus the city of Los Angeles where the fee is $14,000. See Appendix 1 56 https://bellshelter.salvationarmy.org/ (accessed 4/23/20) 57 Per interview with Bell Shelter staff on 11/21/19 58 https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2019-08-08/california-housing-shortage-home-builders (accessed 5/15/20) 59 https://www.kqed.org/news/11666284/5-reasons-californias-housing-costs-are-so-high (accessed 4/23/20) 60 https://utahstories.com/2018/10/impact-fees-in-sugar-house/ (accessed 4/22/20) Home Sweet Home 160 The fees for a single-family home in the city of Los Angeles are $11,000, so the fee is regressive, as apartments/condominiums are generally more affordable than single-family homes.61 In other County municipalities, that fee for a multi-family unit can be as high as $18,751.62 Development fees have risen 2.5% from 2008- 2015 in California while nationally they decreased a little over 1%. These added fees make it more difficult for builders to deliver new housing for sale or rent at affordable prices.63 In addition, the way that some municipalities structure their fees can incentivize fewer, larger units, reducing the amount of housing built.64 The development fees imposed by cities on builders are intended to pay for the costs of providing public services; however, these fees vary greatly amongst municipalities and do not reflect an equitable compensation for those services.65 For example, a high-rise, multi-family unit in Downtown Los Angeles is more apt to be inhabited by people who either use public transportation or travel shorter distances or do not have children. Yet, the new building is charged a general impact fee to pay for maintaining sewage lines in older neighborhoods, freeways and roads to suburban neighborhoods and schools. Ultimately, most development fees are passed down to renters and new home buyers, rather than incumbent home owners, so it is regressive. The costs of providing public services should come from the public itself through already existing property taxes, which are progressive.66 Development fees are not transparent or consistent across County municipalities, so it is difficult for a developer to accurately assess the feasibility of a project beforehand. Unexpected fees can lead developers to reduce the size, delay, or scrap the project entirely.67 § CEQA Lawsuits: People often use CEQA appeals to address either their personal issues with a particular project,68 or to extort money from developers.69 Rarely are the CEQA lawsuits actually about environmental issues.70 This adds long delays to projects, sometimes years, and astronomical expenses which either forces the developer to raise rates on multi-family apartments, or to sell the project, leaving home creation, both low cost and market rate, the loser in both cases. 61 https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-02-28/la-ed-development-fees-state-bills (accessed 4/22/20) 62 https://marketurbanismreport.com/blog/why-is-new-housing-in-california-so-expensive (accessed 4/22/20) 63 http://ternercenter.berkeley.edu/uploads/Development_Fees_Report_Final_2.pdf, pg. 5 (accessed 4/23/20) 64 https://therealdeal.com/la/2018/03/19/rising-housing-development-costs-bad-news-for-las-housing-crunch-report/ (accessed 4/20/20) 65 http://ternercenter.berkeley.edu/uploads/Residential_Impact_Fees_in_California_August_2019.pdf, pg. 10 (accessed 4/23/20) 66 https://www.sightline.org/2017/09/28/impact-fees-an-urban-planning-zombie-in-need-of-slaying (accessed 4/20/20) 67 http://ternercenter.berkeley.edu/uploads/Development_Fees_Report_Final_2.pdf, pg. 23-24 (accessed 4/20/20) 68 www.ladowntownnews.com/development/at-the-reef-mega-project-a-battle-and-resolution/article_613c06b4-b068-11e7-9e04- b798a88b60ee.html (accessed 4/26/20) 69 https://www.ceqadevelopments.com/2019/07/12/ceqa-meets-rico-true-stories-of-extortion-and-litigation-abuse-in-tinseltown/ (accessed 4/26/20) 70 https://cal.streetsblog.org/2019/03/13/is-ceqa-preventing-housing-from-being-built-in-california/ (accessed 4/26/20) Home Sweet Home 161 § California’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) Process is flawed: The RHNA is the State’s Housing Element Law planning tool which provides a blueprint for how each regional jurisdiction will grow and develop.71 Los Angeles County municipality RHNA targets are updated every eight years, and determine the amount of housing units at each income level that each municipality needs to permit each cycle.72 The Committee found that RHNA is flawed and needs to be simplified and reformed:73 Ø Most municipalities cannot afford the amount of low-income homes allocated by the RHNA: Little thought is given to how these needed units, especially the affordable units, might be built. For example, the fifth RHNA cycle, covering 2013–2021, estimated that California would need over 665,000 income-restricted units, or roughly 80,000 affordable units per year.74 However, the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, the primary subsidy for new income-restricted housing, finances the production of only about 7,000 units in California annually, i.e. less than 10% of the RHNA target.75 Meeting our estimated need for affordable housing would require annual expenditures in the low tens of billions of dollars and would essentially bankrupt most local jurisdictions in the State, including Los Angeles County municipalities.76 Ø The RHNA allocations require planning for units to be developed but jurisdictions are not required to build them. Because the State is aware that the RHNA allocations for housing, both low income and market rate, are untenable for most local jurisdictions, the RHNA only requires that cities demonstrate, in their plans, that they have space that can potentially hold the needed income-restricted housing. But nothing in the law ensures that any income-restricted housing will actually be built, nor that these potential sites must actually be reserved for that purpose.77 Ø There is an unequal distribution of income-restricted housing across jurisdictions in the County. The Committee reviewed the production of LIHTC housing across the County’s 88 cities. Thirty have constructed no LIHTC units ever, while 24 others have built only one or two buildings. The City, which is home to roughly 40% of the County population, has 70% of the County’s 1,235 income-restricted buildings built through the 71 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/45g2k3fp, pg.1 (accessed 5/4/20) 72 https://www.next10.org/publications/housing-goals (accessed 5/3/20) 73 https://www.lewis.ucla.edu/2019/05/10/rhna-flawed-law/ (accessed 5/2/20) 74 https://www.lewis.ucla.edu/2019/05/10/rhna-flawed-law/ (accessed 5/2/20) 75 https://lao.ca.gov/Reports/2016/3345/Low-Income-Housing-020816.pdf, pg. 3 (accessed 5/3/20) 76 https://lao.ca.gov/publications/report/3345 (accessed 5/3/20) 77 https://www.lewis.ucla.edu/2019/05/10/rhna-flawed-law/ (accessed 5/2/20) Home Sweet Home 162 LIHTC program.78 That said, the RHNA numbers are not true “housing needs;” they are the results of a political process where cities lobby and, often, fight to keep their numbers low.79 Ø RHNA rewards cities that refuse to build, and allocates “housing need” to places where housing is needed least. RHNA was originally written, in part, to push back on the many restrictions cities had placed on housing production. In practice, the assessment looks at places that have grown slowly because they restrict housing production, and then projects that growth will be slow there in the future. This predicted slow growth, in turn, leads to the conclusion that these cities “need” less housing. Slow growth thus becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.80 Ø RHNA unnecessarily pits affordable units against market-rate units. If a jurisdiction within the County were to hit its RHNA target for market- rate housing, it should in no way suggest the city in question has “enough” market-rate housing, nor does it mean that less low-income homes were created as a result. Similarly, the fact that the County has zoned relatively few places as suitable for low-income housing should not tell us those places must be protected at all costs; it should tell us that the County needs to change its zoning. RHNA creates conditions where people fight over the few and shrinking sites where multi-family housing is allowed, when the real goal should be to create many more of those sites. Zoning is not immutable, and cities can change it. (See section above on “Zoning”.) 81 A better model for creating both market-rate and low-income housing is the model used by many northeastern states.82 In this model, a city is out of compliance if less than 10% of its housing stock is income-restricted. And if a city is out of compliance, developers can bypass many local reviews when building low-income housing. This approach has two straightforward benefits. First, it is simple. There is no need for a complex modeling effort to determine “housing needs” every eight years. More importantly, it avoids politics. Without a complex allocation system, there is no one to lobby. Every city should have at least 10% affordable housing. In California, that 10% would represent a drastic improvement. In the last RHNA cycle, only one in ten California cities were asked to zone more than 10% of their stock as income-restricted housing.83 78 Per Committee members contacting each municipality 79 https://www.lewis.ucla.edu/2019/05/10/rhna-flawed-law/ (accessed 5/3/20) 80 ibid 81 ibid 82 Elmendorf, Christopher S., Beyond the Double Veto: Housing Plans as Preemptive Intergovernmental Compacts (December 1, 2019). Hastings Law Journal 79 (2019), pg. 95-97. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3256857 83 https://www.lewis.ucla.edu/2019/05/10/rhna-flawed-law/ (accessed 6/10/20) Home Sweet Home 163 Measure JJJ was passed by the City in 2016 to incentivize market-rate builders to create more affordable housing and create more high-paying construction jobs.84 Here are the two parts to that measure and the outcomes: § Developers who receive a requested change in zoning or a general plan amendment, must pay prevailing wages to their workers and set aside a percentage of affordable units. This part of the measure had a negative effect on new home growth. The year before Measure JJJ passed, zone changes to increase home density generated plans for more than 19,000 residential units. After Measure JJJ passed, only one project has been approved under the Measure JJJ rules.85 The prevailing wage requirement is the primary impediment to the use of zone changes and general plan amendments. Union labor increases the cost of development by 20% to 30%.86 Measure JJJ made it cost prohibitive for builders to apply for zone changes, and, as a result, no low-income homes were built. § The Transit Oriented Corridor (TOC) program, which grants extra height and density to projects that provide affordable housing, has accounted for nearly 20,000 proposed units between 2017 and early 2020.87 The TOC program has been phenomenally successful in creating both low-income and market-rate homes near transit stations. According to a joint study by LAPlus and the Real Estate Development & Design Program, College of Environmental Design at University of California Berkeley, published May 2019, “… the housing situation in Los Angeles would have been better off if TOC had been authorized as a standalone measure, without the JJJ provisions for general plan amendments and zone changes.”88 In 2019, State legislators and Governor Gavin Newson took unprecedented steps to boost housing production in the State with the passing of the following bills: Ø The State passed many Accessory Dwelling Unit bills lifting local zoning regulations on the building of backyard cottages and converted garages. Also 84 https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2019-09-06/los-angeles-has-a-program-to-build-lots-of-affordable-housing-near-transit- of-course-nimbys-want-to-shut-it-down 85 https://urbanize.la/post/study-housing-production-slows-los-angeles-following-passage-measure-jjj (accessed 4/27/20) 86 Vallianatos, Smith, Morrow, Mendel, Wang. “Measure JJJ: An Evaluation of Impacts on Residential Development in the City of Los Angeles.” https://wordpressstorageaccount.blob.core.windows.net/wp-media/wp-content/uploads/sites/867/2019/06/2019- Measure-JJJ-An-Evaluation-of-impacts-on-residential-development-in-City-LA.pdf, pg. 48 (accessed 4/27/20) 87 https://la.curbed.com/2020/1/22/21055436/transit-oriented-communities-development-dense-housing-explained (accessed 6/2/20) 88 Vallianatos, Smith, Morrow, Mendel, Wang. “Measure JJJ: An Evaluation of Impacts on Residential Development in the City of Los Angeles.” https://wordpressstorageaccount.blob.core.windows.net/wp-media/wp-content/uploads/sites/867/2019/06/2019- Measure-JJJ-An-Evaluation-of-impacts-on-residential-development-in-City-LA.pdf, pg. 4 (accessed 4/27/20) Home Sweet Home 164 included were government incentives for building ADUs with affordable rent.89 (See list of ADU bills in background section of this document.) The intent is to boost much-needed home growth by creating more housing in traditionally low-density neighborhoods.90 Ø The Housing Crisis Act of 2019, SB 330, sponsor, State Senator Nancy Skinner, explains, “We have a housing crisis. California’s failure to build enough housing has resulted in the highest rents and home ownership costs in the nation and has deepened homelessness. SB 330 green lights affordable and market-rate housing that already meets local zoning rules and prevents cities from enacting new regulations that might limit the housing we so desperately need.” By reducing the overhead costs due to lengthy review processes and burdensome fees, the County hopes to see a surge in affordable housing.91 2. Homelessness Prevention Until regulation and zoning laws are updated and housing shortages are addressed, many people will remain homeless, and many more are at risk. Homelessness, besides being a humanitarian crisis, presents a significant negative fiscal impact on the County.92 Therefore, the most cost-effective approach is to keep people from becoming homeless in the first place. Adult Residential Facilities and Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (Board and Care Facilities), are vital housing resources for many County residents with mental illnesses and other health needs. Board and Care facilities provide these individuals with a stable home, meals, and various other supportive services.93 State budget allotments and Social Security payments to the facilities are about $35 a day per resident.94 This is not nearly enough to keep these homes in business, so, since 2016, 39 Board and Cares serving 949 individuals were forced to close their doors, leaving their vulnerable residents potentially homeless.95 Measure H funds provide supportive services and rental subsidies to the County’s homeless, but only $23 million of the funds’ total budget of $460 million (5%) is allocated to “Homeless Prevention.”96 LAHSA, the County and the State are developing programs and enacting laws to try to prevent homelessness: 89 https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB68 (accessed 6/10/20) 90 https://sd09.senate.ca.gov/news/20191009-gov-newsom-signs-sb-330-“housing-crisis-act-2019” (accessed 4/28/20) 91 See October 9. 2019, press release titled “Gov. Newsom Signs SB 330, Housing Crisis Act of 2019,” found under “News” section of State Senator Nancy Skinner’s website; https://sd09.senate.ca.gov/news/20191009-gov-newsom-signs-sb-330- “housing-crisis-act-2019” 92 https://homeless.lacounty.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/homeless-costs-final.pdf ,section v, “Overall Utilization and its Costs” (accessed 4/28/20) 93 https://scvnews.com/la-county-to-intervene-to-prevent-board-and-care-closures/ (accessed 5/11/20) 94 https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-11-06/homeless-housing-board-care-homes-mental-illness (accessed 5/11/20) 95 ibid 96 https://homeless.lacounty.gov/news/l-a-county-makes-460-million-investment-in-fight-against-homelessness-year-3-measure-h- spending-plan-funds-expansion-of-housing-and-prevention/ (accessed 5/8/20) Home Sweet Home 165 LAHSA’s Problem-Solving Program LAHSA’s Problem-Solving program was set up in November of 2019 to try to rapidly rehouse those who are newly homeless or those at risk of becoming homeless. The Problem Solvers, through creative conversations and active listening, can help the person tap into their own social circle to meet their housing needs. In addition, there is a Problem-Solving Assistance Fund available to provide one-time or minimal assistance.97 For example, a LAHSA Problem-Solving Specialist, charged with homeless prevention outreach, was interviewed by the Committee and recounted this story:98 A young man moved to Los Angeles, had an apartment with a roommate, the roommate moved out, so he was unable to pay rent and became homeless. The LAHSA Problem-Solver connected with the young man, and through conversation techniques acquired through the program, discovered the young man had a family out- of-state that he was too embarrassed to call for help. The Problem-Solver mediated a telephone conversation between the young man and his mother, who had been extremely worried about him, and wanted him to come home. Through the Problem- Solving Assistance Fund, the young man was sent home. This anecdote exemplifies the shift in approach when dealing with the homeless or soon-to-be homeless. Before, the young man would have been put on LAHSA’s lengthy waiting list, the Consolidated Entry System (CES)99, for a home which would most likely never materialize. Through conversation, mediation, and one-time financial assistance, this young man’s needs were addressed. The program’s goal is to divert 20% of individuals or households at an entry point of the homeless system.100 Problem-Solving Specialists are currently offering training to all organizations that provide homeless services within the County. Before COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, the classes were taught in various County venues, but are now taught online, and can therefore reach a larger audience.101 In 2019, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors adopted a permanent ordinance prohibiting rent increases in excess of three percent (3%) per year and evictions without just cause for rental properties in the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County.102 Tenant Protection Act of 2019, AB 1482 97 http://ceslosangeles.weebly.com/uploads/1/2/2/1/1221685/5_problem_solving_for_ces_.pdf (accessed 5/9/20) 98 Interview with LAHSA Problem-Solving Specialist 1/31/2020 99 https://www.lahsa.org/ces/about (accessed 5/31/20) 100 https://www.lahsa.org/news?article=586-problem-solving-a-humanistic-approach-to-ending-homelessness (accessed 6/10/20) 101 Per Committee email conversation with LAHSA Problem-Solver Specialist, May 2020 102 http://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/bos/supdocs/140272.pdf (accessed 6/10/20) Home Sweet Home 166 AB 1482 protects renters from landlords hiking up rents more than 5% a year plus the rate of inflation. The hope is that cost-burdened renters will be able to stay in place, even as land values around them rise due to housing scarcity and gentrification.103 California 2020-21 State Budget Allocates Funds for Board and Care Homes In January 2020, the State allocated a $750 million initial investment to create a structure for developing affordable housing units, supplementing and augmenting rental subsidies, and stabilizing board and care homes.104 3. Providing Human Necessities to the Unsheltered Homeless “At the direction of Mayor Garcetti, LASAN [Los Angeles Sanitation Department] is implementing significant redeployment of our resources to provide cleaner, safer environments in and around homeless encampments. Through the new CARE [Comprehensive Cleaning and Rapid Engagement] program, we are adding crews, who will handle more frequent cleanups and daily trash collection; increasing public health resources at encampments; and delivering regular hygiene services in areas of highest need.”105 The CARE program, funded through the general City fund, monitors and provides the portable showers that are strategically placed around homeless encampments. Currently, CARE has six units: three are active, two are being modified to meet the specific needs of the shower/bathrooms, and one is reserved, in case one of the other units breaks down.106 Each unit consists of a trailer and a tow vehicle, which together are called a Hygiene Compound. The trailers are outfitted with three compartments, each containing a toilet, shower, and sink.107 One compartment is Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant.108 By the end of June 2020, CARE anticipates seven additional Hygiene Compounds, bringing their total active units to 13.109 The units are parked onsite from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Allowing one hour for installation, and another hour for dismantling, the units provide service from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Currently, the number of homeless who use these facilities are 20-30 per 103 https://www.natlawreview.com/article/ab-1482-tenant-protection-act-summary-key-provisions (accessed 5/14/20) 104 https://www.gov.ca.gov/2020/01/10/governor-newsom-proposes-2020-21-state-budget/ (accessed 5/11/20) 105 https://www.lamayor.org/mayor-garcetti-announces-new-plan-deploy-new-sanitation-teams-deliver-services-homeless- encampments (accessed 6/10/20) 106 Committee interview with CARE Representative, March 2020 107 ibid 108 https://www.interactiveaccessibility.com/services/ada-compliance, https://www.ladbs.org/docs/default-source/publications/information-bulletins/building-code/accessibility-details-restrooms- drinking-fountains.pdf?sfvrsn=18 (accessed 6/10/20) 109 Committee interview with CARE representative, March, 2020 Home Sweet Home 167 day. Each patron is allowed 15 minutes in the shower. After each shower the compartment is sanitized.110 Prior to establishing a site for the mobile shower trailer, the site needs to be vetted. Workers need to verify there is accessible water (fire hydrant), waste capability (sewer system), close proximity to homeless encampments, and minimal impact on the surrounding businesses. While the Hygiene Compound is on site, numerous Non- Profit Organizations (NPO) are providing mental health assistance, housing and medical care referrals.111 Hygiene Compounds are staffed with volunteer workers, and also those previously incarcerated, re-entry individuals, and others sponsored through a non-profit program that pays them a standard wage. The CARE program allows these workers to earn a paycheck, gain some skills, and lay the groundwork for pursuing a job. “This builds pride, discipline and empowerment for the individual,” according to a CARE program official, who was impressed with the, “hard-working crews, and that their relationship to others is more genuine.” The volunteers also hand out trash bags or boxes for the individuals to clean up their area, with regular trash pick-up by the City.112 CARE anticipates that the Hygiene Compounds will have 10-11 permanent locations, and will be situated in the areas which have the densest homeless populations. Currently, the CARE program has no plans for providing trailers that house washers and dryers for the homeless.113 In addition to the Hygiene Compounds, the CARE program provides periodic clean-up of the homeless encampments. CARE workers will post notification to move from the location selected, and will do a “deep clean” and sanitize the site. The program recently purchased a sidewalk-cleaning machine they use to clean the concrete in the selected areas. This greatly improves the basic appearance of the site. In addition, the team does outreach, and disposal of discarded items.114 There are 30 CARE Teams that go through the encampment areas and distribute hand sanitizers, blankets and other small personal care items. The team is currently working to see if they can get donations of blankets and other clothing for the individuals who use the Hygiene Compounds.115 By June of 2020, there is projected to be 13 operating Hygiene Compounds. Since CARE reports that between 30-40 people use each Compound daily,116 when all are in 110 Committee interview with CARE representative, March, 2020 111 ibid. 112 ibid 113 ibid 114 ibid 115 ibid 116 ibid Home Sweet Home 168 service, the Compounds can provide a total of 520 showers per day.117 Therefore, by Committee calculation, only 3,640 individuals have access to the CARE showers per week (this assumes only one shower per week).118 There are approximately 27,000 unsheltered homeless in the City of Los Angeles,119 which means 23,360 unsheltered homeless in the City do not have access to a weekly shower through the CARE program.120 The Committee found only two other organizations that provide weekly showers outside of the City: Lava Mae which operates out of the Whittier Narrows, and Shower of Hope, which services the unsheltered of East Pasadena.121 Lava Mae averages showers for about 100 people a week, and Shower of Hope provides no more than 40. With a homeless count of 45,000 unsheltered homeless in the County,123 the Committee recommends additional shower units for the unsheltered of the County. An audit by several organizations noted that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recommends that that there should be 20 people per toilet on the street and/or a toilet no further than 50 meters (164 ft.) from a dwelling.124 In Los Angeles, just on Skid Row, where in 2017 there were approximately 1,777 unsheltered individuals, in the daytime there are approximately 43 toilets available, 80 toilets short by UN standards. At night, there were only nine toilets available, a shortage of 164 public toilets. According to a recent study, “It is harder to find a bathroom on Skid Row than in a Syrian refugee camp.”125 Of the permanent public toilets, the City has provided four self-cleaning toilets, at $250,000 each, which have been criticized for being unreliable and too costly to build and maintain. Further, it has been reported that often people sleep in them, get stuck in them as the automated doors fail to open, and frequently the units are out of order.126 A possible alternative is the Portland Loo. “Free and accessible around the clock, the Loos are designed specifically to prevent problems that are commonly experienced with public toilets.” 127 There is no running water inside, just a spigot outside that runs cold water. There is no mirror, there are bars at the top and the bottom of the structure, which has many advantages. There is a graffiti-proof coating, and walls and doors are 117 13 compounds x 40 people = 520 showers 118 520 showers per day x 7 = 3,640 showers per week 119 https://www.lahsa.org/documents?id=3421-2019-greater-los-angeles-homeless-count-city-of-los-angeles.pdf (accessed on 6/10/20) 120 27,000 – 3640= 23,360 121 https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-shower-trailers-20180814-story.html (accessed 6/10/20) 122 https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-shower-trailers-20180814-story.html (accessed 6/10/20) 123 https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-07-21/homeless-right-to-shelter-housing-law-california-new-york (accessed 6/10/20) 124 https://www.innercitylaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/No-Place-To-Go-final.pdf, pg. 32 (accessed 6/13/20) 125 https://laist.com/2017/06/30/bathroom_access_in_skid_row.php (accessed 5/14/20) 126 Ibid 127 https://portlandloo.com/ (accessed 5/14/20) Home Sweet Home 169 made from heavy-gage stainless steel. The Portland Loo costs $90,000 with an annual maintenance cost of $12,000 a year.128 Today, with an estimated 45,000 unsheltered individuals in the County, the UN standard of one toilet per 20 people129, would require 2,000 public toilets be available.130 4. Shelters The Union Rescue Mission was the first shelter in the County of Los Angeles. It opened in 1907, on Skid Row, and is still going strong.131 It is one of 177 sites in the County providing shelter to the homeless.132 As of 2019, notable County homelessness statistics include adding: • approximately 45,000 unsheltered including those living in vehicles, tents, and makeshift shelters133 • a total of approximately 59,000 homeless individuals in the County134 • 7,132 shelter beds available; does not include motel beds funded by the County and LAHSA135 Shelters are vital, but they are short-term, emergency lodgings. Although for many, shelters are better than living on the street, but they are not stable housing. They are a Band-Aid to a more permanent solution. Most shelters are operated by NPOs, many of which have religious affiliations.136 The traditional rules regarding admittance to a shelter is that, in order to stay there, you had to follow certain procedures and rules. For example, the Salvation Army, as well as many other shelters, do not allow the residents to drink alcohol or take non- prescription drugs, but do require them to take prescribed medication.137 These requirements, along with others, cause many homeless people to choose to remain on the streets.138 128 ibid 129 https://www.innercitylaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/No-Place-To-Go-final.pdf under graph (accessed 5/14/20) 130 https://www.innercitylaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/No-Place-To-Go-final.pdf under graph (accessed 5/14/20) 131 https://urm.org/about/history/ (accessed 5/15/20) 132 https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/400d7b75f18747c4ae1ad22d662781a3 (accessed 6/3/20) 133 https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-07-21/homeless-right-to-shelter-housing-law-california-new-york (accessed 6/10/20) 134 https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/400d7b75f18747c4ae1ad22d662781a3 (accessed 6/4/20) 135 https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/400d7b75f18747c4ae1ad22d662781a3 (accessed 6/4/20) 136 Per Committee interviews and tours with shelter workers (9/19 – 3/20) 137 Per Committee interview with Salvation Army and Union Rescue Mission staff 138 Per numerous Committee interviews with homeless advocates Home Sweet Home 170 Today, the “best practices” perception of sheltering the homeless is “housing first,”139 and then begin to deal with other personal issues. In order to deal with individual situations, a stable environment is needed first.140 Hope for Home, located in Pomona, is a shelter built in collaboration among the cities of Pomona, La Verne and Claremont. Tri-City Mental Health provides mental health services, East Valley Medical provides physical health services, and Volunteers of America provides operational services for the shelter. This is a new shelter and an example of “best practices” for a shelter. All homeless are welcome, without pre- requisites. Through Tri-City Mental Health, they have many wraparound services for various situations, including drug and alcohol treatment, and a media room for job training. These services are voluntary.141 In addition, the shelter itself provides beds, meals, showers, laundry services, individual storage compartments, and even kennels, grooming and veterinarian services for the residents’ pets. It is a large, tent-like structure, with movable partitions. At the moment, the shelter houses a total of 250 adult men and women.142 Generally, the maximum stay time is 90 days. However, many residents remain longer because there is no other housing for them.143 5. Best Practices and Innovative Building Solutions Vacant, Already Constructed County Housing Units The American Community Survey estimates about 93,535 homes are sitting empty in the city of Los Angeles alone, including second homes and vacation units.144 In a County housing market, where only 4.1% of rental housing units are available to rent (healthy rental markets sit between 7 to 8%), homes intentionally left vacant are exacerbating the problem and keeping many in the County homeless.145 Senate Bill 1079, up for a vote during the 2019-2020 legislative session, would allow local officials to adopt ordinances to fine “in an unspecified amount” corporations and companies that leave residential buildings vacant for more than 90 days.146 In addition to the vacant homes in the private market, at least 163 homes owned by California Transit Authority (Caltrans)147 have been sitting vacant for years. These homes, along with about 300 more, were purchased to make room for an extension of 139 https://endhomelessness.org/resource/housing-first/ (accessed 6/3/20) 140 https://housingfirsteurope.eu/assets/files/2017/03/HFG_full_Digital.pdf , pg 54 ( accessed 6/10/20) 141 Per Committee interview with Tri-City Staff 142 ibid 143 ibid 144 https://la.curbed.com/2019/6/11/18660735/vacancy-tax-empty-homes-penalty-los-angeles (accessed 5/11/20) 145 ibid (accessed 5/11/20) 146 http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB1079 (accessed 5/11/20) 147 https://la.curbed.com/2020/3/16/21182478/moms-occupy-el-sereno-house-caltrans (accessed 6/10/2020) Home Sweet Home 171 the 710 Freeway, a project that was officially abandoned two years ago.148 As reported in 1995 by the Los Angeles Times, “Many of the more than 600 houses [owned by Caltrans] the state has accumulated are now surplus due to a change in the freeway route years ago.”149 Therefore, these homes currently sitting empty have been so at least since 1995. Although Caltrans is purportedly selling some of these homes, and offers to buy them have been made by the homes’ renters (who supposedly have first choice), it remains to be seen, when, or even if, the offers will be accepted.150 “I think Caltrans is unable to staff the process,” according to Christopher Sutton, an attorney in Pasadena who has represented Caltrans tenants in court. “[Caltrans] is selling nine properties a year. At that rate, it is going to take them approximately 50 years to sell these properties.”151 Thus, since at least 1995, Caltrans has had many vacant units and units in need of repair that are mandated to be either rented or sold. This Committee questions as to why this is not being done when there are around 59,000 homeless people desperately in need of shelter. Particularly, with the COVID-19 virus pandemic, all available housing units should be occupied. Innovative Housing The “housing first” model for sheltering the homeless is considered the best practices model because of its success. Shelters are valuable emergency housing. Congregate housing, where 6-12 people share a dwelling, 2-4 people to a bedroom, with shared common rooms, is valuable as temporary housing. However, in order to successfully progress out of homelessness, one needs a private, permanent place, with a key.152 When permanent housing was provided to the homeless, Skid Row Housing Trust (SRHT) literature says, “a miraculous thing happened, long-term, homeless people…often considered ‘beyond help,’ got better, a lot better.”153 Although there are variations on a theme, the Committee found five innovative, practical, long-term bridge, and permanent housing construction ideas that should be explored by the City and County. 148 https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-west/news/2020/03/25/reclaiming-our-homes-movement (accessed 5/15/20) 149 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-04-26-mn-59080-story.html (accessed 5/15/20) 150 https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/greater-la/2-bedroom-condo-in-south-pasadena-75-000-with-a-catch/for-caltrans-tenants- one-last-shot-at-home-ownership (accessed 5/15/20) 151 https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/greater-la/2-bedroom-condo-in-south-pasadena-75-000-with-a-catch/for-caltrans-tenants- one-last-shot-at-home-ownership (accessed 5/15/20) 152 Interview with a representative from Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission on 2/14/20 153 https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/7997-star-apartments-los-angeles (accessed 5/15/20) Home Sweet Home 172 § New Genesis One of the new housing models from the developer, SRHT, is the New Genesis Apartments, an affordable housing complex located near 5th and Main Streets in Downtown Los Angeles. This structure, opened in 2012, cost $24.5 million to build 106 units (cost per unit is $231,132). New Genesis is considered supportive housing because it includes on-site social services. SRHT has three other structures along the same model. New Genesis reserves 79 units for people who were recently homeless or who suffer from a physical disability or mental illness, and 24 for low-income residents. The remaining units are rented at market rate. This mixed-income housing project is a “distinct evolution” from their other developments, which require a year of homelessness and proof of disability before being accepted as a resident. Rents are $738 for a low- income, 400 sq. ft. apartment. The loft apartments rent for $949 per month.154 § Potter’s Lane Potter’s Lane, located at 15171 Jackson Street in Midway City, CA, is a 16- unit apartment complex, made from 54 recycled shipping containers, which opened in February, 2017. These containers, modified into 480 sq. ft. apartments, are being re-purposed into a kitchen, a bathroom, and a living space for homeless veterans. This project was fostered by Donna Gallup, the president of American Family Housing, the non-profit overseeing the $6.3 million project, with a cost of $393,750 per unit. It “will be the state’s first multifamily housing made from shipping containers,” said Gallup.155 The containers are energy-efficient, have steel sides (decreasing upkeep) and long windows on the sides to let in light. They were sent to the manufacturer to be designed in May 2016 (each apartment was a combination of three containers) and were ready to be installed four months later.156 According to Gallup, the container housing, “ultimately proved a concept for quickly developing high quality, durable and energy efficient homeless housing on a short timeline.” The entire complex was completed in less than five months.157 Potter’s Lane has won the 2017 Golden Nugget Award for best Affordable Housing Project, as well as, five other PCBC Golden Nugget Awards for merit.158 154 http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/a-new-housing-model-at-the-new-genesis/article_a8915efa-253b-11e2-8748- 0019bb2963f4.html (accessed 5/15/20) 155 https://www.scpr.org/news/2017/01/30/68500/a-new-use-for-old-shipping-containers-housing-for/ (accessed 5/15/20) 156 ibid 157 ibid 158 http://afhusa.org/potterslane.php (accessed 5/15/20) Home Sweet Home 173 § STAR Apartments The Star Apartments, Los Angeles, located at 6th Street and Maple Avenue, is another SRHT creation. This is a mixed use project, piggybacked onto an existing structure, which uses multifamily modular prefabricated construction. Using the existing structure as a base, “craning in the units seemed like a natural fit,” says Michael Maltzan, the project architect. “Prefab emerged as the most direct and efficient approach, addressing issues from technical and financial to social and urban.”159 Guerdon Enterprises, located in Idaho, prefabricated the wood frame modules, each a 300 sq. ft. studio with a full kitchen, a bath, and with the finished interior factory installed. These units were fabricated in seven weeks and then assembled, over the base structure, in only six weeks. The 102-unit structure cost $40 million to build, each unit costing $392,157.160 All of these units are reserved for the chronic homeless with underlying conditions.161 The residents contribute 30% of their income for rent.162 § Tiny Homes One of the types of innovative housing that was mentioned in the book entitled “Give Me Shelter” is the tiny home. By definition, a tiny home has a maximum of 400 sq. ft.163 Other communities in California have adopted the tiny home approach to housing the homeless. Here are a few: • A variety of builders, contractors, and a church worked together to build six tiny homes for homeless residents in Castro Valley.164 • With the help of $8,000 in donations, donated materials, and around 100 volunteers, a community of 11 tiny homes for the homeless are under construction in Oakland.165 • In San Jose, Habitat for Humanity built 40 tiny homes at a cost of $6,500 per tiny home and 40 more are in the works.166 The first 40 homes are built on Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority lands and the second group of 40 will be on Caltrans-owned property.167 159 https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/7997-star-apartments-los-angeles (accessed 5/15/20) 160 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Apartments (accessed 5/15/20) 161 https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/7997-star-apartments-los-angeles (accessed 5/15/20) 162 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Apartments (accessed 5/15/20) 163 Borges, Sofia & Mitchell, R. Scott. Give Me Shelter. (Los Angeles: ORO Editions, 2018), p. 72. 164 https://www.ktvu.com/news/tiny-homes-for-working-homeless-headed-to-castro-valley (accessed 5/31/20) 165 https://sfist.com/2020/01/20/oakland-homeless-group-the-village-constructs-tiny-home-community/ (accessed 5/31/20) 166 https://sf.curbed.com/2020/3/3/21162419/san-jose-tiny-homes-homeless-mabury-road-opening-delayed (accessed 5/31/20) 167 ibid Home Sweet Home 174 Amazon has “build it yourself” kits for over two dozen tiny homes for sale by mail order. There is even a two-story model. These homes range from $5,000 to $19,000. The most expensive one is two stories, with three rooms on the first level, spanning 294 sq. ft., and an attic loft bedroom above. Most of these homes have free shipping and take about two days to build.168 Oakland-based tiny homes builder, Gregory Kloehn, led a one-week workshop for USC architectural students in which they built three tiny homes out of trash and illegally dumped materials, except for a small budget for locks and wheels. Vernon.169 Boxabl is a steel and concrete, 375 sq. ft., prefabricated home that literally unfolds upon arrival at the delivery location. It is “basically an instant-house with everything you could possibly need in a small house.” It has a family room (with room for a full-sized couch) a full kitchen, with appliances, a bathroom, with a full bath/shower, and a bedroom that can fit a queen size bed. The homes also include washers and dryers, heating and air conditioning. There are no stairs or ladders and the homes can be ordered ADA-compliant, making them a great place for seniors and disabled individuals. The best part about these homes is that they cost $49,500. In addition, Boxabl plans to create more Boxabls that connect, so in the future you can add to the home by stacking rooms vertically or connecting horizontally. These homes can be used as emergency housing because they can be re-folded, stacked, and stored for future use.170 § PODS In 2018, MADWORKSHOP published a book entitled “Give Me Shelter, Architecture Takes on the Homeless Crisis.” Featured in this publication are a series of nomadic shelters, the now defunct Dome Village, tiny homes, other forms of modular structures, and one which they informally named the USC Pods (Pods).171 These pods were developed as the final project of a University of Southern California (USC) Homeless Studio class, which consisted of 11 students and two professors. Working closely with them were experts from the SRHT, the City planning department and activists for the homeless. This project was funded by MADWORKSHOP, which allowed the students to actually build rather than just render a structure.172 168 https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-tiny-home-kit-allwood-getaway-cabin-loft-2019-7 (accessed 5/15/20) 169 Borges, Sofia & Mitchell, R. Scott. Give Me Shelter. (Los Angeles: ORO Editions, 2018), p. 72. 170 https://tinyhousetalk.com/375-sq-ft-unfolding-house-for-49500/ (accessed 5/15/20) 171 Borges, Sofia & Mitchell, R. Scott. Give Me Shelter. Los Angeles: ORO Editions, 2018. Print. 172 https://www.fastcompany.com/3067572/the-25k-pod-that-could-ease-las-homelessness-crisis (accessed 4/28/20) Home Sweet Home 175 The final design produced a Pod that looked like a cross between a tiny house and a college dorm room. “The bright, inviting space looks like the kind of place that anyone would want to hang out. It looks comfortable, like you want to go in and take a nap,” says one of the instructors.173 The team designed the pods to fit the bureaucratic rules and procedures. They began by limiting a single community to 30 beds, thus avoiding the necessity of obtaining a single-use permit, which could stall building for months, even up to a year.174 The pods circumvented zoning problems by classifying them as “congregant housing.” This means that the “units are fabricated and manufactured offsite and then installed as temporary housing.” This dramatically opens up the possibilities for placement of these communities. Any empty plot of land zoned either manufacturing or residential can be used for a settlement.175 Since these units are made offsite, they can be set up in only two weeks. They can also occupy the land temporarily, and be easily moved to another location. For example, if a church had a huge parking lot or large grounds, a settlement could be built there. Or, if land was going to be vacant for some time waiting for permission to build, a settlement could be built to operate during that time and then easily re-located.176 Ken Craft, CEO of the non-profit agency Hope of the Valley, planned to build the first settlement which he calls “Homes for Hope.” Craft was involved in the design process from the beginning. He believed each unit should be raised off the ground to account for uneven land. The units needed a bright, airy, contemporary look so that, “Anyone would be honored and thrilled to live there,” exclaimed Craft.177 From all appearances, Craft achieved his aim. The interior of each pod is a relatively spacious 92 square feet, with one wall that is convex to extend beyond the foundation, maximizing the interior space and storage. There is room for a bed, desk, chair and shelves. There are two windows for ample natural light and air flow. Since the units are modular, they can be combined and repurposed into bathroom units, dining areas, and case-worker offices. Three units can fit on the back of an 18-wheeler. A two-story, 30 bed complex, complete with inner courtyard, can be built in just two weeks.178 179 173 ibid 174 ibid 175 ibid 176 Interview with a representative from Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission 2/14/20 177 https://www.fastcompany.com/3067572/the-25k-pod-that-could-ease-las-homelessness-crisis, (accessed 4/28/20) 178 https://www.fastcompany.com/3067572/the-25k-pod-that-could-ease-las-homelessness-crisis (accessed 4/28/20) 179 See Appendix 2, Homes for Hope Brochure Home Sweet Home 176 The pods are extremely affordable. Individual pods, including materials, furnishings, mechanical systems, and labor, cost just $25,000.180 A full 30-bed development, including wrap-around services, is estimated at just under $1 million. Compared to the $600,000 per single unit for LAHSA’s latest project, this development is a bargain.181 Although these pods are considered bridge housing, they last for 50 years, so could possibly be a permanent home.182 The Homes for Hope team has created an elegant, informal solution to an immense problem. “I’m not saying this is a panacea, but this is a solution that will work and it could be implemented quickly and at much lower cost. If it is implemented on a grander scale, it could put a huge dent in reducing homelessness in Los Angeles,” said Craft.183 According to an executive from Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission, they sent a proposal to LAHSA for 2017-2018 Prop HHH funds to build the Homes for Hope settlement.184 See appendix 2, “Homes for Hope Brochure,” to see the documentation included in that proposal.185 They were not approved, as stated by the Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission executive. Therefore, none have been built, although he had everything in order, ready to go, including a location for the first settlement.186 180 ibid 181 https://urbanize.la/post/audit-recommends-reallocation-measure-hhh-supportive-housing-funds (accessed 4/28/20) 182 Interview with a representative from Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission on 2/14/20 183 https://www.fastcompany.com/3067572/the-25k-pod-that-could-ease-las-homelessness-crisis (accessed 4/28/20) 184 Proposition HHH Facilities Program FY2017-2018 Request for Proposal 185 Courtesy of Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission 186 Interview with a representative from Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission on 2/14/20; See appendix 2, potential locations Home Sweet Home 177 USC Pods and Pod Village USC Pods- Courtesy of Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission Through our investigation, the Committee found that as of July 2019, there were 22,000 vacant lots in the County, 2,200 of which were located in the City of Los Angeles.187 The median lot size in the City is 0.15 acres or 6,534 sq. ft.188 The Pods, which provide wraparound services, and house 30 residents per community, require at least 0.25 acres (approximately two lots per community).189 If the City allocated 600 lots to build Pod villages, then 300 could be constructed to house 9,000 people. At the cost of about $1 million per village, the total cost would be $300 million.190 If the City built tiny homes without wraparound services, and allocated 1,600 lots, at 16 homes per lot (this includes the required distance between each house), that would 187 https://la.curbed.com/2019/7/3/20681291/map-public-property-los-angeles (accessed 5/15/20) 188 http://www.newgeography.com/content/006196-the-high-residential-densities-california-and-wild-wild-texas (accessed 5/4/20) 189 See Appendix 2, Hope for Homes brochure 190 300 pod villages x 30 people per village = 9000 people; 300 villages x $1M = $300M Home Sweet Home 178 house 25,600 residents.191 At the cost of $50,000 per tiny house, the total cost would be $1.28 billion.192 Therefore, using land already owned by the City, you could house 34,600 people for the total cost of $1.58 billion.193 Both of these dwelling types are portable and easy to install. The Pods are ready to build. They do not appear to require additional modifications to zoning ordinances. The tiny homes may need some modifications in the zoning and/or other regulations for their installation. But, if housing is really wanted, it only takes political will to make those changes. Therefore, according to the calculations above, within months, the City of Los Angeles could house 34,600 of its homeless residents. With the 2019 unsheltered City homeless count at 27,000,194 this would house all the currently unsheltered in the City. Prop HHH authorized a $1.2 billion bond to partially fund permanent and supportive housing. For just a little more money, this example completely satisfies the requirements for both bridge, and permanent, single-occupancy housing. If this model could be duplicated throughout the County, along with encouraging development of affordable and market-rate housing through policy changes as outlined above, it would go a long way in preventing homelessness and housing those currently homeless. 191 1600 lots x 16 homes = 25,600 homes 192 $50,000 x 25600 = $1.28B 193 $1.28B + .3B = $1.58B 194 https://www.lahsa.org/documents?id=3421-2019-greater-los-angeles-homeless-count-city-of-los-angeles.pdf (accessed on 6/10/20) Home Sweet Home 179 RECOMMENDATIONS 8.1 Streamline and standardize zoning laws and municipal codes across all municipalities in the County. As part of the process, allow for more flexibility in increasing affordable housing options. 8.2 Put a measure on the ballot to repeal City Proposition U 8.3 Reduce, standardize, and clearly document (make transparent) developer fees across all municipalities within the County. This includes publishing the fees associated with every project. 8.4 Remove the non-TOC related provisions from Los Angeles Measure JJJ 8.5 Support replacing the current State Housing Element law with a model that states that 10% of housing stock in all municipalities must be income-restricted (low-income). A city is considered out of compliance if less than 10% of their housing stock is income-restricted. And, if a city is out of compliance developers can bypass many local reviews when building low-income housing. 8.6 Support CEQA reform: Disallow serial, duplicative lawsuits that challenge projects that have o successfully completed the CEQA process Require all entities that file CEQA lawsuits to fully disclose their identities o and their environmental interest Outlaw CEQA proceedings from extending beyond nine months o Prevent judges from tossing out an entire project based on a few o deficiencies in an environmental impact report; allow developers to remedy via a “fix-it-ticket” Ensure those who bring CEQA actions and lose, pay court costs and o attorney’s fees of the prevailing party 8.7 Support Senate Bill 1079, up for vote in the California Legislature in November 2020 8.8 Increase the percentage of Measure H funds for housing vouchers to those who are severely rent burdened and to adequately subsidize Board and Care homes 8.9 Employ additional resources to create greater access for unsheltered individuals in the City and County of Los Angeles to showers, and hygiene provisions. Home Sweet Home 180 8.10 Provide additional public toilets in the City and County of Los Angeles (the UN standard recommends 2000 toilets Countywide) 8.11 Build USC Pods in vacant lots owned by the County and City of Los Angeles 8.12 Build tiny homes in vacant lots owned by the County and City of Los Angeles 8.13 Make all vacant Caltrans housing low-income ACRONYMS ACRONYMS DEFINITION ADA Americans with Disabilities Act ADU Accessory Dwelling Unit CALTRANS California Transit Authority CEQA California Environmental Quality Act CES Consolidated Entry System EIR Environmental Impact Report EPA Environmental Protection Agency FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency HOA Homeowners Association HUD Housing and Urban Development LAHSA Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority LIHTC Low Income Housing Tax Credit NPO Non-Profit Organizations RHNA Regional Housing Needs Assessment SCANPH Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing SRHT Skid Row Housing Trust SSI Supplemental Security Income TOC Transit Oriented Communities UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees USC University of Southern California Home Sweet Home 181 REQUIRED RESPONSES Responses are required from: Recommendations Responding Agency 8.1, 8.3, 8.5, 8.8, 8.9, 8.10, County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors 8.11, 8.12 8.1, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5, 8.6, 8.7, 8.8 Chief Executive Officer, Los Angeles County 8.5, 8.6, 8.7 State Assembly Members representing districts within Los Angeles County 8.5, 8.6, 8.7 State Senators representing districts within Los Angeles County 8.2, 8.4, 8.9, 8.10, 8.11, 8.12 Los Angeles City Council 8.8, 8.9, 8.10, 8.11, 8.12 Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority 8.13 Caltrans District 7 COMMITTEE MEMBERS Jenalea Smith, Chair Rebecca Hunter, Co-Chair Deanne Walls, Secretary Gordon Jefferson Nirja Kapoor Mike Padilla Heather Preimesberger Joseph Sarria Irene Shandell-Taylor Home Sweet Home 182 APPENDIX 1 195 195 Courtesy of Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission Home Sweet Home 183 APPENDIX 2 Homes for Hope Brochure196 196 Courtesy of Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission Home Sweet Home 184 Home Sweet Home 185 Home Sweet Home 186 Home Sweet Home 187 Home Sweet Home 188 Home Sweet Home 189 Courtesy of Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission Home Sweet Home 190 ADDENDUM With the risk of the COVID-19 virus spreading through the unsheltered homeless population,197 the City, County and State took measures to reduce infection: • On orders from Mayor Eric Garcetti, the City of Los Angeles is working to turn 42 recreational centers into temporary facilities for 6,000 unsheltered residents. The beds were paid for with a mix of city and state dollars, as well as Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reimbursements.198 • The County, participating in an ambitious statewide effort known as Project Roomkey, partially funded by FEMA, secured 3,245 hotel/motel rooms by May 18th 2020.199 The primary goal is getting seniors and medically fragile people off the streets and out of overcrowded shelters.200 The immediate commitment is to provide them a home for 90 days.201 • U.S. District Judge David O. Carter ruled that Los Angeles County had to move more than 7,000 homeless people from freeway overpasses and underpasses. The City and County have until September 1 to “humanely” relocate anyone camped within 500 feet of an overpass, underpass, or ramp and into a shelter or “an alternative housing option,” such as a safe parking site, or hotel or motel room. Mayor Garcetti said that he did not view the preliminary injunction as an “order” and said “we hope... we can come to a common agreement.”202 Although the above measures show that movement can be made toward sheltering the homeless when there is political will, what happens after the recreational centers need to be used as intended? Neither the City nor County has additional funds203 to maintain homeless people in hotel/motel rooms at market rates, nor additional shelters to house the homeless now housed in County recreational centers. The homeless will return to the streets. 197 https://www.nbclosangeles.com/investigations/covid-19-spread-faster-through-las-homeless-population/2346315/ (accessed 5/30/20) 198 https://la.curbed.com/2020/3/18/21186253/homeless-shelters-recreation-centers-los-angeles (accessed 5/30/20) 199 https://www.latimes.com/homeless-housing/story/2020-05-03/coronavirus-homeless-hotel-commandeer-squatting-protest-los- angeles (accessed 5/30/20) https://www.latimes.com/homeless-housing/story/2020-05-19/newsom-coronavirus-homeless-population-hotel-project- roomkey(accessed 6/11/20) 200 http://www.chirpla.org/news/once-400-night-westside-la-hotel-now-homeless-people-fleeing-coronavirus (accessed 5/30/20) 201 ibid 202 https://la.curbed.com/2020/5/15/21260566/homeless-freeways-los-angeles-camps-shelter (accessed 5/30/20) 203 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/26/us/coronavirus-california-economy.html; https://patch.com/california/encino/la-county-grapples-2-5-billion-deficit (accessed 5/30/20) Home Sweet Home 191 192 Hospitals on Ventilators 2019-2020 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury srotalitneV no slatipsoH HOSPITALS ON VENTILATORS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Hospitals in Los Angeles County may not be equipped to meet future demand. Over the next 10 years, Los Angeles County (County) faces a significant projected growth in the population and increasing healthcare needs.1 The growing homeless population, increases in the usage of emergency rooms (ERs), and unaddressed mental health needs will further exacerbate the stress on the County's hospitals. Moreover, some hospitals may not have the funds needed to make state-mandated seismic upgrades,2 leading to the closure of much needed ERs3 and trauma centers and resulting in further strain on the remaining hospitals. The 2019-2020 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury (Jury), Hospitals on Ventilators Committee (Committee) performed an in-depth assessment of the hospital ER and trauma networks serving the most populous county, with one of the largest in terms of square miles. The Committee believes that the medical network needs help … STAT. BACKGROUND There are several factors that will likely contribute to increasing healthcare needs in the County. First, the population in the County is projected to grow significantly. One way to ascertain this growth is to look at housing requirement projections. The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) is the nation’s largest metropolitan planning organization (MPO).4 One of SCAG’s responsibilities is to research and draw up plans for growth management. Through its Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA), SCAG quantifies the need for housing in each jurisdiction.”5 The Committee reviewed SCAG’s data which showed that housing needs will increase by 8.1% in the County. (Appendix 1) An increase in the number of County residents facing homelessness may also impact healthcare needs.6 The Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority (LAHSA) Homeless forecast for the County in the coming years is daunting. The 2019 LAHSA count is 1 http://economy.scag.ca.gov/Economy%20site%20document%20library/2019_economic_reports_LosAngeles.pdf (accessed 6/1/2020) 2 https://www.rand.org/pubs/reasearch_reports/RR3059.html (accessed 6/1/2020) 3 https://www.centerforhealthjournalism.org/fellowships/projects/southern-california-emergency-room-use-has-actually-risen- after-passage (accessed 6/1/2020) 4 https://www.scag.ca.gov (accessed 5/3/2020) 5 https://www.ca-ilg.org/MPO-profile/southern-california-asssociation-governments (accessed 5/6/2020) 6 Interview with high ranking LAHSA commissioner (10/15/2019) Hospitals on Ventilators 193 58,936 a 12% increase (7,72) since the 2018 count.7 With the desired results from Los Angeles City (City) Proposition HHH delayed, the homeless situation is growing.8 Hospitals in the County were already seeing an impact in their ERs even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Some hospitals, such as St. Vincent Medical Center, located in Downtown Los Angeles, closed in 2020 due to bankruptcy.9 According to interviews with County health officials and hospital executives, two hospitals are at risk of closing due to the inability to bear the costs associated with achieving State-mandated seismic standards: Antelope Valley Hospital,10 located in Lancaster, and Harbor- UCLA Medical Center,11 located in Torrance. In 2002, County voters approved Measure B,12 a special tax levied to raise revenue for, among other things, funding trauma centers so more do not close due to financial hardship. In April of 2018, the Board of Supervisors decided that the County’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agency would have oversight of the Measure B Funds.13 Measure B’s title includes Bioterrorism Preparedness. In 2017-2018, the BOS allocated $9.9 million to support the County’s public health programs for bioterrorism preparedness activities and addressing the medical needs of people exposed to bioterrorist or chemical attacks. A portion of Measure B funds are transferred to the Department of Public Health for this purpose.14 METHODOLOGY This investigation began by looking at how the trauma network in the County was being funded, and whether it was taking into account the future healthcare needs of the County and progressed into looking at EMS as a whole. This Committee interviewed officials from the County, and high-level officials at public and private hospitals. In addition, the Committee gathered statistics from reports and studies from the State and the County. RESULTS OF THE INVESTIGATION Our investigation revealed the cracks in the emergency healthcare network were there before the COVID-19 pandemic,15 and a large investment is needed so that the County does not have to rely solely on the federal government, or the State. These demands 7 https://www.lahsa.org/news?article=558-greater-los-angeles-homeless-count-shows-12-rise-in-homelessness (accessed 5/6/2020) 8 https://www.lacontroller.org/audits-and-reports/high-cost-of-homeless-housing-hhh/ (accessed 6/1/2020) 9 LATimes.- “after-years-of-financial-woes-st-vincent-hospital-runs-out-of-prayers” (accessed 1/12/20) 10 https://www.avhospital.org/news/read/224 (accessed 1/5/2020) 11 Interview with high ranking DHS official (1/10/2020) 12 http://www.smartvoter.org/2002/11/05/ca/la/meas/B/ (accessed 11/7/2019) (accessed 1/12/2020) 13 http://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dhs/1036113_MBAB011018.pdf (accessed 6/15/2020) 14 Ibid – Section 7 (accessed 6/15/2020) 15 https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-03-20/coronavirus-hospital-bed-icu-pandemic (accessed 3/20/20) Hospitals on Ventilators 194 for hospital beds, N95 masks and other safety gear, ventilators, and specialized staff must be met through the County.16 Many County and hospital officials, several of whom the Committees interviewed at length before the pandemic, told our Committee about pending hospital closures, which would further strain the health network.17 The Committee identified the following factors that will likely have a major negative impact on the ability of the County health care system, particularly hospitals, ERs, and trauma centers, to meet future demand: I. Hospitals within Los Angeles County Committee members met with hospital executives who expressed concern o about their hospital’s continuing inability to receive enough reimbursement for services rendered to uninsured, underinsured, and indigent patients. This may cause some hospital ERs to close. St. Vincent Medical Center, located in Downtown Los Angeles, closed in 2020 o due to bankruptcy.18 § “The decline of the urban hospital system once run by the Roman Catholic Daughters of Charity has been decades in the making, as the nonprofit fell behind in funding pensions and struggled with operating deficits and an aging building in need of expensive repairs and upgrades,” according to a Los Angeles Times article.19 § Local patients must now travel to remaining adjacent hospital locations. According to interviews with County health officials and hospital executives o conducted by this Committee, hospitals at risk of closing due the inability to bear the costs associated with fulfilling State seismic mandatory standards include: Antelope Valley Hospital, located in Lancaster,20 and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, located in Torrance. • Antelope Valley Hospital § The closure of the Antelope Valley Hospital would close the only trauma center located in the Antelope Valley.21 Antelope Valley currently has the 2nd busiest ER in the County, according to data provided to this Committee by a County health official. § The closure of Antelope Valley Hospital would mean that all Antelope Valley patients are required to travel more than fifty 16 https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-04-06/coronavirus-masks-california-hospitals (accessed 4/20/20) 17 Interview with high-ranking County health official (10/23/2019) 18 https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-01-06/st-vincent-hospital-los-angeles- closing#:~:text=The%20nonprofit%owner%20of%20St,the%20struggling%20hospital%20fell%20through.&text=No%20such%2 0limits%20were%20in,will%20continue%20to%20operate%20St (accessed 1/7/2020) 19 ibid 20 https://ballotpedia.org/Antepole_Valley_Healthcare_District,_California,_Measure_AV,_Bond_Issue (accessed 3/1/2020) 21 https://www.avpress.com/news/hospital-bond-narrowly-in-front/article_987a22ba-5de9-11ea-b9b8-5ff39eca06ce.html (accessed 2/4/2020) Hospitals on Ventilators 195 miles to the closest trauma center, located at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, in Mission Hills. Additional travel time could mean the difference between life and death.22 § The Antelope Valley Hospital provides medical services to all patients, regardless of their ability to pay.23 The Committee is concerned that with the loss of Antelope Valley Hospital, underinsured, non-insured, and indigent patients may lose access to medical services. § The only other hospital located in the Antelope Valley, Palmdale Regional Medical Center, is a private for-profit hospital owned by Universal Health Services. Its ER is not a trauma center.24 • Harbor-UCLA Medical Center § Closure of this County administered hospital would have a major impact to the local community, Torrance and nearby areas as well as losing a vital ER Trauma Center. Committee members interviewed a County health official who stated that funding for Harbor-UCLA would require closing surrounding County Urgent Care facilities. II. Federal Government Plans for Reducing National Health Care Funding The federal government's plans for reducing national health care funding will result in more individuals becoming uninsured or under-insured, thereby adding financial strain on healthcare systems. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), 90% of Americans now have o some form of health insurance.25 However, the ACA continues to face legal challenges, and this fall, the Supreme Court will hear more arguments about dismantling some or all of the ACA.26 When people are not insured through the Affordable Care Act or Medicaid, o and require emergency treatment, hospitals accrue unrecoverable costs.27 22 ibid 23 ibid 24 https://www.avpress.com/news/voters-defeating-hospital-measure/article_7f15ceec-5eab-11ea-885e-27c3f6d39232.html (accessed 4/2/2020) 25 https://www.apha.org/news-and-media/news-releases/apha-news-releases/2020/aca-repeal-would-devastate (accessed 5/1/2020) 26 ibid 27 https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/who-bears-the-cost-of-the-uninsured-nonprofit-hospitals (accessed 5/31/2020) Hospitals on Ventilators 196 III. Population Growth Due to the expected population growth in the County over the next 10 years this will have an enormous consequence on hospitals, ERs and trauma centers in the County. Although the County’s population growth rate is slowing down,28 experts o point to the country’s most populous county reaching a figure of more than 11 million people within the next 20 years.29 California’s 65-plus population is expected to grow by more than 65% by o the mid-2030s. This continued projected rise in the senior population will result in a demand for more health care services.30 IV. Housing Growth Estimates As the County addresses its housing shortage by approving more new housing, the increase in population will further impact healthcare needs. While Los Angeles County has 26 percent of the state’s population, it o accounts for only 20.5 percent of the planned housing capacity of 567,000 housing units.31 In December 2018, the County Board of Supervisors approved plans for o 19,000 new homes to be built in Tejon Ranch. The development, known as the Centennial project, will be located at the northwest corner of the County’s boundaries.32 V. Homelessness The homeless population forecasted for the County in the coming years is daunting. The 2019 homeless population count is 58,936, according to LAHSA. This count is a 10.7% increase over the 2018 count.33 The increasing growth, in the County, of homeless population has a significant negative financial effect on most hospital ERs and trauma centers, according to interviews with hospital executives this Committee interviewed. ERs are the primary source for medical treatment for this population.34 This population is 28 https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-12-21/california-population-continues-to-decline-with-state-emigration-a-major- factor (accessed 5/31/2020) 29 https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171103005660/en/L.A.-County-Population-Projected-Surpass-11-Million (accessed 5/31/2020) 30 https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/05/27/californias-growing-senior-population-by-the-numbers/ (accessed 6/1/2020) 31 https://www.lewis.ucla.edu/2019/02/28/not-nearly-enough-california-lacks-capacity-to-meet-lofty-housing-goals/ (accessed 6/1/2020) 32 https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-tejon-ranch-decision-20181211-story.html (accessed 1/13/20) 33 Los Angeles Almanac “Homelessness in Los Angeles County 2019”, http://laalmanac.com/social/so14.php (accessed 3/12/20) 34 https://www.centerforhealthjournalism.org/fellowships/projects/jwch-gives-la-hospitals-place-send-homeless (accessed 6/1/2020) Hospitals on Ventilators 197 generally uninsured, underinsured, or uninsurable.35 Thus, treating hospital ERs expend considerable costs with little to no County reimbursement. These conditions prevailed prior to the current COVID-19 pandemic situation.36 Currently there is no direct procedure path for the required reimbursement to hospitals, other than Measure B funding source to hospital trauma center Emergency Rooms (ERs), according to hospital executives interviewed by this Committee. VI. Hospitals and Healthcare The County is composed of 88 cities, 140 unincorporated areas,37 with a population in 2020 of 10,150,55838 covering over 4,000 square miles.39 Within this area there are 75 hospitals with ERs.40 In 2012, the hospitals in the County had over 2.6 million visits in their ERs while in 2018 the same hospitals had over 3.2 million, a 23% increase. Below are the individual results of the ten hospitals comparing 2012 vs 2017, and 2017 vs 2018.41 Ø This chart information was supplied from data submitted by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services 35 https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/who-bears-the-cost-of-the-uninsured-nonprofit-hospitals (accessed 6/1/2020) 36 https://californiahealthline.org/news/california-hospitals-see-massive-surge-in-homeless-patients/ (accessed 6/1/2020) 37 https://lacounty.gov/government/geography-statistics/cities-and-communities (accessed 6/1/2020) 38 Worldpopulationreview.com/us-counties/ca (accessed 6/1/2020) 39 https://lacounty.gov/government/geography-statistics/cities-and-communities (accessed 6/1/2020) 40 http://www.laalmanac.com/health/he02.php (accessed 6/1/2020) 41 http://www.laalmanac.com/health/he02c.php (accessed 6/1/2020) Hospitals on Ventilators 198 1. Hospital Network An understanding of the current hospital network system is necessary before addressing the need for the system to grow to meet population demands. The current organization is composed of 75 hospitals with ERs, and 16 hospitals with ER trauma centers. Trauma center ERs serve patients that require immediate attention, with patients delivered via ambulance or helicopter.42 Of the 16 Trauma Center ERs within the County, 13 of them are private (Appendix 3). In addition, outpatient clinics, which have no overnight stay facilities, are operated by the County or private entities. In an interview with this Committee, a hospital official told us that there are too few psychiatric hospital facilities.

During the MBAB meeting, all funding requests are prioritized, approved, or rejected.

The MBAB presents the prioritized funding requests to the County Board of Supervisors (BOS).

The BOS makes the final judgments.

EMS manages the actual distribution of Measure B funds in accordance with MBAB/BOS approvals. 75 https://dhs.lacounty.gov/wps/portal/dhs/ems/measure_B_Advisory_Board_Committee_Janurary 10, 2018_meeting (accessed 6/14/2020) Hospitals on Ventilators 214 Appendix 676 76 Los Angeles County EMS System Report 2019 (accessed June 1, 2020) Hospitals on Ventilators 215 216 In Remembrance of Those Who Walked Amongst Us 2019-2020 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury sU tsgnomA deklaW ohW esohT fo ecnarbmemeR nI In Remembrance of Those Who Walked Amongst Us EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The “In Remembrance of Those Who Walked Amongst Us” Committee (Committee) of the 2019-2020 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury (Jury) was created to investigate the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office (Medical Examiner-Coroner). Although COVID-19 prevented the Committee from fully conducting its intended investigation, the following report is an overview of information we gathered with two recommendations for improving services. BACKGROUND California Government Code Section 27491 mandates that the Medical Examiner- Coroner inquire into and determine the circumstances, manner, and cause of all sudden, violent, or unusual deaths that occur in Los Angeles County (County).1 The Medical Examiner-Coroner’s jurisdiction covers suicides, homicides, accidents, and a small number of natural deaths.2 This number usually totals approximately 10,000 deaths a year in the County.3 The Medical Examiner-Coroner investigates natural deaths for which a physician cannot sign a death certificate because the cause of death is unknown, or the decedent has not seen a physician or a registered nurse 20 days prior to death.4 In cases of death where the decedent dies in a hospital, or a physician signs the death certificate, the body is sent to a mortuary.5 The Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office responds to scenes of death 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week, regardless of the location in the County.6 The Medical Examiner- Coroner’s staff transports, processes, examines, stores, and releases bodies that are under its jurisdiction.7 The Medical Examiner-Coroner has a Forensic Sciences Laboratories Division and uses investigators, forensic pathologists, laboratory technicians, and toxicologists to conduct its investigations.8 The Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office works with the Office of Decedent Affairs (ODA). ODA falls under LAC+USC Medical Center, which is under the Department 1 https://california.public.law/codes/ca_gov't_code_section_27491 (accessed 12/1/2019) 2 Per telephone interview with Medical Examiner-Coroner representative on 6/16/2020 3 Per meeting with Medical Examiner-Coroner’s representatives on 8/28/19 4 https://california.public.law/codes/ca_gov't_code_section_27491 (accessed 12/1/2019) 5 Per telephone interview with Medical Examiner-Coroner’s representative on 6/16/2020 6 https://mec.lacounty.gov/forensic-labs/ (accessed 6/12/2020) 7 Per telephone interview with Medical Examiner-Coroner’s representative on 6/16/2020 8 https://mec.lacounty.gov/forensic-labs/ (accessed 6/12/2020) In Remembrance of Those Who Walked Amongst Us 217 of Health Services (DHS).9 The County handles the remains of decedents who are unclaimed, indigent, and/or unidentified.10 They are taken to the County Morgue.11 ODA works with the County Public Administrator’s Office (PAO),12 which is a branch of the County Department of Treasurer and Tax Collector.13 The PAO reviews, investigates, and tries to find family members of the unclaimed decedents. When PAO cannot find a family member to claim the decedent’s body, it closes the case and authorizes ODA to cremate the unclaimed body.14 ODA personnel cremate the County’s dead, depending on the circumstances surrounding a particular death.15 From the latest statistics (2015-2017), the County has about 60,000 deaths every year16 and about 1500 go unclaimed.17 Bodies of unclaimed decedents are cremated if they are not retrieved.18 The ODA holds all cremains, including from the Medical Examiner-Coroner’s cases, for three years. ODA has a crematory license to store the cremains of the unclaimed decedents.19 During the cremains’ holding period, the Identification Office at the Medical Examiner-Coroner’s tries to identify and contact the next of kin of those under the Medical Examiner-Coroner’s jurisdiction.20 At the end of three years, the County honors and buries the unclaimed residents in a ceremony on the first Wednesday in December.21 The County has conducted burials of the unclaimed dead since 1896.22 The earliest mass grave marker at the Cemetery is dated 1961.23 METHODOLOGY The Committee’s research procedure: • August 28, 2019, the Committee toured the Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office with the Jury • December 4, 2019, members of the Committee attended the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ Annual Burial of the Unclaimed Dead • February 4, 2020, the Committee visited the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office • Researched and reviewed websites and newspaper articles relevant to activities of the Medical Examiner-Coroner’s office • Interviews with Medical Examiner-Coroner’s staff 9 Per telephone interview with ODA representative on 6/16/2020 10 http://dhs.lacounty.gov/wps/portal/dhs/publicresources/locatedeceasedpersons/ (accessed 6/16/2020) 11 Per telephone interview with Medical Examiner-Coroner’s representative on 6/16/2020 12 Per telephone interview with ODA representative on 6/17/2020 13 https://ttc.lacounty.gov/public-administrator-frequently-asked-questions/ (accessed on 6/17/2020) 14 Per telephone interview with ODA representative on 6/17/2020 15 Per telephone interview with ODA representative on 6/16/2020 16 http://www.laalmanac.com/vitals/vi11.php (accessed 6/12/20) 17 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/07/us/los-angeles-dead-homeless.html (accessed 6/12/2020) 18 ibid 19 Per telephone interview with ODA representative on 6/16/2020 20 Per telephone interview with Medical Examiner-Coroner representative on 6/16/2020 21 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/07/us/los-angeles-dead-homeless.html (accessed 6/12/2020 22 Per telephone interview with LAC+USC Medical Center on 6/16/2020 23 https://www.dailynews.com/2018/12/05/la-county-buries-its-unclaimed-dead-in-ceremony-that-shows-they-still-matter-to-us/ (accessed 6/16/2020) In Remembrance of Those Who Walked Amongst Us 218 • Interview with LAC+USC Medical Center staff • Interviews with Office of Decedent Affairs staff RESULTS OF INVESTIGATON The Committee found that the lobby of the Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office is a place of sadness, where people anxiously wait to see their deceased loved ones. The Medical Examiner-Coroner’s staff interacting with the grieving citizens appeared to be truly compassionate. Given that, it was clear to the members of this Committee, at the August 2019 visit, that the people waiting in the lobby wanted to engage in conversation, reach out for comfort, and make a connection to those around them. The Committee also observed the intense environment of the Medical Examiner- Coroner’s building where the staff processes bodies after death from suicides, homicides, and natural deaths. The Committee discussed with a staff member the various therapy resources available to waiting citizens, and the working staff. There were none for the public, according to a Medical Examiner-Coroner representative.24 The Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office website directs those mourning to a public website called Grief Bereavement Resources.25 However, a member of the staff stated that it would be of value to the County if there could be a source of comfort provided to those struggling with their grief while waiting for the viewing. The staff said that having a “comfort animal,” a trained comfort dog, present in the lobby, would be a beneficial addition to the Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office staff and the mourning public.26 The staff told this Committee “…having a dog allows you to breathe. It helps staff and families decompress. A dog is distracting, somehow helps people talk. It has a therapy component.”27 Having a comfort dog would add greatly to the healing process and sense of caring28 for those who were left behind. A Medical Examiner-Coroner representative told this Committee that the Medical Examiner-Coroner had partnered with the Department of Animal Care and Control to arrange therapy dog visits for its staff through HOPE.29 HOPE is an animal-assisted crisis response non-profit organization providing services to first responders.30 HOPE teams a trained handler with an animal. Together, the team provides “companionship, comfort, socialization, mental stimulation, and appropriate physical touch to people in need.”31 According to a Medical Examiner-Coroner staff, before the COVID-19 County stay-at-home orders, a dog named Calvin and his handler visited the Medical 24 Per Medical Examiner-Coroner staff interview on 8/28/2019, and telephone interview on 6/16/2020 25 Per telephone interview with ODA representative on 6/16/2020 26 Per Coroner staff interview on 8/28/2019 27 Per Coroner staff telephone interview on 6/16/2020 28 Per Medical Examiner-Coroner staff interview on 8/28/2019 29 Per Medical Examiner-Coroner staff interview on 6/17/2020 30 https://www.hopeaacr.org/about-hope/frequently-asked-questions/ (accessed 6/17/2020) 31 ibid In Remembrance of Those Who Walked Amongst Us 219 Examiner-Coroner once a month for three hours.32 The staff told the Committee that Calvin would walk through the building, allow staff to pet him, rub his belly, and brush his hair, and on few occasions, when appropriate, he also interacted with the grieving families at the Medical Examiner-Coroner and brought them comfort.33 The staff told the Committee that after Calvin’s visits, “People have definitely noticed the difference. First many did not want to touch him. Now they are asking when he will return.”34 Last year, on December 4, 2019, the County honored 1,457 unclaimed dead who were cremated in 2016.35 The service is conducted at the crematorium next to Evergreen Cemetery (Cemetery) in East Los Angeles. Some members of this Committee and some members of the Jury attended the December ceremony. The funeral and formal burial service was held at the single mass gravesite marked with a plaque, “2016.” The ashes had been buried in advance of the ceremony. The plaque marked the year the bodies were cremated. The chaplains for the LAC+USC Medical Center led an interfaith ceremony. The deeply moving tribute to those forgotten of Los Angeles was held in English, Hebrew, Japanese, Spanish, Tagalog, and Tongva languages, and reflected the cultural diversity of the County. Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, and Native American religion representatives were some of those who participated. There were no names listed at the gravesite. However, DHS maintains a “Searchable Database” for the public to search for a deceased relative held at the County Morgue pending disposition or burial at the County Cemetery.36 This searchable file, a “Cremation Log” or “the County of Los Angeles Register of Cremations,” lists names of the deceased and dates of death from 2012.37 Family members of the unclaimed decedents buried at the County Cemetery can purchase a small plaque to place on the gravesite.38 The ceremony was held on a day the streets are cleaned around the Cemetery, severely limiting parking, and the Cemetery itself has limited parking. Per Medical Examiner-Coroner staff interview on 6/17/2020 33 Per Medical Examiner-Coroner staff interview on 6/17/2020 34 Per Medical Examiner-Coroner staff interview on 8/28/2019 35 https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-12-01/la-county-to-remember-1-457-unclaimed-dead-wednesday (accessed December 2019) 36 http://dhs.lacounty.gov/wps/portal/dhs/publicresources/locatedeceasedpersons/ (accessed 6/16/2020) 37 ibid 38 https://www.dailynews.com/2018/12/05/la-county-buries-its-unclaimed-dead-in-ceremony-that-shows-they-still-matter-to-us/ (accessed 6/16/2020) In Remembrance of Those Who Walked Amongst Us 220 ANNUAL BURIAL OF THE UNCLAIMED Cremains are held for three years, then buried. Therefore, 2019 burials are for those who died in 2016. Data collected by the Committee shows that in a decade, from 2006 – 2016, the County buried a total of 16,966 unclaimed decedents, with a median of 1,489 unclaimed decedents and an average of 1,542 decedents a year (Chart 1).39 The Committee’s data further shows that the number of unclaimed burials has gone down (Chart 2).40 In recent years, the County’s partnership with the website Ancestry.com has helped in identifying a large majority of the dead.41 Chart 1 Unclaimed Decedents in Los Angeles County from 2006 - 2016 Chart 2 39 Chart 1was created by the Committee from information from the following source: Public Information Officer from the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner, 6/5/2020 40 Chart 1was created by the Committee from information from the following source: Public Information Officer from the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner, 6/5/2020 41 https://www.dailynews.com/2018/12/05/la-county-buries-its-unclaimed-dead-in-ceremony-that-shows-they-still-matter-to-us/ (accessed 6/16/2020) In Remembrance of Those Who Walked Amongst Us 221 COMMENDATION This Committee commends the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office, and the Office of Decedent Affairs in the Department of Health Services for not forgetting the unclaimed dead residents of the County of Los Angeles and honoring them in an annual burial ceremony.

EAST LOS ANGELES The facility is Assign additional Agrees COMMUNITY POLICE understaffed. It is very custody staff to this STATION clean but heavily station. Paint cells to 5019 E. THIRD STREET defaced with graffiti. remove graffiti. LOS ANGELES, CA 90022 11. SANTA CLARITA New building is Camera should be Partially VALLEY SHERIFF’S expected to be installed in the Agrees STATION constructed in 2020; holding area for the 23740 W. MAGIC but the old facility will safety of the sheriff’s MOUNTAIN PKWY continue to be used deputies, custody VALENCIA, CA 91355 until such time that officers and arrestees. the new facility is built. No cameras are on site.

SOUTH LOS ANGELES Unclean cells and the Report and repair Agrees STATION toilet was clogged in maintenance 1310 W. IMPERIAL the detox cell. problems to HIGHWAY appropriate agency. LOS ANGELES, CA 90044 Continuity 328 Detention NO. STATION/FACILITY FINDINGS RECOMMENDATIONS RESPONSES 13. WEST HOLLYWOOD Facility was not clean. Report and repair Agrees STATION maintenance 780 N. SAN VICENTE problems to BLVD. appropriate agency. WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA 90069 14. ALHAMBRA Custody elevator has Elevator should be Agrees COURTHOUSE not worked for over repaired. W. one year and COMMONWEALTH detainees are AVE. escorted alongside ALHAMBRA, CA 91801 guests and staff.

BURBANK Bus exhaust fumes are The concern over Agrees COURTHOUSE entering the facility exhaust fumes 300 E. OLIVE AVE. from the dock. This entering the building BURBANK, CA 91502 was reported by the from the bus loading 2017-2018 Civil Grand dock should be Jury and is still an address for health issue that needs to be reasons. addressed.

CLARA SHORTRIDGE This facility is non- Report maintenance Agrees FOLTZ CRIMINAL compliant with issues requirement to JUSTICE CENTER of sanitation, safety, appropriate agencies. W. TEMPLE ST. and maintenance. LOS ANGELES, CA 90012 17. EAST LOS ANGELES This facility is clean The cells in this facility Agrees COURTHOUSE but heavily defaced should be painted to 4848 E. CIVIL CENTER with graffiti. remove graffiti. WAY LOS ANGELES, CA 90022 18. GLENDALE The “Sallie Port” is a Address bus drop-off Agrees COURTHOUSE makeshift safety noted. E. BROADWAY arrangement that AVE. provides only minimal GLENDALE, CA 91206 security for the loading and unloading of arrestees and inmates being transferred to and from the courthouse. Continuity 329 Detention NO. STATION/FACILITY FINDINGS RECOMMENDATIONS RESPONSES 19.1 METROPOLITAN The inspection of the Holding cell plumbing Agrees COURTHOUSE holding cells revealed on 4th floor needs 1945 W. HILL STREET that repairs are repair. LOS ANGELES, CA needed in various 90007 areas. Plumbing is critical short-term housing of persons being transferred to various facilities. 19.2 METROPOLITAN The storage area for More secure storage Agrees COURTHOUSE the inmates’ property needed for inmates’ 1945 W. HILL STREET is not secure. personal property. LOS ANGELES, CA 90007 20.1 SAN FERNANDO We were informed Graffiti still visible Agrees COURT that the walls were under the thin coat of 900 THIRD STREET recently painted; paint needs to be SAN FERENANADO, CA however, the thin completely covered 91340 layer of paint was not with additional coats sufficient to cover the of paint. extensive graffiti that had been on the walls. 20.2 SAN FERENANDO We were shown a When facility Agrees COURT three-ring binder of breakdowns require 900 THIRD STREET facility repair requests continuous requests SAN FERNANDO, CA kept by the sheriff’s for repair, such as 91340 deputies. recurring plumbing problems, the Sheriff’s Department should consider replacing and updating the facility. 20.3 SAN FERNANDO Deputies also noted Radio receivers & Agrees COURT that radio receivers & transmitters should be 900 THIRD STREET transmitters did not fixed or updated so SAN FERNANDO, CA always work on the that communications 91340 upper floors of the on the upper floors of courthouse. the courthouse work at all times. Continuity 330 Detention NO. STATION/FACILITY FINDINGS RECOMMENDATIONS RESPONSES 21. SANTA CLARITA We found that the For the safety of Agrees COURTHOUSE corridor connected to everyone using the 23747 W. VALENCIA the Judges’ chambers corridor, the Sheriff’s BLVD. and the jury room is Department should VALENCIA, CA 91355 the same corridor review the adequacy used to bring detained of the current into the holding procedures to move facility. We detainees in, out and understand that some around the of the detainees are courtrooms. At the charged with felonies. very least, cameras should be installed near the building entrance to confirm that it is safe for the deputies, judges and jurors to enter and exit from the courthouse. 22.1 TORRANCE The facility is Instruct deputies on Agrees COURTHOUSE understaffed and how to properly 825 MAPLE AVE. disorganized. The staff organize required jail TORRANCE, CA 90503 had difficulty locating manuals, medical kits, manuals and safety etc. kits. 22.2 TORRANCE Male arrestees Correct the air Agrees COURTHOUSE complained of circulation problem in 825 MAPLE AVE. excessive heat in the the men’s jail. TORRANCE, CA 90503 cells. Deputies explained that poor air circulation contributed to the heat problem. 22.3 TORRANCE The jail was poorly lit Upgrade the Agrees COURTHOUSE and heavily defaced inadequate lighting 825 MAPLE AVE. with graffiti. and paint the cells to TORRANCE, CA 90503 eliminate the graffiti. Continuity 331 Detention NO. STATION/FACILITY FINDINGS RECOMMENDATIONS RESPONSES 23. VAN NUYS Inmate elevator to Increase visibility in Agrees COURTHOUSE courtrooms on upper the elevator as the WEST 14400 ERWIN floors is dangerous doors open by STREET MALL due to a very small installing convex VAN NUYS, CA 91401 waiting area on each mirrors at ceiling floor. height in the waiting area in front of the elevators on each floor. For added safety measures, construction should be shatterproof plastic or other material. Continuity 332 ACRONYMS ACRONYM DEFINITION AAB Sheriff’s Audit and Accountability Bureau AARP American Association of Retired Persons BOS Board of Supervisors CAL FIRE California Department Forestry and Fire Protection CBO Community-Based Organization CC County Counsel CEO Chief Executive Officer CIG County Inspector General CIO Chief Information Officer CGJ Civil Grand Jury CLA City of Los Angeles CLADA City of Los Angeles Department of Aging CLAPD County of Los Angeles Personnel Department COLAPL County of Los Angeles Public Library CPE Central Property and Evidence CSW Childrens Social Workers DA District Attorney DCFS Department of Children and Family Services DCR Department of Cannabis Regulation DHS Department of Health Services DMH Department of Mental Health DPH Department of Public Health DPSS Department of Public Social Services GPD Gardena Police Department HMIS Homeless Management Information System HPD Hawthorne Police Department IPD Inglewood Police Department ISD Internal Service Division JBAY John Burton Advocates for Youth LACAC Los Angeles County Auditor-Controller LACFD Los Angeles County Fire Department LACPD Los Angeles County Probation Department LAHSA Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority Continuity 333 ACRONYM DEFINITION LAPD Los Angeles Police Department LAPL Los Angeles Public Library LARCIS Los Angeles County Regional Crime Investigation System LARHTTF Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Task Force LASD Los Angeles Sheriff Department MDT Multi-Disciplinary Team MEU LAPD Mental Evaluation Unit MOU Memorandum of Understanding MTA Metropolitan Transportation Authority OCP Office of Child Protection OIG Office of Inspector General ORWITS Officer and Recurrent Witness Information Tracking System PO Probation Officer PPL Pasadena Public Library Probation Los Angeles County Probation Department RES Research and Evaluation Services SCSW Supervising Children’s Social Workers SMART System-wide Mental Assessment Response Team SMPL Santa Monica Public Library TAY Transition Age Youth THP+FC Transitional Housing Placement-Plus Foster Care THP-P Transitional Housing Program Plus TSA Transportation Security Administration WDACS Workforce Development, Aging & Community Services WIC Welfare and Institutional Code YAL Youth Activities League COMMITTEE LIST Joel Thomas Floyd Chair Rebecca Hunter Secretary Gordon Jefferson Marina La Garde LeRoy Titus Deanne Walls Continuity 334 Detention 2019-2020 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury noitneteD Detention EXECUTIVE SUMMARY California Penal Code section 919, subdivision (b),1 requires the 2019-2020 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury (Jury) to inquire into the condition and management of the public detention facilities within Los Angeles County (County). These include jails of varied sizes, courthouse holding cells, juvenile camps and detention facilities, prisons and other penal institutions. During the months of August, September and October of 2019, all 23 jurors participated in unannounced inspections of 142 detention facilities. In the performance of this assignment, the Jury gained a unique perspective of the criminal justice system and an appreciation of the duties and hazards of the various law enforcement agencies of the County. The County jail system is a network of facilities operated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), City Police Departments and the Los Angeles County Probation Department (LACPD). This system is also inspected by various California State (State) and Federal agencies: local mental health departments, local fire departments and California Board of Corrections. Classification of facilities inspected are as follows:2 TYPE I FACILITY A Type I Facility is a local detention facility used for the booking and detention of persons for not more than 96 hours, excluding holidays. These facilities may detain persons on court order either for their own safe keeping, while awaiting court appearance, or placed here as an inmate worker (Trustee). Trustees could also be placed here on a voluntary basis. These workers may be used in a variety of jobs such as janitorial and culinary. TYPE II FACILITY These are local detention facilities, such as courthouses, used for the detention of persons pending arraignment, during trial, and upon sentence of commitment. TYPE III FACILITY A local detention facility (County Prisons) used only for the detention of convicted and sentenced persons. 1 https://law.justia.com/codes/california/2013/code-pen/part-2/title-4/chapter-3/article-1/section-919/ 2 http://www.bscc.ca.gov/s_fsolocaldetentionfacilityinspectionreports/ (accessed 6/12/20); also from Jury detention inspections & tours Detention 335 TYPE IV FACILITY A local detention facility designated for the housing of inmates eligible under Penal Code 12083 for work/education furlough and/or other programs involving inmate access into the community. JUVENILE FACILITIES Juveniles dispositioned in local police and sheriff stations for minor infractions are only held for up to six hours, then released to parents, responsible adult family member, or guardian.4 They are kept isolated from adult detainees.5 Juveniles held for more serious crimes are transferred to Central Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles or Barry Nidorf Justice Center in Sylmar.6 They are held until sentencing, then transferred to area juvenile camps.7 In recent years, many juvenile camps have closed as current beliefs are that youths need more mental health evaluations, educational programs, and vocational training.8 The LACPD offers high school and community college courses to juveniles to further their education.9 During inspections, the Jury found that new services are now being offered, such as individual mental health support and activities to promote a more optimistic view of life. METHODOLOGY The 23 members of the Jury were divided into six teams of three or four members to make unannounced inspections of detention facilities. An interview of management, and review of the condition of holding areas, cells, and food preparation and storage areas were conducted to insure, all policies, procedures and training were in order. The Detention Committee (Committee) developed a standardized inspection checklist to insure uniform inspection of facilities. The checklist was a cumulative review of prior forms used by Civil Grand Juries under the California Code of Regulations and given to each team for use during their inspections. The final review was given to the Committee. At the end of the inspection period, the Committee met with the six area teams to discuss their findings. A discussion of the inspections brought out more details that helped create this report. 3 https://law.onecle.com/california/penal/1208.html 4 http://shq.lasdnews.net/content/uoa/PSD/5-02.pdf, sect. 5-02/035.05, “Secure Detention of Juveniles” 5 http://shq.lasdnews.net/content/uoa/PSD/5-02.pdf, sect 5-02/035.10, “CONDITIONS OF SECURE DETENTIONS” 6 Per Jury tours of juvenile facilities (8/19 – 10/19) 7 http://shq.lasdnews.net/content/uoa/PSD/5-02.pdf, sect. 5-02/035.05, “Secure Detention of Juveniles” 8 https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/news-2/los-angeles-juvenile-detention-camp-slated-close-will-see-second-life-voluntary-job- training-center/29495 9 Per Jury tours of juvenile facilities (8/19 – 10/19) Detention 336 The following pages contain the locations of the criminal courthouses, city jails, police stations, sheriff stations, detention facilities, and juvenile camps and halls within the County inspected by members of the Jury. Inspection findings: During inspections by the Jury, it was found that many facilities are in need of repair. Several facilities are beyond repair, in particular, Men’s Central jail in downtown Los Angeles. Although in August 2019, the County Board of Supervisors (BOS) voted to cancel a $1.7 billion dollar contract to replace the jail.10 Many facilities have problems that pose a safety concern for both staff and detainees, such as ruptured water pipes, clogged toilets, and clogged air vents. Elevators at Twin Towers Correctional Center are in constant need of repair. Some outdated elevator parts are hard to find, making elevators unsafe for prison staff to transport prisoners.11 According to police departments and sheriffs’ stations, staffing shortages are prevalent throughout the County jail and prison system. In some jails, if a detainee is ill and needs transportation to a hospital, two officers are required to transport him. If another inmate becomes ill, then another two officers also need to take the second detainee to the hospital. Now four officers need to stay at the hospital with prisoners while they are treated. In a short-manned station,12 this puts a lot of pressure on the staff.13 Overtime hours are widely used to staff jails and prisons which leads to over-worked staff and possible officer burn out. Not enough officers are being recruited to operate jails and prisons, even though we were told many are being hired. In addition, many have retired or left the force causing shortages. Some facilities utilize contract jailers from companies like GEO14 to free up officers for other duties.15 According to a Los Angeles Times article, thousands of homeless and mentally ill people are behind bars in County jails. Many are candidates better suited for diversion into supportive services and housing, according to the Department of Health Services.16 According to many sheriff’s deputies in county jails, drug addiction continues to be a problem that carries forth into incarceration. This becomes a problem because many prisoners need help with their addiction rather than incarceration.17 No matter how good the efforts are to keep drugs out of jails, there is the constant problem of drug smuggling. Special trained dogs are utilized in prisons to sniff out drugs and Pruno (jailhouse-made alcohol), which can be deadly.18 10 https://la.curbed.com/2019/8/13/20803756/mens-central-jail-los-angeles-contract-vote 11 Per facility inspections, Jury was informed of this by staff and detainees (8/19- 10/19) 12 https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-deputy-shortage-20150531-story.html 13 Per facility inspections and tours, Jury was informed of this by staff and detainees (8/19-10/19) 14 https://www.geogroup.com/GEO_Secure_Services 15 Interviews with police station officers 16 www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-now-in-jail-diversion-program 20190422 story 17 https://californiahealthline.org/news/rehabilitation-plus-rehab-jails-dispense-drugs-to-treat-inmates-addictions/ 18 Per detention center inspections, Jury was informed of this by sheriff’s deputies (8/19- 10/19) Detention 337 To help combat the problem of drug addiction and mental health, the Sheriff’s Department in conjunction with County Health Services provides Medicated Assisted Treatment and mental health services to those in custody through the largest Correctional Treatment Center (CTC) in the state with a 196-bed medical unit in the Twin Towers Correctional Facility.19 Since 2017, nine juvenile detention facilities have closed due to diversion programs that successfully steer youth away from incarceration and into community-based alternatives.20 Cognitive Behavior Interventions (CBI) have been utilized to alter behavior by teaching individuals to understand and change thoughts and behavior.21 The goal is to operate fewer detention facilities with the remaining ones to operate as true rehabilitation centers.22 One of the closed camps, Camp David Gonzales in Calabasas, is in the process of being converted into a residential training facility to support formerly justice-involved men aged 18 to 25 in providing life skills and job training.23 The second camp, Challenger Memorial Youth Center in Lancaster, is being developed into a similar program that would serve both men and women primarily from the Antelope Valley.24 In August of 2019, the LACPD completed the facility consolidation plan by closing nine juvenile facilities, diverting youths away from incarceration, and into community-based alternatives based on juvenile rehabilitation. According to Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, “All recent research on juvenile justice points to the need for a care-first approach, punitive approaches have not been shown to make things any better, but rather worsen them over time.” This approach can transform the lives of some of the kids.25 Below is a list of all the facilities that the Jury visited. Comments provided are based on observations made during our site visits. At the end of this document, we have provided findings and recommendations for those facilities that need to report back to the Jury. 19 http://shq.lasdnews.net/pages/PageDetail.aspx?id=761; https://www.chcf.org/wp- content/uploads/2018/05/WebinarClosingLoopMATCorrections05092018.pdf; 20 https://scvnews.com/la-county-probation-closes-9-juvenile-facilities-in-2-years/ 21 txautism.net/interventions/cognitive-behavioral-intervention-cbi#:~:text=Cognitive Behavioral Intervention (CBI) 1,4 Steps for Implementation. 22 https://scvnews.com/la-county-probation-closes-9-juvenile-facilities-in-2-years/ 23 https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/news-2/los-angeles-juvenile-detention-camp-slated-close-will-see-second-life-voluntary- job-training-center/29495 (accessed 6/12/20) 24 https://scvnews.com/la-county-probation-closes-9-juvenile-facilities-in-2-years/ (accessed 6/12/20) 25 https://ridley-thomas.lacounty.gov/index.php/restructuring-juvenile-justice-out-of-the-probation-department/ Detention 338 LOS ANGELES CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT FACILITIES/STATION JAILS Facility Name Inspection Address Category Comments Results Phone # Very busy facility; does not have public parking; detainees 77th Street Community Station can be housed for 96 hours; staff would like more 7600 S. Broadway psychiatric personnel; new freezer has been ordered, but not LAPD Satisfactory Los Angeles, CA 90003 delivered at time of Jury visit; all female detainees are sent 213-485-4164 to Lynwood; detainees from Airport Police are brought here for booking Located near Skid Row; approximately 70% of detainees are in need of psychological evaluations; holding cells have no restrooms; 40 officers patrol Skid Row; station has a disease- Central Area Community Station killing robot in office for the officers' safety; public 251 E. 6th Street LAPD Satisfactory restrooms are dirty; station area is ground zero for Los Angeles, CA 90014 homelessness, drugs and mental illness; we were told by 213-495-6606 some Officers that they were concerned about disease outbreaks occurring at the facility This is a holding facility only; two holding cells with Devonshire Community Station cameras; jail facility has not been used in years, but it is 10250 Etiwanda Avenue LAPD Outstanding well maintained; janitors are paid to clean the facility; Northridge, CA 91325 officers book and release arrestees until court date 818-832-0633 This is an older station, and has not been inspected since Foothill Community Station being repurposed; detainees are sent directly to Van Nuys 12760 Osborne Street LAPD Satisfactory Police Station; officers are in desperate need of new, up-to- Pacoima, CA 91331 date computers 818-756-8861 Harbor Community Station The jail is being repaired; at present, the detainees are 2175 S. John Gibson Blvd. transferred to 77th St. Station San Pedro, CA 90731 LAPD Satisfactory 310-726-7700 Station has separate juvenile and adult areas and has a cadet Hollenbeck Community Station program; has Hope Team: 8 to 10 officers who work with 2111 E. 1st St. LAPD Outstanding the homeless; the officers are engaged with the community; Los Angeles, CA 90033 the station has a kiddie room 213-972-2971 The lighting is very dim in the holding cell area; floors and Hollywood Community Station walls are dirty and in need of paint; blood and/or human 1358 Wilcox Avenue LAPD Unsatisfactorywaste is on the walls; the reservation for the water barrel is Los Angeles, CA 90028 on order 213-972-2971 Major booking location- arraignment facility only, 72 hours LAPD Metropolitan Detention maximum; set up for video arraignment; arraign Center approximately 100 detainees daily; video conferencing is 180 N Los Angeles St. LAPD Satisfactory available for visitation; houses juveniles and females Los Angeles, CA 90012 separately; medical clinic on-site; facility has 4 pods for 213-356-3400 either 1 or 2 person cells Offices only Los Angeles Police Department Headquarters 100 N 1st St L A P D N/A Los Angeles, CA 213-486-1000 Detention 339 LOS ANGELES CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT FACILITIES/STATION JAILS Facility Name Inspection Address Category Comments Results Phone # Los Angeles Metropolitan Training facility and offices Division 2710 W Temple St L A P D N/A Los Angeles, CA 90026 213-352-4700 Mission Hills Community Holding cells only, then transferred to Van Nuys Jail; there Station are adequate cameras and hourly checks on inmates by the 11121 N. Sepulveda Blvd. LAPD Satisfactory officers Mission Hills, CA 91345 818-838-9800 No cameras in any of the cells; no overnight stays; station Newton Community Station clean and organized; difficult to transfer detainees for 3400 S. Central Avenue LAPD Satisfactory medical needs Los Angeles, CA 90011 323-846-6547 Key to the defibrillator was unavailable, all other facets North Hollywood Community were in compliance Station 11640 Burbank Blvd. LAPD Satisfactory North Hollywood, CA 91601 818-623-4016 Northeast Community Station Detainees are processed and booked at this station; no one is (LAPD/Eagle Rock) kept more than six hours; no food is served 3353 San Fernando Road LAPD Outstanding Los Angeles, CA 90065 323-561-3211 Built in 2009 and is a green building; does a lot of Olympic Community Station community outreach due to the large immigrant population; 1130 S. Vermont Avenue LAPD Satisfactory has 90 officers; four holding tanks and two juvenile cells; Los Angeles, CA 90006 one holding cell has a bath; short stay only 213-382-9102 Well maintained older facility; females transferred to 77th Pacific Community Station Street Station; detainees are brought in and booked from 12312 Culver Boulevard LAPD Satisfactory Airport Police Station Los Angeles, CA 90066 310-482-6334 Four cells with two benches; several interview rooms; Rampart Community Station juveniles are held separately; cameras are in all cells; no 1401 W. 6th Street food service; detainees are transferred in one hour or less; LAPD Satisfactory Los Angeles, CA 90017 kiddie room for toddlers of detainees; very high mental 213-484-3400 illness among detainees Patrols and monitors Jordan Downs, Nickerson Gardens Southeast Community Station and Imperial Courts housing projects 145 W. 108th Street LAPD Satisfactory Los Angeles, CA 90061 213-972-7828 Oldest station in Los Angeles; jail has not been used for a Southwest Community Police number of years; two holding cells; detainees are sent to Station 77th Street Station; very clean facility used by small staff of 1546 W. Martin Luther King LAPD Satisfactory officers Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 213-485-2582 Detention 340 LOS ANGELES CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT FACILITIES/STATION JAILS Facility Name Inspection Address Category Comments Results Phone # Book and release only facility, detainees are held overnight; Topanga Community Station facility is short staffed, all officers are constantly in the field 21501 Schoenborn St. LAPD Outstanding and none were present for our inspection of the facility; the Canoga Park, CA 91304 tour was given by a detective; facility is state-of-the-art 818-756-4800 Can house both men and women; juveniles are held no more than six hours; central booking for the San Fernando Valley; Van Nuys Community Station it is very well-organized adult facility that can hold 239 6240 Sylmar Avenue LAPD Satisfactory inmates; each cell is fumigated after use; if needed, sniffer Van Nuys, CA. 91401 dogs used for bed bugs; full-time nurses and one doctor; 818-374-9500 officers have 32 hours a year of procedure training No toilet; no food and/or water on site for arrestees; West L.A Community Station inspection reports were not available; duty officer informed 1663 Butler Avenue us that State Board of Corrections and Civil Grand Jury LAPD Unsatisfactory Los Angeles, CA 90025 inspections are not necessary for a facility with temporary 310-444-0701 holding cells and handles booking only Holding cells only; no food or phones for the inmates; West Valley Community Station inmates are transferred to Van Nuys station/jail; they are 19020 Vanowen Street LAPD Outstanding short staffed Reseda, CA 91335 818-374-7611 Short stays only; it was built in 1970; services not available Wilshire Community Station for female or juvenile detainees 4861 W. Venice Blvd. LAPD Satisfactory Los Angeles, CA 90019 213-473-0476 Detention 341 OTHER CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT FACILITIES/STATION JAILS Facility Name Inspection Address Category Comments Results Phone # Alhambra Police Capacity for 40 inmates; San Marino, San Gabriel, and 211 S. 1st Street South Pasadena take detainees to Alhambra; pay to stay City Police Outstanding Alhambra,CA 91801 facility; jailers are employed by a contracted service 626-570-5151 Newer building; sufficient space to separate juveniles, Arcadia Police female and detainees under the influence; jailers are 250 W. Huntington Drive City Police Outstanding contracted; well organized and in compliance Arcadia, CA 91723 626-574-5150 In compliance; a supply of clothing for the Azusa Police homeless; juveniles are given a meal upon arrival 725 N. Alameda Ave. City Police Satisfactory Azusa, CA 91702 626-812-3200 Facility is clean and well run; three hot meals daily; Baldwin Park Police mentally ill patients are directed to the hospital; 14403 E. Pacific Ave. City Police Satisfactory detainees are held up to 72 hours Baldwin Park, CA 90201 626-960-4011 Older facility that is well maintained and organized; officers and staff are friendly and knowledgeable; retired officers help when needed; there is a Homeless Bell Gardens Police Task Force on hand with a clinician on staff; detainees 7100 Garfield Avenue City Police Satisfactory held for only 48 hours; part time jailer helps out; wish Bell Gardens, CA 90201 list: more grants for funding, upgrade teaching 562-806-7600 platforms, additional equipment and cars with better radios, and Taser upgrades Bell Police Clean, well maintained, pay to stay facility; all reports 6326 Pine Avenue were readily available City Police Satisfactory Bell, CA 90201 323-585-1245 Capacity of 29 beds; safety cell had limited padding; no Beverly Hills Police sign posted regarding access to social services; 464 N. Redford Drive contracted out to G4S to supply the jail guards; PO City Police Unsatisfactory Beverly Hills, CA 90210 submitted for a broken light fixture and toilet; in 310-550-4951 process of modernizing the elevators Capacity is 71 inmates; a pay to stay @$100.00 a night; Burbank Police large facility; staff are incredibly accommodating and 200 N. Third Street City Police Outstanding friendly; phones in each cell for the inmates; Sergeant Burbank, CA 91502 Gomez has FBI training and is a hostage negotiator 818-238-3217 Small, well-maintained facility that has six cells; Claremont Police monitors and cell checks every 30 min.; separate male 207 Harvard City Police Satisfactory and female cells Claremont, CA 91711 909-399-5460 Four jailers and 50 officers total; many repeat Covina Police offenders; felonies are held for 48 hours; fire 444 N. Citrus Avenue City Police Satisfactory department is located next door for emergencies Covina, CA 91733 626-858-4413 Detention 342 OTHER CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT FACILITIES/STATION JAILS Facility Name Inspection Address Category Comments Results Phone # Facility and kitchen are very clean; a pay to stay facility; will most likely outsource the jail staff to a Culver City Police private company to save money; increase of mental 4040 Duquesne Avenue City Police Satisfactory illness and homelessness; lack of hygiene; a great deal Culver City, CA 90232 of concern for the spread of communicable diseases 310-837-1221 such as measles, hepatitis, chicken pox Clean and well maintained; 121 officers; private jail Downey Police staff handle detainees; 36-50 capacity; an arrest and 10911 Brookshire Avenue City Police Satisfactory transfer facility, do not hold detainees for more than 8 Downey, CA 91502 hours; a need for more staff, dispatchers and officers 562-861-0771 Records all calls made by inmates, except those made to El Monte Police attorneys or chaplain; female detainees are transferred 11333 Valley Boulevard City Police Satisfactory to Lynwood; one hot and two cold meals served daily; El Monte, CA 91731 built in 1953; it is clean and well maintained 626-580-2110 Small facility is understaffed; detainee capacity 12; one El Segundo Police jail staff and seven total officers; more personnel 348 Main Street needed; female administrative staff are trained as City Police Satisfactory El Segundo, CA 90245 matrons to search female detainees when female 310-524-2200 officers are unavailable; facility is being remodeled Clean; 150 officers and staff, 6 jailers; only 2 detainees Gardena Police at this time; fire department next door for emergencies. 1718 162md Street City Police Satisfactory Gardena, CA 90247 310-217-9632 We were kept waiting 30 minutes for our inspection; very clean; Video Court arraignments done at station to reduce prisoner transport; a pay to stay facility ($91 a night); meals are from Central Jail; cleaning contracted Glendale Police out 131 N. Isabel Street Problems: when homeless are detained, clothes are City Police Unsatisfactory Glendale, CA 91206 confiscated and bagged as hazardous waste; when the 818-5484840 inmates are released they are given paper clothing; officers do all the laundry: prison clothes, towels, and bedding; outside contractors are needed to free-up police officers time A small, older clean and organized detention facility Glendora Police with six cells; when a homeless person is released they 150 S. Glendora Ave. City Police Outstanding are provided with clothes, often purchased with officers' Glendora, CA 91741 donations; sworn female staff used when necessary 626-914-8250 Hawthorne Police New modern building that is very clean; introducing 540 Hawthorne Blvd. City Police Satisfactory medical staff to join several officers to become EMT's Hawthorne, CA 90250 10 officers, 2 jailers; capacity of 13 detainees; fire Hermosa Beach Police department next door for emergencies; pay to stay 540 Pier Avenue City Police Satisfactory facility Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 323-318-0300 Detention 343 OTHER CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT FACILITIES/STATION JAILS Facility Name Inspection Address Category Comments Results Phone # Opened in 1914; a clean facility; five staff the jail, but usually work alone; capacity is 96 detainees, 31 beds Huntington Park Police and 1 suicide cell; felony inmates are held up to 48 6542 Miles Avenue City Police Satisfactory hours or until court day; meals are from Lynwood Huntington Park, CA facility; according to the tour officer, meth is the 323-584-6254 biggest drug problem for the area This is a very clean facility; there are no issues. Inglewood Police One W. Manchester Blvd. City Police Satisfactory Inglewood, CA 90301 310-412-5211 Facility is currently closed; all adult detainees are taken Irwindale Police to West Covina for booking 5050 N. Irwindale Ave. City Police Closed Irwindale, CA 91706 626-430-2244 42 officers and is staffed by jailers from an outside La Verne Police vendor; detention area is clean, well maintained and 2061 Third Street City Police Outstanding organized; staff is aware of current procedures and La Verne, CA 91750 participates in continuing education 909-596-1913 Station closed Long Beach West Police 1835 Santa Fe Ave. City Police N/A Long Beach, CA 90810 Older facility that is clean and adequately staffed Long Beach Police 400 W. Broadway City Police Satisfactory Long Beach, CA 90802 562-570-7260 In compliance Manhattan Beach Police 420 15th Street City Police Satisfactory Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 310-802-5140 Facility is clean and well run Monrovia Police 140 E. Lime Avenue City Police Satisfactory Monrovia, CA 626-256-8000 Large station, well maintained with well trained staff; good public relations with community and there is art Montebello Police work and thankyou notes by children in the community; 1600 Beverly Blvd. there is a gym and a shooting range on site; GEO City Police Outstanding Montebello, CA 90640 services staff as contract jailers; perform onsite jailing 323-887-1212 operations, food services and custodial services; station is also a pay-to-stay facility charging $100 per day Large station with 72 officers; 24 detainee capacity; Monterey Park Police they have a special room for juvenile detainees; 320 W. Newmark Avenue uniforms are issued to detainees when taken into City Police Satisfactory Monterey Park, CA 91754 custody; officers state many repeat offenders; facility is 626-378-1266 clean and well organized; it is a pay-to-stay facility Detention 344 OTHER CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT FACILITIES/STATION JAILS Facility Name Inspection Address Category Comments Results Phone # Facility very clean, with a capacity of 12; 8 officers on Palos Verdes Police duty and 1 jailer; fire department next door for medical 340 Palos Verdes Drive City Police Satisfactory emergencies Palos Verdes, CA 90274 310-378-4211 Large station with 360 officers; state-of-art command Pasadena Police center; facilities are clean; continuing education for all 207 N. Garfield Ave. City Police Outstanding officers Pasadena, CA 91101 626-744-4545 Pomona Police Has a generous phone policy, especially for those 490 W. Mission Blvd detained who have childcare issues; the cleaning is City Police Satisfactory Pomona, CA 91776 outsourced and inadequate; it is recommended that 909-620-2130 more time is spent cleaning the jail At time of inspection, jail was being painted Redondo Beach Police 401 Diamond St. City Police Satisfactory Redondo Beach, CA 90277 310-379-2477 Well-kept facility, both the inside and outside are San Fernando Police cleaned by outside contractor; longest stay is 2 court 910 First Street City Police Satisfactory days; it is also a pay-to-stay jail for $125 a day San Fernando, CA 91340 818-898-1267 Arrestees are taken to the Alhambra Police Department; San Gabriel Police new facility has not been built due to budget 625 Del Mar Avenue constraints; jail is in need of paint, quarters are City Police Unsatisfactory San Gabriel, CA 91778 cramped; if monies are not allocated the Jury 626-308-2828 recommends the jail be upgraded or closed as an operating jail This facility has no cells to house detainees, they are transferred to Alhambra Police Department; department stated it is difficult to get officers fully trained due to San Marino Police availability of training in county; the city is required to 2200 Huntington Drive pay per diem to train officers due to long distance City Police Unsatisfactory San Marino, CA 91107 where training is held; if money is not in budget, 626-300-0720 officers cannot attend training until money is available; it is recommended that a Regional Training Center include POST, CPT, and FTP Juveniles are never left unattended; they are put in a Santa Monica Police non-secure room with a bathroom, and snacks, until 333 Olympic Drive released to their parents or transferred to Eastlake; the City Police Outstanding Santa Monica, CA 90401 jail has 4300 arrestees yearly; 20 to 30 on the weekends 323-458-8484 and an average of 10 to 11 a day Signal Hill Police Needs more staff; two officers on shift, one jailer; 2745 Walnut Ave. capacity 13 detainees City Police Satisfactory Signal Hill, CA 90755 562-989-7200 Detention 345 OTHER CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT FACILITIES/STATION JAILS Facility Name Inspection Address Category Comments Results Phone # Jail facilities serviced by two city employed jailers, capacity 36 detainees; station staffed by 78 officers, a South Gate Police need of 100 total officers to handle workload; officers 8620 California Avenue clean areas used by homeless, collecting hazardous City Police Satisfactory South Gate, Ca 90280 materials like needles, can't use volunteers due to health 323-563-5400 risks; police officers follow City procedure and follow homeless persons, observe them, and then can detain Station has no cells, arrestees for minor offences are held for maximum of 6 hours and released, others are South Pasadena Police transferred to Alhambra Police Department; an active 1422 Mission Street City Police Outstanding community policing program and outreach to homeless South Pasadena, CA 91030 transient population; very clean and organized facility; 626-403-7270 many vacancies, looking to hire. All in compliance Torrance Police 3300 Civic Center Drive City Police Satisfactory Torrance, CA 90505 310-618-5631 Very clean, well-maintained facility, beautiful approach Vernon Police garden; facility has fully functional jail but arrestees are 4305 S. Santa Fe Ave. booked and transferred to Huntington Park Police Vernon, CA 90058 City Police Outstanding Department; detainees are offered hot meals from food 323-587-5171 contracted by a local restaurant; state-of-the-art dispatch room Juveniles are housed separately; DNA for felons; West Covina Police custodian comes weekly; they have 7 jailers and 99 1444 W. Garvey Ave. City Police Satisfactory police officers; a great deal of re-entries of homeless West Covina, CA 91790 persons 626-939-8500 Force of 121 sworn officers but need about a dozen more; vagrancy is on the rise, large transient population; city has had an increase in vandalism; jail is Whittier Police contracted to G4S; after an officer shooting death, a 13200 Penn Street City Police Satisfactory Trauma Response Team is on hand to work with Whittier, Ca 90602 officers and victims of PTSD; facility has 50 civilian 888-557-0383 volunteers; chaplain requested; Department of Children and Family Services has a desk at station Detention 346 LA SHERIFF STATIONS Facility Name Inspection Address Category Comments Results Phone # Sheriff station and facilities were clean; established Altadena Station in 1927; very involved in community projects; continued 780 E. Altadena Dr. LASD Satisfactory Professional Education (Title 15) is conducted annually; Altadena, CA 91001 CPR training is done every other year 626-798-1131 Avalon Station Clean facility; one jailer per shift, reserve officers for 215 Sumner Avenue holidays to help with crowd control and public LASD Satisfactory Avalon, CA drunkenness 310-510-0174 Not a full service station, no booking or dispatch; public Bellflower Sheriff Sub safety officers, detective, and administrative personnel on Station hand; clean and well maintained facility 16615 Bellflower Blvd L A SD Satisfactory Bellflower, CA 90706 562-925-0124 Carson Station The station is well maintained 21356 S. Avalon Blvd. LASD Satisfactory Carson, CA 90703 310-830-1123 Well organized and maintained, no overnight stays, detainees transferred to Norwalk or Lakewood; need extra Cerritos Station staff, currently 5 shifts and only three watch commanders 18135 Bloomfield Ave. LASD Outstanding Problem: no secured parking for officers, especially Cerritos, CA 90703 female, who have to walk to cars alone at night 562-860-0044 Compton Station A patrol division station only, female detainees are 301 S. Willow Brook Ave. processed in Lynwood LASD Satisfactory Compton, CA 90221 310-605-6500 70 sworn officers, facility very clean and organized; four trustees on hand to help clean; video phones for attorney Crescenta Valley Station conferences; very active community and outreach 4554 N. Briggs Ave. LASD Outstanding programs especially for homeless persons; need La Crescenta, CA 91214 supervisory staff and one additional Watch Sergeant as 818-248-3464 station covers large mountainous area 147 sworn officers, 60 civilian employees, employ civilian maintenance and have five trustees to help clean; East Los Angeles Station arrestees are housed 1 to 2 days, 3 meals served daily, 5019 E. Third Street LASD Outstanding one hot; Central Patrol Wellness Pilot Program was Los Angeles, CA 90022 started and seems to be working plus they have a 323-264-4151 Homeless outreach program 30% of the bookings are from the California Highway Patrol; capacity is 48 with the average at 20 to 24; Industry Sheriff Station bookings are from Hacienda Heights, La Habra Heights; 150 N. Hudson Avenue LASD Satisfactory when visiting, the water had been turned off as the City of Industry, CA 91744 inmates had plugged the plumbing, causing the cells to 626-330-3322 flood; recommendation would be to staff the jail adequately Detention 347 LA SHERIFF STATIONS Facility Name Inspection Address Category Comments Results Phone # Lakewood Station Built in 1950; officers and detectives total are 258; jail 5130 N. Clark Avenue capacity is 46; trustees clean the jail; laundry is sent out; LASD Satisfactory Lakewood, CA 90712 all cells are power washed after use; prisoner video cell is 562-623-3500 extremely dusty; all training is up to date Lancaster Station Capacity is 54, current population is 27; staff is 501 W. Lancaster Blvd. excellent; facilities are satisfactory Lancaster, CA 93534 LASD Satisfactory 661-948-8466 Lomita Station Facility was in very good order; very clean 26123 Narbonne Avenue LASD Satisfactory Lomita, CA 90717 310-539-1661 Clean, organized and staff seemed very competent and responsive to needs of the detainees; detainees have daily Lost Hills (Malibu Station) access to phones; homeless are put in contact with 27050 Agoura Road LAHSA; if a released person has no money for a ride LASD Satisfactory Calabasas, CA home, Sheriff Deputy will provide free access to public 818-878-1808 transportation; if a detainee asks for mental help or in obvious need of assistance, social services is contacted This facility had two trustees working; there is no sally port and some concern about trustees leaving; they do have ankle monitors; in their room the phone cord is too long, enabling a safety concern; bathrooms have hooks and faucets that also are a safety risk; 16 boat operators Marina Del Rey Station stationed at the marina and a 15-person dive team that is 3851 Fiji Way LASD Satisfactory EMT certified; search and rescue for the county going Marina Del Rey, CA 90292 from Point Dume to San Clemente; built in the 1950's and 310-482-6000 is outdated Recommend: replace boats that are suffering from termite damage, financially supplement required rescue team training 160 sworn officers and 40 civilians, but need more Norwalk Station custody assistants; arrestees are kept for up to 2 days; 12335 Civic Center Drive LASD Satisfactory snack, breakfast and two hot meals are served; four Norwalk, CA 90650 trustees keep facility very clean 562-863-8711 Palmdale Station Very clean and well organized; cells and bathrooms are 750 E. Avenue Q very clean and well maintained LASD Outstanding Palmdale, CA 93550 661-272-2400 Older facility, very busy and well maintained; four jailers Pico Rivera Station on hand but need more staffing; three trustees on hand 6631 Passons Blvd. for clean up duties; food prepared by county approved LASD Satisfactory Pico Rivera, CA vendor, two hot meals (lunch & dinner); deputy assigned 562-949-2421 to assist homeless persons Detention 348 LA SHERIFF STATIONS Facility Name Inspection Address Category Comments Results Phone # Very clean and well organized; at time of inspection, San Dimas Sheriff Station there were three trustees separated from the general 270 S. Walnut Avenue population, they arise at 4:30 am to charge their ankle LASD Outstanding San Dimas, CA 92173 bracelets; capacity of 22 detainees; generous phone 909-45-2700 policy- two times a day for 30 minutes. Runs well, however understaffed; have been asking for Santa Clarita Station additional staff for five years; has resulted in up to 140 23740 W. Magic Mtn. Pkwy LASD Unsatisfactoryhours of additional overtime Valencia, CA 91335 661-255-1121 Jury members waited an unreasonable time for inspection; there is an issue getting phones and toilets South Los Angeles Station repaired; facility is clean; built in 2010; inmates are 1310 W. Imperial Highway LASD Satisfactory housed for less than 48 hours, juveniles no longer than 6 Los Angeles, CA 90044 hours; trustees are used in the 323-820-6700 Temple City Station Facility is much larger than it appears; over 100 8838 Las Tunas Drive deputies in the field; clean and operates in compliance LASD Satisfactory Temple City, CA 91780 626-285-7171 Walnut/Diamond Bar Facility is clean and well organized; capacity is 38, with Station an average population of 5 to 10; four trustees were in 21695 E. Valley Blvd. LASD Satisfactory residence at time of visit Walnut, CA 91780 909-595-2264 Very short staffed; informed that one of the deputies was attacked when she was booking an inmate resulting in West Hollywood Station damages and time off; increase in mental illness bookings 780 N. San Vicente Blvd. LASD UnsatisfactoryRecommendation: additional staff should be hired to West Hollywood, CA 90089 guarantee the safety of the deputies 310-855-8850 Serves unincorporated areas of Whittier and affiliated Whittier Sheriff Station with Norwalk Station; serves also Pico Rivera and City of 13525 Telegraph Rd. B LASD UnsatisfactorySante Fe; staff is uninformed and needs training Whittier, CA 562-903-1874 Detention 349 COUNTY JAILS Facility Name Inspection Address Category Comments Results Phone # Century Regional Corr. Closed Facility 11705 S. Alameda Street County Jail Lynwood, CA 90262 213-473-6100 Main distribution center of inmates booked at local police and Sheriff stations in the County; inmates arrive from court and are assigned to appropriate facilities, or, after Inmate Reception Center court date, are released; short-term stay, usually less than 450 Bauchet Street County Jail Satisfactory one day; 350-400 inmates are processed each day; all Los Angeles, CA 90012 inmates are evaluated for medical or mental health issues; 213-473-6100 all inmate records processed for Los Angeles County are kept here Built in 1963 with additions in 1974; 5,000 inmates with Men's Central Jail 120 deputies; largest jail in the world that handles 441 Bauchet Street hardened inmates; line-up room is very large, used by Los County Jail Unsatisfactory Los Angeles, CA 90012 Angeles, Ventura, and Orange Counties; three wings each 213-974-4082 containing suicide watch rooms and dorms North County Correctional Not enough staff; only one officer to 264 inmate ratio; 25 Facility officers had been loaned out to other facilities; nursing 29340 The Old Road County Jail Unsatisfactory staff complained that the vent system had not been cleaned Castaic, CA 91384 in a year; Five Keys Adult School is excellent 661-295-6547 Pitchess Detention Center This facility no longer houses inmates on a full-time basis; East Facility fire camp site; currently 52 inmates are in daily training to 29320 The Old Road become firemen; the program is three to four months of County Jail Satisfactory Castaic, CA 91384 training which the State audits; inmates are gone weekdays 661-295-8815 to train Pitchess Detention Center Lower security inmates; extremely well organized; inmates South Facility reside in barracks with 2 to 3 bunks; inmates are free to 29330 The Old Road walk around; GED as well as vocational classes are offered County Jail Outstanding Castaic, CA 91384 through Five Keys; inmates are separated by gangs; 661-295-8805 inmates are responsible for their cleaning Nurses and Doctors clinic on-site; prison population Pitchess Detention Center capacity is 1400 with 300 0fficers; have disciplinary cells North Facility where they can be kept for up to 20 days 28310 The Old Road County Jail Satisfactory Recommendations: more space needed for the Castaic, CA 91384 Administration offices; current space is not sufficient 661-295-8840 Facility opened in 1997; has more mentally and physically Twin Towers challenged detainees; medical clinics and urgent care in 450 Bauchet Street County Jail Unsatisfactory need of more staff, problem with one of the elevators not Los Angeles, CA working 213-893-5100 Detention 350 COURTHOUSES Facility Name Inspection Address Category Comments Results Phone # Cameras have been installed; an expansion renovation Alfred J McCourtney in progress; staff are satisfactory; state-of-the-art Juvenile Justice Center facility 1040 W. Avenue J Courthouse Satisfactory Lancaster, CA 93534 661-949-6503 Alhambra Courthouse Facility is old and crowded but functional; in need of 150 W. Commonwealth Ave. paint. Courthouse Satisfactory Alhambra, CA 626-949-6503 Problems: no Sheriff office on ground floor, anyone can walk in; counter at office has no glass separation Bellflower Courthouse for safety; gun locker had no key, deputy couldn't 10025 Flower Street leave gun stored safely; in holding area, officers are Courthouse Unsatisfactory Bellflower, Ca 90706 unarmed, leaving them exposed to harm; no cameras at 562-345-3300 entrance; staff has to look at mirrors in corner for blind spots Beverly Hills Courthouse The holding cells are close; inmates are transferred to 9355 Burton Way LAX for trial and arraignment Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Courthouse N/A 310-288-1310 12 Cells for inmates going to trial; Public Defender has Burbank Courthouse an office that is staffed everyday; cameras in every cell 300 E. Olive Avenue and courthouse; music is played for the inmates, Courthouse Satisfactory Burbank, CA 91502 deputies say this keeps them calm; there is a leak in the 818-557-3492 pipe room Court handles arraignments of AB 109, parole, Central Arraignment probations and post-release community supervision Courthouse cases; 4 courtrooms and each courtroom has 2 holding 429 Bauchet Street Courthouse Satisfactory cells Los Angeles, CA 90012 213-974-6068 Deputies are short staffed and with too little work Compton Courthouse space; plastic bags from lunches are used frequently to 200 W. Compton Blvd. stop the toilets; it is difficult to get maintenance to Courthouse Unsatisfactory Compton, CA 90220 resolve the issues as the building is owned by the state; 310-974-6581 suggest using biodegradable wrappings for the lunches Two elevators with cameras have been off-line for nine Clara Shortridge Foltz months; cost estimated at $150,000; this creates a Criminal Justice Center safety issue in transferring inmates; trash needs to be 210 W. Temple Street Courthouse Unsatisfactory picked up at least two times a day; once a day is not Los Angeles, CA 90012 adequate 213-974-6581 186 sworn officers, capacity 251 arrestees; sufficient Downey Courthouse officers on hand to process about 40 arrestees daily 7500 Imperial Hwy Courthouse Satisfactory Downey, CA 90242 562-803-7044 Detention 351 COURTHOUSES Facility Name Inspection Address Category Comments Results Phone # Court house is old, has 5 courtrooms, a Sheriff Deputy is assigned to each; another Deputy is located in center East Los Angeles Central hallway for security along with a Probation Officer to Juvenile Courthouse Courthouse Satisfactory watch over juveniles waiting for court hearing; the 1601 Eastlake Ave waiting area for juveniles is an open area with benches; Los Angeles, Ca two cell areas are located by restrooms for security-risk youths Has five courtrooms with a sheriff deputy assigned to East Los Angeles Courthouse each one; another deputy is in hallway for security; 4848 E. Civic Center Way Courthouse Satisfactory two cells are by the restrooms for security-risk youths; Los Angeles, CA 90022 waiting area is an open area with benches 323-780-2017 Hears cases involving children in the dependency court Edmund M. Edelman system; separate space, called "shelter care," created Children's Court for children to wait for their case to be heard; they can 201 Centre Plaza Drive #2700 Courthouse Outstanding play games, read books, etc., and visit with attorneys, Monterey Park, CA 91754 clinicians, volunteers and parents; this is a state-of-the- 323-526-6610 art facility, the only one of its kind in the nation El Monte Courthouse 11234 E. Valley Boulevard Courthouse No report on file El Monte, CA 91731 626-575-4116 Cell capacity is for 33 inmates; area is extremely small and in need of painting; major concern is that their Glendale Courthouse sally port is open to a parking lot; judges' parking is 600 E. Broadway Avenue secured, but the employee parking lot, used by the Courthouse Unsatisfactory Glendale, CA 91206 sheriff deputies transporting the inmates, is not secure, 818-500-3524 thus placing the deputies in danger; fencing is rotting with rust and not maintained Fans have dirty filters, work orders have been Inglewood Courthouse submitted; graffiti in one cell One E. Regent Street Courthouse Unsatisfactory Inglewood, CA 90301 310-419-5132 No specific safety cell; tight hallway spaces are Inglewood Juvenile Court potentially dangerous One E Regent Street Courthouse Unsatisfactory Inglewood, CA 90301 310-419-5132 Newer facility; station is located on second floor, LAX Courthouse holding cells in basement; 31 officers assigned to 11701 S. La Cienega Blvd. courthouse along with 7 civilian support staff; busy Los Angeles, CA 90045 Courthouse Satisfactory holding area, 53 male and 6 female arrestees and 4 310-727-6020 others in suicide watch cells; cells and detention area are very clean, private cleaning crew comes in nightly Six-year-old courthouse; facility is very clean and has Long Beach Courthouse new technology 275 Magnolia Ave. Courthouse Outstanding Long Beach, CA Detention 352 COURTHOUSES Facility Name Inspection Address Category Comments Results Phone # Mental Health Courthouse No report on file 1150 N. San Fernando Rd. Courthouse N/A Los Angeles, CA 90065 323-266-2908 Traffic court has shared the facilities with the mental Metropolitan Courthouse health court for the previous three years; mental health 1945 S. Hill Street will be moving to Hollywood in October 2019; seven Courthouse Satisfactory Los Angeles, CA 90007 holding cells and two holding tanks; three out of four 213-742-1884 elevators do not work; more space needed Currently installing new cameras and cordless wall Metropolitan Detention Center phones in each cell; one negative-pressure holding cell 180 N. Los Angeles St. Courthouse Satisfactory designed for detainees with medical problems; well- Los Angeles, CA 90012 staffed medical facility on site; capacity for 540 213-356-3400 detainees New and clean facility; arrestees are transported in Michael Antonovich daily for arraignment and for trials; state-of-the-art Antelope Valley Courthouse 42011 4th St. West Courthouse Satisfactory camera system; additional staff needed Lancaster, CA 93534 661-974-7200 Problems: Built in 1968 and in need of improvement; Norwalk Courthouse poor lighting in cell, some light fixtures need repair; no 12720 Norwalk Dr. Courthouse Unsatisfactory padded cells; narrow hallways; need painting Norwalk, CA 90650 562-807-7266 Pasadena Courthouse Well staffed; very clean; 17 courtrooms for traffic, 300 E. Walnut Street civil and criminal cases; 144 sworn and civilian staff Courthouse Outstanding Pasadena, CA 91101 with 38 on a shift; new, high-tech computer system 626-356-5680 The detention facility is well-organized by an Pomona Courthouse experienced staff, staff is aware of the regulations and 400 W. Mission Blvd. Metro Satisfactory observes them; the detainees have only cold food Pomona, CA 91766 available as they are in court a short time 909-802-9944 San Fernando Courthouse Excellent courtroom access between jail cells and the 900 Third Street courtrooms Courthouse Satisfactory San Fernando, CA 91340 818-898-2403 There is concern by the deputies that when inmates are Santa Clarita Courthouse transferred between Division 1 or Division 2 courts, to 23747 W. Valencia Blvd. Courthouse Unsatisfactory Division 3 courts the inmates are moved down an Valencia, CA 91355 unsafe hallway 661-255-7439 Santa Monica Courthouse Jail is no longer operational; Civil cases only; Criminal 1725 Main Street #102 arraignments are done at LAX Court House Courthouse N/A Santa Monica, CA 90401 Detention 353 COURTHOUSES Facility Name Inspection Address Category Comments Results Phone # Facility has narrow hallways containing computers and equipment, difficult for staff, particularly with inmates, Torrance Courthouse to navigate; some cells have phones, others do not, so 825 Maple Ave inmates feel they are treated unequally; in response, Courthouse Unsatisfactory Torrance CA 90503 staff tries to rotate inmates between cells; they have 310-787-3700 asked for more phones to equalize facilities and treatment 490 detainee capacity; detainees separated by race, sexual preference, and sex offense Van Nuys Courthouse West Problems: substandard conditions, extremely dirty, 14400 Erwin Street Mall Courthouse Unsatisfactory and in need of painting; lack of water in #5 holding- Van Nuys, CA 91401 tank area; the issues are with the pipes and has been an 818-374-2511 ongoing problem About 50 inmates daily for court dates; holding West Covina Court House facilities are clean; detainees are separated by 1427 W. Covina Park Way Courthouse Satisfactory ethnicity; food stains were found in kitchen area that West Covina, CA needed to be cleaned This facility has no holding cells; family court only Whittier Courthouse 7339 South Painter Ave Courthouse N/A Whittier, CA 90602 Detention 354 PROBATION'S JUVENILE FACILITIES Facility Name Inspection Address Category Comments Results Phone # All juveniles now transferred to Antelope Valley Antelope Valley Juvenile Center LACPD N/A Courthouse. They have 500 rooms for 12 to 17 youths; in Unit P Dayroom there is shattered glass, no knowledge if a Barry Nidorf Juvenile Center work order has been placed; boys watching inappropriate 16350 Filbert Street LACPD Unsatisfactorymovies in Dayroom; boys facility for troubled youths with Sylmar, CA 91342 one on one supervision by probation officer who sits on a 818-364-2011 chair blocking the doorway in case youth needs help or conversation Built to hold 120 minors, currently the population is Camp Clinton B. Afflerbaugh 50; the camp has a pool; facility is clean; nurse available 6631 N. Stephens Ranch Rd. LACPD Satisfactory 6am-10pm; minors held less than one year La Verne, CA 91750 Recommendation: Offer swimming lessons 909-593-4937 Built to hold 60 minors, currently houses 43; population is Camp Glenn Rockey younger, some 14, most 15 to 16; camp holds those minors 1900 Sycamore Canyon with serious mental health issues; approximately 70% to LACPD Satisfactory San Dimas, CA 91773 85% of the population is prescribed medication for mental 909-599-2391 health issues; on-site high school available; nurse available Built to hold 120 minors, currently houses 50; population is Camp Joseph Paige for older minors, 16 to 19; shares a school with Camp 6601 N. Stephen Ranch Rd. LACPD Satisfactory Afflerbaugh located next door; nurse available 6am to10pm; La Verne, CA 91750 the gym was littered with trash 909-593-4921 Probation officers and medical staff live on site. Camp Scott Their education facility got the "Golden Bell Award". 28700 Bouquet Canyon Rd. LACPD Outstanding Santa Clarita, CA 91390 Students are housed in dorms; probation officers are on staff Camp Kilpatrick for 56- hour rotations; camp moved from Malibu; no longer 5300 W. Avenue I have vocational classes due to funding cuts; have only LACPD Satisfactory Lancaster, CA 91356 regular studies; large kitchen staffed by three cooks and chef with food prepared daily Camp is closed. Challenger - Camp McNair 5300 West Avenue I LACPD N/A Lancaster, CA 93536 661-940-4146 Camp is closed. Challenger - Camp Onizuka 5300 West Avenue I LACPD N/A Lancaster, CA 93536 661-940-4144 Built in 1959, facility is well maintained, floors, walls, grounds, and sport courts well kept; room for 92 youth; at time of inspection there were 60 youths 15 to 17 years old; Dorothy Kirby Center youths stay for 3 to 8 months until sent to foster homes or 1500 S. McDonnell Avenue LACPD Outstanding group homes; educational programs are available with some Los Angeles, CA 90022 earning college credits; culinary program opening for cold 323-981-4301 food classes; "The Unusual Suspects Arts Company" supports the school with programs for the dramatic arts Detention 355 PROBATION'S JUVENILE FACILITIES Facility Name Inspection Address Category Comments Results Phone # Built in 1912; houses approximately 400 youths, at the time of Jury visit, 280 youths awaited court dates; the halls are Eastlake Los Angeles Juvenile Hall painted bright colors for a non-jail atmosphere; rooms are 1605 Eastlake Ave. LACPD Satisfactory kept clean; chapel for religious services; youths have Los Angeles, CA90033 walkway to court; some areas should be torn down or 323-226-8955 renovated Kenyon Scudder Camp This camp was closed; location is used for training 28750 N. Bouquet Canyon Rd. purposes only; executives from Challenger will be LACPD Closed Santa Clarita, CA 91390 moving into this camp September 2019 661-296-8811 Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall Camp is closed. 7285 Quill Drive LACPD N/A Downey, CA 90242 562-940-8681 Detention 356 MISCELLANEOUS HOLDING FACILITIES Facility Name Inspection Address Category Comments Results Phone # Jury was not allowed admittance Dodger Stadium Security Office Specialized 1000 Elysian Park Facility Los Angeles, CA 90012 4th largest airport police in the world with 1000 officers and 275 non-sworn-in support officers; L.A. Airport Police detainees are taken to Pacific Division or 77th 6320 W. 96th Street Specialized SatisfactoryCommunity Center for booking; have only holding Los Angeles, CA 90045 Facility cells which are rarely used; clean facility 424-646-6100 Built in 2008; 24-bed medical surgery unit; services for medical only, no mental health; has booking LAC+USC Jail Ward area, nurses station, and emergency room; deputies 2051 Marengo Specialized stay with the inmates throughout their stay at the Satisfactory Los Angeles, CA 90033 Facility hospital; facilities need more inmate 323-409-4563 transportation vans Approximately 1 to 2 arrests a month; transferred to Burbank Airport Police Burbank Police Station; the officers are retirees 2627 N. Hollywood Way Specialized Satisfactoryfrom other law enforcement agencies Burbank, CA 91505 Facility Detention 357 REQUIRED RESPONSES NO.STATION/FACILITY FINDINGS RECOMMENDATIONS 1 Hollywood Community Lighting very dim in holding Higher wattage bulbs should be installed in Station cells; at time of inspection the cells for security. blood and/or human waste Walls should be cleaned and painted. were on walls; floors and walls peeling and in need of paint 2 North Hollywood Station Key to defibrillator not Make keys to defibrillator should be readily available available. West L.A Community No toilet; no food and/or water Provide snacks and water to detainees. Station on site for arrestees; inspection Toilets should be available to detainees. reports were not available; Filing of paper work needs to be improved duty officer feels State Board and all protocols for inspections must be met. of Corrections and Civil Grand Jury inspections are not necessary for a facility with temporary holding cells and handles booking only 4 Beverly Hills Police No signs posted regarding Work orders need to be submitted for all social services; broken light repairs. fixture and toilet 5 Glendale Police Officers do all laundry for Outside contractors should be hired to do the facility laundry, as to free up officers' time. San Gabriel Police Two cameras offline for nine Cameras need to be repaired. months; safety issue Trash needs to be picked up twice a day or as transporting detainees; lots of needed. trash- only picked up once a day 7 San Marino Police Officers are not sent to training County of Los Angeles should allocate when there is no money in budget for a regional Training Center for budget to pay per diem both city and county officers. Programs should include training in POST, CPT, FTP and any training required for operation of departments. Santa Monica Police A/C not working, work order Work orders should be completed within a placed 2 months ago; Life Scan timely manner, no more than 30 days. was down 9 Cerritos Sheriff Station No secured parking for officers Need to have secure parking to protect especially female officers officers, particularly female, when walking to their cars, especially at night. 1o Pico Rivera Sheriff Station Meals are from a County- If fiscally prudent, have meals prepared by approved vendor. the County kitchen located at Men's Central. Whittier Sub Station On 8/29/19 at 1:10 pm Train staff with knowledge of station and inspection, were assisted by an personnel. officer who had very little knowledge of station 12 Alhambra Courthouse Older building in need of paint Paint the courthouse. Detention 358 NO.STATION/FACILITY FINDINGS RECOMMENDATIONS 13 Bellflower Courthouse Gun lockers are not in working Fix the gun lockers and keep them condition; officers had no maintained. where to store their weapons; design of the building exposes the officers to potential danger 14 Burbank Courthouse Leak in pipe room Submit a work order to fix the leak in the pipe room. Compton Courthouse Toilets were plugged up by Suggest biodegradable wrappings for lunches detainees by using lunch bags to keep detainees from plugging toilets. and wrappers 16 Clara Shortridge Foltz Two cameras offline for nine Cameras need to be repaired. Trash needs to Criminal Center months, safety issue be picked up twice a day or as needed. transporting detainees; lots of trash, only swept up once a day 17 Glendale Courthouse Major concern that sally-port Lot should be secured to protect officers. opens to non-secure parking lot 18 Inglewood Courthouse Fans have dirty filters; work Work orders should be completed within a order had been submitted timely manner, no more than 30 days. Metropolitan Courthouse Three out of four elevators do Fix the elevators. not work 20 Norwalk Courthouse Older building, lighting very Upgrade ceiling lights with a brighter bulb. dim Paint cells. Upgrade CCTV circuit and TV monitors. Pasadena Courthouse Older building in need of paint Install cameras in holding cells. Santa Clarita Courthouse Concerns by Deputies when Improve safety in the hallways where moving detainees down an Deputies are moving detainees unsafe hallway 23 Torrance Courthouse Some cells have phones for Install phones in all cells. inmates and others don't causing discord among detainees 24 Van Nuys Courthouse Dirty areas, and in need of Clean more often. painting; lack of water in #5 Fix pipes creating leaks in the #5 tank area. tank area, issues are with pipes has been an ongoing problem for at least two year 25 LAC+USC jail Ward Not enough transport vans More vans should be available to transport detainee patients. North County Correctional Nursing staff complained vent Vents need to be cleaned at least every six Facility system not cleaned in a year; months to prevent respiratory problems. not enough Deputies on hand Reduce loaning of officers to improve as 25 had been loaned out to staffing and safety. other facilities 27 Twin Towers At time of inspection, one of Fix non-operational elevators for safety of the elevators was not working; officers. Jury was told this happens frequently Detention 359 NO.STATION/FACILITY FINDINGS RECOMMENDATIONS 28 Barry Nidorf Juvenile Center Boys in dayroom watching Supervisors should screen all videos to inappropriate movies; one ensure non-violent content. window in dayroom was Dayroom should be constantly supervised. shattered, no witnesses to Submit work order for broken window. breakage; football was tossed around by youths in dayroom 29 Camp Clinton Afflerbaugh Pool is not used often due to Swimming lessons should be offered. many youths unable to swim Detention 360 REQUIRED RESPONSES Responses are required from: Recommendations Responding Agency 1, 2, 3 Los Angeles Police Department 4 Beverly Hills Police Department 5 Glendale Police Department 6 San Gabriel Police Department 7 San Marino Police Department 8 Santa Monica Police Department 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 28, 29 Los Angeles County Probation Department ACRONYMS ACRONYMN DEFINITION CBI Cognitive Behavior Interventions CPT Current Procedural Terminology CTC Corrective Treatment Center FTP File Transfer Protocol GEO Corrections & Detention Company POST Peace Officer Standard & Training LACPD Los Angeles Probation Department LAPD Los Angeles Police Department LASD Los Angeles Sheriff's Department NCCF North County Correctional Facility COMMITTEE LIST Mike Padilla, Chairperson Heather Preimesberger, Co-Chairperson Judith Whitman Marina LaGarde With the help of Detention Teams Area 1: Carolyn Cobb, Angela Blakes, Mamie Burelson Area 2: Hind Baki, Joel Floyd, Deanne Walls, Jenalea Smith Area 3: Judith Whitman, Heather Preimsberger, Mike Padilla Area 4: Nirja Kapoor, Gloria Wilson, Irene Shandell-Taylor Area 5: Larry Sullivan, Joseph Sarria, Marina LaGarde, Judy Krimmel, John Palos Area 6: Gordon Jefferson, Jean Holden, Alice Beener Detention 361 362 Edit 2019-2020 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury tidE EDIT OBJECTIVES The 2019-2020 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury (Jury) Edit Committee was created to meet the mandate in California Penal Code section 933, subdivision (a), that the Jury publish a Final Report for submission to the Presiding Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court (Court). Each Investigative and Standing Committee within the Jury must submit a report. Each committee takes ownership of the content and writing of its report. The Edit Committee is responsible for checking grammar, spelling, punctuation, and syntax. The Edit Committee provides writing and footnoting guidelines to the Jury, suggests any flow or content clarifications, and tracks timelines for the Final Report. Each committee decides whether to accept or reject direction from the Edit Committee. Reports are edited before submission to the Jury for a vote of approval. After the edit, the Jury then votes for each individual report to be included in the Final Report. After approval by the Jury, the report is reviewed by County Counsel, and with sign-off, is submitted to the Judge. The Final Report includes all approved investigations and activities undertaken by the Jury. As a result of a Jury vote, the former Edit and Publication Committee was separated into two committees: the Edit Committee and the Publication Committee. The Edit Committee works with the Publication Committee and the Information Technology Committee to put together the Final Report. Throughout the Jury empanelment, the Edit Committee members assist jurors in drafting and writing necessary correspondence, forming report organization, and any necessary communications. Due to COVID-19, this Committee’s work has been put through a challenging test as the Court required the Jury to finish the report via telecommuting. COMMITTEE MEMBERS Nirja Kapoor, Co-Chair Judith Whitman, Co-Chair Hind Baki Rebecca Hunter Michael Padilla John Palos LeRoy Titus EDIT 363 364 Information Technology 2019-2020 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury ygolonhceT noitamrofnI Information Technology EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Members of the Information Technology Committee (Committee) of the 2019-2020 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury (Jury) assist their fellow jurors with the use of their individual laptops as well as the shared printers and projection system. Each juror is provided a laptop which connects to an intranet for accessing shared files, and the internet to access a browser for investigative purposes. See Appendix 1 for a topography of the Jury network. Each day a member of the Jury Administrative Staff (Staff) unlocks a laptop-charging cabinet containing the juror laptops and has each member sign out their laptop. The same procedure is done at the end of the work day when the jurors sign their laptops back in. Jury activities are heavily dependent on connecting with people and agencies through email, as well as writing reports and internet investigating. The Committee has observed that when jurors do not have access to their laptops, the internet, or the Jury email account, there is a loss of productivity and increased anxiety in the Jury. This hardship is not only felt by the Jury but also the Staff who report that they spend up to three hours a day signing in and out laptops to the jurors. Also, when the Jury network is down, Staff have to give up their desktop computers for part of the day to allow jurors to send email. This Committee recommends the following: • The Jury should have access to the compartmentalized keyed charging laptop lockers. This will allow each member of the Jury to access their assigned laptop independently, thus freeing up potentially three hours a day the Staff spends checking laptops in and out. • All jurors, not just the foreperson, should have access to the Jury email account. This allows all members to verify their email has gone out and to check incoming email. On several occasions mail was not sent, meetings were missed, and investigations were stalled due to inability to check and send email. • The Jury should curtail its use of the printer, as all files can be stored on the shared drive. Pulp and paper mills contribute to air, water and land pollution and discarded paper and paperboard make up roughly 26% of solid waste dumped in dumping sites.1 Jurors have access to their assigned laptops and the shared drive, and there is rarely a reason to print documents. 1 https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-isthe-environmental-impact-of-paper.html (accessed 6/1/20) Information Technology 365 • The Jury should have its own dedicated network (either cable, fiber or satellite) set up directly with a local internet provider. We are currently connected to the building network via an access point, and the network is often down. BACKGROUND Historically, jurors relied on sharing desktop computers to produce the Final Report. In 2017-2018, there were not enough desktop computers for the jurors to work independently. The 2018-2019 Jury was the first jury to be assigned laptops from the start of their appointments, therefore this Jury is the second Jury assigned laptops at the start of their appointment. The system is populated with a standard set of shared folders. The use of a shared drive for creating and saving files was new to many members, adding a layer of confusion to some. This prompted the Jury foreperson to ask this Committee to put together training sessions. A training session was presented by the Committee on the basic usage of the applications and how to save work. Also, the Committee developed a training session that included a few basic rules on using the laptop computers and navigating the filesystem structure. The Committee also proposed a file-naming convention. The Committee also assisted in setting up the projection system. This assistance was provided to both invited speakers and Jury members. Speakers were required to provide their own laptops to meet security protocols. METHODOLOGY This Committee assists jurors with the following activities: • Navigate the filesystem structure, including creating, finding, saving and moving files: This entails setting up naming conventions and developing rules as to where files should be placed • Create, update and format Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel documents • Access the intranet files and internet: No portable disk drives are allowed to connect to the juror laptops • Troubleshoot printer issues • Use of the projection system: The Committee connects Jury member laptops and speaker laptops to the projection system via either an HDMI or SCSI cable • Provide group training as necessary • Perform a weekly backup and recover files as necessary Information Technology 366 The Committee also conducted several presentations in an effort to assist the jurors who had very little technology experience: Presentation One: retrieve files and organize folders Presentation Two: introduction to PowerPoint Presentation Three: follow up on organizing files Presentation Four: how to insert clipart into documents Presentation Five: working together as a team RECOMMENDATIONS The Committee recommends: 1. Allow the Jury to retrieve and sign out their own assigned laptops. Each juror is assigned a laptop with a unique number. Currently, the Staff has a schedule of times in which they will allow jurors to sign out their laptops. See Appendix 2 for this schedule. This system is not always convenient for the Staff or jurors. If a juror is delayed, then they are required to wait until a member of the Staff is available. Also, the Staff is not always available during the posted time to dispense laptops. Individual lockers should be available for each juror’s laptop, allowing them to self check-out and check-in their laptops. According to the Staff, five minutes per juror twice a day is spent checking in/out laptops. On average, about 20 jurors are present a day, so this is about 200 minutes (over three hours per day). Looking at a 2019 salaries database2, it potentially costs the County approximately $123/day ($41/hour x 3 hours) just to check in and out laptops. The Jury meets for approximately 10 months, so taking into account holidays, the Jury meets approximately 189 days a year. So, it costs the County about $23,247 per year to check out laptops to the Jury. Here are some options: • D-Tech Kiosks ComputeIT™:3 $30,000 for 12 laptops, so $60,000 total.4 This would take about two and a half years for the kiosk to pay for itself in freeing up Staff time. These dispensing stations are being used by a dozen universities. Kiosks dispense laptops or tablets to students, making technology available for borrowing at any time. According to Inside Higher Ed’s, 2 https://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/2019/los-angeles-county/natalie-rascon/ (accessed 6/1/20) 3 https://d-techinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/DTech_Compute_IT_v6.pdf (accessed 6/1/20) 4 https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/02/08/libraries-turn-laptop-vending-machines-fulfill-students-late-night-studying- needs Information Technology 367 Dispensing Computers (Feb. 8, 2013), “The kiosks work like vending machines, or like the DVD-lending dispensers at grocery stores. A student who wants to check out a laptop – or whatever device the university is offering – navigates a touch screen that authenticates the student’s identity and then dispenses a charged machine.”5 • A-Plus Warehouse sells 10-unit keyed lockers for $1,643 each and 5- unit lockers for $960.6 Total cost would be (2 x 1643 + 960 = $4,246). This would be a more cost-effective solution, essentially paying for itself in reduced County employee hours in 35 days. • The most affordable option is to have the earliest arriving Staff member unlock the currently used cabinet in the morning, and Jury members check out their assigned laptops themselves. As Jury members leave for the day, they can self-check-in their assigned laptop, and plug it back into the cabinet. The last Staff member to leave can lock the cabinet. 5 http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/02/08/libraries-turn-laptop-vending-machines-fulfill-students-late-night-studying- needs (accessed 12/15/20) 6 https://www.apluswhs.com/lockers/laptop-lockers/laptop-security-locker/#LL10KCHG (accessed 2/26/20) Information Technology 368 2. All jurors should have access to the Jury email account. The ability to send and receive email is a basic necessity in organizing meetings and sharing information with people and organizations. On more than one occasion, jurors assumed an email had gone out when it had not. Also, the process of having to write an email, print it, explain to someone else where the document is filed, and verify the email has gone out, is time consuming, inefficient and has the propensity to make the Jury look unprofessional. All members of the Jury have had background checks, and have been entrusted with confidentiality and discretion, and should be trusted with the Jury email account.

It provides jail enrollment for inmate services, special jail services, and the Post- Release Program. Located in the Inmate Reception Center, the WPC Release Desk reviews the care plan/reentry plan and assists with shelter, transportation, and appointments. The Post-Release Program hires Community Health Workers37 (CHWs) who have experienced prior incarceration to work with clients for at least three months after release. The CHWs are hired directly through contracted CBOs. The CHWs provide mentorship, as well as help navigating through social services, linkage to housing, employment, education, legal assistance, medical/mental appointments, treatment, and medication. The CHW is notified and an appointment is scheduled for the initial meeting. Upon release DPSS and the local pharmacy for medication is also notified. WPC drivers are made available to transport the released inmates by van to shelters, DPSS, and family. THE REENTRY and OPPORTUNITY CENTER38 (ROC) The ROC39 located at 3965 Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, is described as a one-stop facility to assist probationers, families, and the community to receive services in an effort to improve the quality of their lives. While the Committee toured this facility, the Probation staff reported the need of ongoing training programs for DPOs. The training would include training opportunities for probationers, availability of programs, and referral process. This training would be of benefit to probationers and could be covered during their scheduled appointments. However, the staff reported due to their caseload size, adequate time was extremely limited to address each probationer’s file to include training opportunities at their scheduled appointment. Basically, the time spent with the probationer was mainly to fulfill the probationer’s obligation to report on a timely basis. The programs provided are housed in a new 60,000 square-foot building located in South Los Angeles in the Second Supervisorial District of Mark Ridley-Thomas. The Committee visited the ROC on several occasions. Services at the Center include but are not limited to: • Housing (Crisis and Permanent Housing) • Benefits Establishment • Employment Support • Education (GED/High School Diploma Program) • Legal Aid Support 36 https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB389 37 See Frequently Asked Questions, “The Community Healthcare Worker Role,” http://dhs.lacounty.gov/wps/portal/dhs/!ut/p/b0/04_Sj9CPykssy0xPLMnMz0vMAfGjzOLdDAwM3P2dgo0sTP3cDBzDDMy93Q wdDfydTfULsh0VAfZcYd0!/ 38 ibid 39 https://ridley-thomas.lacounty.gov/index.php/los-angeles-county-opens-one-stop-shop-for-second-chance-opportunities/ FREE AT LAST 117 • Mental Wellness Counseling The ROC serves as a model for a one-stop opportunity for the probationer and his or her family to receive a plethora of services without having to travel to multiple CBOs. While visiting the ROC the Committee noted that there was no signage or brochures explaining the types of services available throughout the building. Probation offices and staff are located on the first floor, staff offices on the second, and the Developing Opportunities and Offering Reentry Solutions 40 (DOORS) is located on the third floor. DEVELOPING OPPORTUNITIES AND OFFERING REENTRY SOLUTIONS41 (DOORS) DOORS is a collaborative effort among Probation, ODR, Five Keys schools and programs, and a number of CBOs. Among DOORS Delivery Partners are: • SSG/HOPICS42 which provides triage and linkage support to housing and homeless services • Client Engagement Services screening and triage/assessment placement into interim housing • Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles that provides legal assistance in many areas of service • Education/Social Skills Training through Five Keys Schools and Programs • Case Management/Family Reunification Services by way of A New Way of Life provides services to individuals and families • Healing through the Arts provides workshops, and group training, to engage clients and promote healing through the various arts. The target population are individuals and families having a history of gang involvement. The objective is to push beyond the mindset of the gang subculture and inspire transformation using the arts to engage and identify their service needs to begin the healing process The concept, as previously stated, is to provide one-stop assistance for probationers, families and the community at large. But there remains gaps to provide tangible assistance in areas of transportation, housing, family emergencies and mental health services. Five Keys43 The Committee visited the Five Keys program located at the ROC. Five Keys offers many opportunities for current and formerly incarcerated students, and for individuals regardless of age. Enrollment in classes for inmates is voluntary. Since the program is voluntary and the inmate is already participating, the prospect of job offers, enrollment in 40 Ridley-Thomas.lacounty.gov/index.php/los-angeles-county-opens-one-stop-shop-for-second-chance-opportunities/ 41 The information provided in this section originates from interviews, tours, and review of literature regarding this program. 42 http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/dvcouncil/minutes/2019/05/coordinated-entry-system-ces-brochure.pdf 43 The information provided in this section originates from interviews, tours, and review of literature regarding this program. FREE AT LAST 118 community college or trade school act as incentives for them to continue their education. The classes offered to probationers and family members are held at the ROC and other locations within the community. They have developed relationships with partners in the workforce that provide services beyond education and/or training. The Five Keys program emphasizes education, employment, recovery, family, and community programs. This program began in 2003 in Northern California and is the first charter school in the nation to operate inside a county jail. Five Keys is an accredited charter school serving transitional-aged youth (15 to 18 years) and adults in 70 locations throughout California. Current probationers, community members, as well as anyone who has been touched by the justice system may participate in this program. Currently, in addition to ROC, Five Keys is conducting educational classes at County Jail (Twin Towers and Men’s Central Jail); Pitchess Detention Center, located in Castaic; and Century Regional Detention Center, for women, in Lynwood. Classes include English as a Second Language, Adult Basic Education, High School Completion, and Exam Preparation. In addition, GED/High School Equivalency, employment/life skill classes, and independent study programs are offered. The Stanford Center of Education Policy Analysis44 documents large achievement gaps for low-income Latino and African-American students compared with white and higher-income students. Over 80 percent of the incarcerated population are high school dropouts, according to a Northeastern University study, “The Consequences of Dropping out of High School” published by the Center for Labor Market Studies.45 That same study found that high school dropouts cost taxpayers $292,000 over the course of their lives. This evidence supports the belief of Five Keys that providing a second chance at an education is a cost-efficient way to restore struggling communities. A research review by the Rand Corporation46 found that those who receive a quality education or vocational training are significantly more likely to gain meaningful employment and less likely to become incarcerated. Inmates who participate in a correctional education program have a 43 percent lower chance of returning to prison, where annual incarceration costs often exceed $65,000 per year. And for every one dollar invested in correctional education, the County can save four to five dollars in future incarceration costs. An education may be the single most important determinant to a person’s future.47 44 cepa.stanford.edu/research-areas/poverty-and-inequality 45 https://repository.library.northeastern.edu/files/neu:376322 46 Https://www.rand.org/pubs/research reports/RR266.html 47 https://repository.library.northeastern.edu/files/neu:376322 FREE AT LAST 119 Five Keys has developed relationships with partners in the workforce to assist students beyond their education and/or training. The curriculum may include Career Skills and Life Skills and offers career classes in construction, welding, hospitality, sewing, dog grooming, baking, and other areas. INNOVATIVE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE TRAINING48 (INVEST) Workforce Development, Aging and Community Services (WDACS) and Probation, ODR and the California Employment Development Department (EDD), and LA Workforce collaborated to launch INVEST. INVEST is a two- year pilot program. This program creates employment opportunities for adult probationers in conjunction with Probation supervision and the WDACS’ workforce development system to provide training and support to help probationers enter the workforce on a meaningful career path. INVEST is a two-year pilot program. This program creates employment opportunities for adult probationers in conjunction with Probation supervision and the WDACS system. It provides training and support to assist probationers in entering a meaningful career path. The program runs 62 American Job Centers in the County which include an EDD office and an assigned DPO. LA Workforce has several boards in LA County with whom they have to coordinate. There are 32 city, 18 County, and 11 other boards amongst five other areas. DPOs are co-located at 62 comprehensive Los Angeles County America’s Job Centers of California (AJCCs). The DPOs and AJCC Business Services representatives are trained in an evidence-based training program created by the National Institute of Corrections49 to become Offender Workforce Development Specialists (OWDS). These specialists take referrals and then reach out to business services representatives, case managers, and assessment workers to find employment opportunities that match employee skills and provide assistance as needed. Specialists must do outreach with both the client and DPOs because of trust issues. Specialists are involved in service delivery enhancement, client need assessment, and accounting for client experiences in job seeking. These clients need individualized employment and training programs. According to the staff, there has been $8 million allocated to the LA basin for prison-to-employment funding. SB 67850 funding is available to be used, according to the needs of the student. It should be noted this is the first year of operation for the program, and they have already had 1,800 referrals. Six hundred fifty clients are currently enrolled, and there have been 240 successful job placements. Based on the information provided, this program serves as a springboard for success, 48 The information provided in this section originates from interviews, tours, and review of literature regarding this program. 49 https://nicic.gov/ 50 https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB678, (accessed 6/17/20) FREE AT LAST 120 improving the quality of life. In addition to INVEST in association with L.A. Trade Tech, there are opportunities for networking with other surrounding community colleges. COORDINATED OPTIMAL REHABILITATIVE EFFORTS51 (CORE) The Committee met with staff for a sit-down discussion about CORE in order to learn what this program is all about. Staff conveyed a strong sense of purpose and high energy toward what they were endeavoring to accomplish. In our talks, they referred to their clients as “returning citizens,” and they stressed an individualized approach, “Let’s work with your skill deficits.” Very important to CORE is identifying the criminogenic and stabilization needs of the client, which may include food, clothing, housing, medical, dental, and all other basic needs that help satisfy an individual’s physiological requirements. Also, the DPO and client, together, may talk about: • Thoughts and belief systems • Coping skills • People with whom the client associates • Family relationships • Maintaining sobriety • Finding long-term employment • Completing school • Productive use of one’s free time In 2019, the State of California amended SB 67852 to include the California Community Corrections Performance Incentive Act. The bill reduced the number of newly convicted offenders sentenced to state prison, and reduced the number of state prison commitments for probationers who have violated “conditions of probation” at the county level, therefore decreasing the State prison population. A portion of the fiscal savings realized by the State was given to the County to re-invest in evidence-based practice (EBP) programs to provide services to potential state-prison-bound adult felony offenders and probation violators residing in the County. During this time period, the County received funding from the Edward Byrne-Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne-Jag) Recovery and Reinvestment Act,53 to implement a program founded in evidence-based principles. CORE received an allocation of $237.3M in fiscal incentives from the State of California for reductions in state prison commitments. This allocation has been 51 The information provided in this section originates from interviews, tours, and review of literature regarding this program. 52 https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB678 53http://www.bscc.ca.gov/news/bscc-approves-jag-grant-process/ FREE AT LAST 121 held in an interest-bearing trust. Of this amount, an estimated $57.3M will be spent by June 2017, leaving a trust of $180M.54 Utilizing the Byrne-Jag, Probation implemented the Alternative Treatment Caseload Program,55 an evidence-based program designed for medium and high-risk adult felony probationers who receive cognitive behavioral interventions conducted by the assigned case-carrying DPO. The DPO along with the client, identify his/her individual risks, criminogenic56 needs, and responsibility factors. The program uses core correctional practices such as addressing pro-criminal attitudes, values and beliefs, responding to non- compliance, offering appropriate rewards, and referring the client to community-based programs and services based on court orders and/or the client needs. The Council of State Governments Justice Center57, stated the most effective core elements at reducing recidivism are: • Targeting people who are most likely to re-offend based on validated risk-assessment tools • Their practices are rooted in the latest research on “what works” to reduce recidivism, and • They regularly review program quality and evaluate how closely the program adheres to its established model These are programs58 that adhere to the principles of risk, need, and responsivity and use a cognitive behavioral approach as the most effective approach at reducing recidivism. The Eight Evidence-Based Principles for Effective Intervention59 are: 1. Assess Actuarial Risk/Needs 2. Enhance Intrinsic Motivation 3. Target Interventions. a. Risk Principle: Prioritize supervision and treatment resources for higher risk offenders b. Need Principle: Target interventions to criminogenic needs. c. Responsivity Principle: Be responsive to temperament, learning style, motivation, culture, and gender when assigning programs d. Dosage: Structure 40- 70% of high- risk offenders’ time for 3- 9 months e. Treatment: Integrate treatment into the full sentence/sanction requirements 54 Per Committee interview with staff at CORE 11/2019 55 https://probation.lacounty.gov/types-of-supervision/ 56 Dictionary.com: causing or likely to cause criminal behavior 57 https://csgjusticecenter.org/three-core-elements-of-programs-that-reduce-recidivism-who-what-and-how- well/#:~:text=Programs%20that%20are%20effective%20at,evaluate%20how%20closely%20the%20program 58 ibid 59 https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.nicic.gov/Library/019342.pdf FREE AT LAST 122 4. Skill Train with Directed Practice (use Cognitive Behavioral treatm ent methods) 5. Increase Positive Reinforcement 6. Engage Ongoing Support in Natural Communities 7. Measure Relevant Processes/Practices 8. Provide Measurement Feedback The client is assessed to determine their Stabilization Needs which include food, clothing, housing, medical, dental, and all other basic needs that help satisfy the client’s physiological needs and requirements. The Level of Service Case Management Inventory60 (LS/CMI) is the assessment tool used by the DPOs to identify the Stabilization Needs of the client. The LS/CMI has eight criminogenic areas: • Criminal history • Pro-criminal attitude/orientation • Antisocial patterns • Companions • Family/marital • Alcohol/drug • Education/employment • Leisure/recreation Once the DPO and client identify those areas in priority of need, a program is developed and followed. The client may involve family members and other people important to his/her progress. CHRYSALIS61 Helping people get back to work has been the focus of Chrysalis since 1984. Chrysalis is a nonprofit organization whose mission is creating a pathway to self-sufficiency for homeless and low-income individuals by providing the 60 https://nationalpublicsafetypartnership.org/clearinghouse/content/resourcedocuments/PSP_Comptonprobationcasestudy_FINAL.p df 61 The information provided in this section originates from interviews, tours, and review of literature regarding this program. FREE AT LAST 123 resources and support needed to find and retain employment.62 There are four Chrysalis centers located throughout Los Angeles and Orange Counties. The FREE AT LAST COMMITTEE visited Chrysalis, toured the facility, met with staff and management, and had brief interactions with clients. We observed: • An open-door policy for all who enter, with no restrictions • An active, positive, and welcoming environment • Staff were actively interviewing clients • Numerous clients in the process of meeting with staff to identify employment opportunities • A separate classroom was in session teaching interviewing and resume techniques • Knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff • Statistics reflecting successes in securing employment for clients, and those clients retaining said employment Chrysalis received a three-year, $10 million grant from the Department of Transportation63, which will enable New Roads to Second Chances64 to give formerly incarcerated individuals employment opportunities in street maintenance and cleaning. Since 2016, through a partnership among the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office, Caltrans, and Chrysalis, more than 1,200 people have utilized New Roads. Chrysalis provides resources to participants, including but not limited to:65 • Job search and readiness classes • Practice interviews • Resume writing assistance • One-on-one support during the job search • Transitional job opportunities • Job leads and application assistance • How to address convictions with employers • Scholarships for certifications and job training • Ongoing support after securing employment • Access to computers • Providing professional attire 62 changelives.org/ 63 https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/la-job-program-for-formerly-incarcerated-people-gets-10-million-from- state/2293274/ 64 https://www.lamayor.org/%E2%80%98new-roads-second-chances%E2%80%99-connects-hundreds-formerly-incarcerated- angelenos-employment 65 https://www.changelives.org/about-us/our-services/ FREE AT LAST 124 DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES66 DHS initiated the Transitions of Care program67 and other services which are provided to pre- and post- release inmates at the County jails and women’s facility. The former Jail Linkage Program68 operated by DMH was transferred to DHS. This included the linkage to community-based mental health treatment and other services for inmates. DMH currently provides about 25 percent mental health services to patients in jail. The services are provided by psychiatric social workers or medical care workers. TRANSITIONS OF CARE Transitions of Care program69 is providing services to 5,000 inmates at the county jail facilities. The referrals come from clinicians, mental health men’s and women’s programs, Court Linkage Program, the public defender, and social workers. An assessment of the inmate is completed by a clinician to determine the appropriate level of treatment needed in the community after release. DHS refers clients to Institutes for Mental Disease, Enriched Residential Services, and other DMH-contracted resources. DPH liaisons with public defenders and courts to find placements for clients conditionally released to treatment in the community. They also link AB 109 probationers to treatment in the community, based on the level of treatment needed. Also, these services are offered to individuals suffering from substance abuse. WHOLE PERSON CARE L.A. REENTRY PROGRAM70 (WPC-LA) It is the goal of DHS to enroll 1,000 inmates in the WPC-LA program each month. Medical case workers assigned to the jails provide assessment and reentry planning for inmates. The criteria for enrollment in the program are that one must be a County resident and enrolled in Medi-Cal. In addition, an inmate/probationer must meet at least two of the following: • In-jail mental health housing at any time during their incarceration • In-jail Medical Outpatient/Specialty Housing • In-jail treatment program • In-jail Correctional Treatment Center • In-jail Americans with Disabilities Act housing 66 The information provided in this section originates from interviews, tours, and review of literature regarding this program. 67http://dhs.lacounty.gov/wps/portal/dhs/!ut/p/b1/hc3LCsIwFATQL5I7tblNXKaFtCo0ovXRbEoWUgJ9bMTvV8GNAensBs4w5 KhdKc5SJVNFN3KTf4beP8I8-eHTXdYZAKXNT2vFtYG- QO5NomELfoM2Ajk0BFtViaRgLO2v5H4JWGTQu3PTlEcFyzIG8QUvAXwB_kSD6moe7zS6YbMNh_4FBf2EXw!!/dl4/d5/L2 dJQSEvUUt3QS80SmtFL1o2X0YwMDBHT0JTMjBNTDMwQVJUQkVHSVAwS1Ix/ 68 http://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dmh/1012511_FSP-Authorization-from-Jail-Diversion7-13-15.pdf 69 Figures provided by DPH during interview November 2020 70 The information provided in this section originates from interviews, tours, and review of literature regarding this program. FREE AT LAST 125 • One or more emergency room visits in six months prior to incarceration • One or more inpatient hospitalizations in 12 months prior to incarceration • One or more urgent care visits during incarceration • Incarceration two or more times in the last year • Chronic physical health condition • Serious mental illness • Substance abuse disorder • At risk homelessness • Pregnant or gave birth within the last six months Medi-Cal enrollment and special arrangements with DPSS allow an application to be submitted for WPC-LA enrollees. If needed, a 30-day supply of essential medication(s) is provided at release. For review of the Care Reentry plan and to activate assistance with shelter, transportation and appointments, a Release Desk is located in the Inmate Reception Center. WOMEN’S INTEGRATED SERVICES PROGRAM71 (WISP) The Women’s Integrated Services Program (WISP), which began in December of 2016, is a collaboration of the Sheriff, Probation and DHS to address specific needs of females pending release from custody. Females may be facing homelessness, or have mental, physical health, or substance abuse issues. DPOs are assigned and located within the Lynwood Justice Center (Century Regional Detention Facility) and work with DHS case managers to identify reentry needs and to provide basic instructions or re-instructions on the expectations of community supervision. Services are offered to the reentry population who are already sentenced and also to pretrial defendants who have pending criminal felony cases. The program offers clients the opportunity to actively participate in their treatment and to remain out of custody and to maintain their housing. When we visited the facility we observed inmates of all ages, nationalities, and ethnicities and women who were pregnant Referrals are generated by the Sheriff Community Transitions Unit and prioritizes females who are: • Pregnant • Identified as complex cases by Probation • Being adjudicated in the Early Disposition Court72 (Department 50) The following statistical data was provided by Probation in December 2019: 71 The information provided in this section originates from interviews, tours, and review of literature regarding this program. 72 https://probation.lacounty.gov/early-disposition-program/ FREE AT LAST 126 OFFICE OF DIVERSION AND REENTRY73 (ODR)74 The mission of the ODR is to implement a criminal justice diversion program for individuals with mental health and/or substance abuse disorders. The aim of the ODR is to reduce the number of people with health and/or substance use disorders in jail through diversion efforts. This service is offered to jail inmates with complex clinical needs, those who can be diverted pre-arrest and those who are homeless. The Los Angeles Times75 reported more than 60 percent of inmates with a mental illness would be eligible for diversion if there were more facilities available and capable of providing supportive care. According to the source quoted in the article, if more facilities were available, the County would save hundreds of dollars a day in incarceration costs for each inmate. The article supports the definition of recidivism as the cycle of being arrested, released and re-arrested. The care the individual receives through ODR could end that cycle. Thousands of inmates could be taken out of the criminal justice system. 73 dhs.lacounty.gov/wps/portal/dhs/diversionandreentry 74 The information provided in this section originates from interviews, tours, and review of literature regarding this program. 75 http://dhs.lacounty.gov/wps/portal/dhs/diversionandreentry#:~:text=Office%20of%20Diversion%20and%20Reentry,- The%20Office%20of&text=Its%20mission%20is%20to%20develop,involvement%20with%20the%20justice%20system FREE AT LAST 127 In a study completed on January 13, 2020, the nonprofit research agency Rand Corporation76 estimates that since the ODR was created four years ago, more than 4,000 inmates convicted of felonies or ruled mentally incompetent to stand trial have been diverted. The cost per day for housing is about $70 compared to $600 for incarceration. The study sampled 5,544 inmates with a mental illness, to determine whether they qualified for diversion, and met the medical standard. Researchers found 68 percent would be eligible, and an additional 7.5 percent would be eligible with further assessment. The ODR program offers: • Permanent supportive housing for felony defendants • Stand trial community-based restoration for those who committed misdemeanors • Stand trial community-based restoration for felons who are mentally incompetent • Maternal diversion • Pre-booking law enforcement assisted diversion • Sobering centers • Intensive case management and linkage to health, employment, and other community-based supportive services. This service includes stabilization needs, enrollment in social services, and collaboration with County agencies • Rapid re-housing through Breaking Barriers,77 a 24-month housing program for felons who are experiencing homelessness • Innovative Employment Solutions (INVEST) is a program providing employment opportunities and earnings. Referrals are made through Probation and the numerous CBOs • College and Career bridged partners with post-secondary institutions to those who wish to continue their education • Community Reentry Center offers a number of comprehensive supportive services by community partners The Committee went to Department 40 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center at 210 West Temple in Los Angeles, to observe courtroom proceedings of the Office of Diversion and Reentry (ODR). This is a countywide criminal justice diversion program for persons with mental and/or substance abuse disorders, and provides reentry support services to vulnerable populations. ODR’s goal is “…reducing recidivism and improving the health outcomes of justice involved populations who have the most serious underlying health needs.”78 76 https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR4328.html 77 https://www.changelives.org/newsroom/chrysalis-enterprises/breakingbarriershouses100/ 78 https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR4328.html FREE AT LAST 128 During a break in the proceedings, the Committee was invited to participate in a question-and-answer session. The Committee learned the following: • ODR does not work directly with the AB 109 community • It is hoped that beginning in 2020, ODR housing program will be available to all eligible defendants throughout the County • ODR also addresses maternal health needs • The DMH and ODR work together, initiating a pre-trial clinical/legal intervention • California Penal Code 1001.3679 allows some people with mental disorders to receive treatment when they are charged with a crime. If the defendant successfully completes the treatment, the criminal charges will be dismissed. • ODR uses the word “re-arrest” in place of “recidivism” RECOMMENDATIONS 6.1 The ROC should be replicated in the remaining Four Supervisorial Districts of the County of Los Angeles 6.2 Provide information inside the lobby about rehabilitative classes and training through signage regarding the services provided at the ROC. 6.3 The County should include robust post-release educational opportunities and incentives to encourage those under supervision to continue with their education. 6.4 Ensure supportive services are provided to meet the needs of the participants, e.g. in areas of housing, transportation, clothing, employment, and education 6.5 INVEST has been funded for a two-year period, and we recommend that funding be continued beyond the successful completion of the initial pilot program 6.6 INVEST clients need additional access to community college training programs 6.7 In-depth training was requested by senior staff regarding the availability of job training and employment programs, and we concur that it should be provided 6.8 Provide Five Keys programs to inmates with an emphasis on continuing their education upon release 79 https://www.shouselaw.com/mental-health-diversion FREE AT LAST 129 COMMENDATIONS • The FREE AT LAST COMMITTEE commends the County departments and their staff for providing guidance and excellent information • The FREE AT LAST COMMITTEE extends a commendation to Chrysalis for their outstanding outreach program REQUIRED RESPONSES Responses are required from: Recommendations Responding Agency 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 6.7, 6.8 Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 6.7, 6.8 Los Angeles County Probation Department 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 6.7, 6.8 Los Angeles County Chief Executive Officer FREE AT LAST 130 ACRONYMS ACRONYMNS DEFINITION AB 109 California Legislative Assembly Bill 109 AJOC Los Angeles County America’s Job Center of California BOS Los Angeles Board of Supervisors BSCC Board of State & Community Corrections CBO Community Based Organization CCJCC Countywide Criminal Justice Coordination Committee CHW Community Health Worker CORE Coordinated Optimal Rehabilitative Efforts COUNTY Los Angeles County DHS Los Angeles County Department of Health Services DMH Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health DPO Deputy Probation Officer DOORS Developing Opportunity and Offering Reentry Solutions DPSS Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services EBP Evidence-Based Practice GED General Education Development HWLA Healthy Way Los Angeles INVEST Innovative Employment Service Training LS/CMI Level of Service Case Management Inventory MH Mental Health MHSA Mental Health Service Act ODR Office of Diversion and Reentry OWDS Offender Workforce Development Specialists PC Penal Code PRC Post-Release Center PRCS Post-Release Community Supervision PSP Post-Release Supervised Person ROC Reentry and Opportunity Center SB Senate Bill WISP Women’s Integrated Services Program COMITTEE MEMBERS Carolyn Cobb, Chair Mike Padilla John Palos Jenalea Smith Larry Sullivan LeRoy Titus Judith Whitman FREE AT LAST 131 APPENDIX Chart No. Summary of Probationers Rearrested Post Release (Information Provided By The Probation Department) A1 reflects the total number of those in local custody under Penal Code (PC) 1170(h)(1)80, which allows judges to suspend a prison sentence or split a prison sentence for defendants convicted of certain felonies. The chart reflects defendants sentenced to the county jail for the reporting year as a new commitment. It includes both straight (served time, no mandatory supervision following release) and split (serves a portion of the term in jail, released to mandatory supervision including work release, or house arrest upon release) sentences. It does not include offenders who are state parolees.81 A2 is the total number of PC1170(h)82 offenders who were placed into alternative programs such as electronic monitoring (GPS), and work furlough.83 A3 reflects the number of PC1170(h)84 offenders previously in alternative programs who have violated either probation, a condition of the program, or committed a new criminal offense.85 80 Codes.findlaw.com/ca/penal-code/pen-sect-1170.html 81 https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=1001.36.&lawCode=PEN 82 Cal Penal Code, Section 1170, subd. (h) 83 ibid 84 ibid 85 Ibid FREE AT LAST 132 Chart No. Summary of State Parolees Rearrested Post Release (Information Provided By The Sheriff’s Department) * U= data unavailable B1 reflects the total number of PRCS offenders booked for the reporting year for a flash incarceration pursuant to PC 3454(c).86 Flash incarceration87 is a period of time of detention in jail for a violation of probation. The County established a review process for assessing and refining the program policies of the post-release program and supervision.88 B2 is the number of PRCS offenders booked during the reporting year. This number does not include violators who have also been booked on a new offense. B3 is the number of offenders for the reporting year with a local charge. B4 is the number of PRCS offenders for the reporting year who received jail time as a result of a revocation89, and includes offenders who at the time of their hearing, received time served. 86 codes.findlaw.com/ca/penal-code/pen-sect-3454.html 87 ibid 88 Cal Penal Code, Section 3453, subd. (c) 89 https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/probation-revocation.html FREE AT LAST 133 Chart No. Number of State Parolees Released to County Probation (Information Provided By The Probation Department) * U= data unavailable C1 is the number of persons who violated parole. C2 indicates the number of parole violators receiving jail time as a result of a revocation hearing. C3 is the number of parole violators booked with a new charge. C4 indicates the number of parole violators who received a local sentence and indicates local law enforcement authority. FREE AT LAST 134 HASHTAG: OUR KIDS MATTER 2019-2020 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury RETTAM SDIK RUO :GATHSAH HASHTAG: OUR KIDS MATTER EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The County of Los Angeles Probation Department (Probation) supervises/operates three juvenile halls and nine juvenile camps.1 When the Committee began its investigation three juvenile halls were in operation. During the interim Los Padrinos was closed. Approximately 700 juveniles are assigned to the halls and 340 youth assigned to the camps. The halls and camps are for children/juveniles ranging from as young as 10 years old to age 25. The juvenile defendants are held in custody at the halls, awaiting court action or transfer to another facility. The length of stay averages 22 days. The juvenile halls are: Barry J. Nidorf, Central Juvenile Hall, and Los Padrinos (closed in 2019). The juvenile camps are Afflerbaugh, Camp Vernon Kilpatrick (currently located at Camp Challenger), Camp Joseph Paige, Camp Glenn Rockey, Camp Joseph Scott, Camp Ronald McNair, Camp Francis Scobee, Camp Ellison Onizuka, and Dorothy Kirby Center. The camps hold the juvenile defendant from five to nine months depending on the order of the court. A director and sworn staff are assigned at each facility. The number of sworn staff depends on the ratio of officers to juveniles. Ancillary staff include clerical and food service personnel. Probation reports to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. The Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) is responsible for the specialized instruction and educational services provided each day at the halls and camps for the assigned juveniles.2 LACOE is responsible for preparing the juveniles for a successful transition back into the community with educational skills they need in order to succeed in school and life. Each hall and camp has a principal, assistant principal and teachers assigned to provide the juveniles with a curriculum to fulfill their educational needs with emphasis on attaining a high school diploma. Department of Mental Health (DMH) clinicians and specialists are assigned to each hall and camp to access, provide and implement mental health services according to the needs of each juvenile.3 Services are provided on site for severe mental illnesses, developmental disabilities, serious emotional disturbances, substance-abuse treatment, medication support, gender-specific treatment, and aftercare planning. Staff is located at each facility and on call as needed. 1 https://probation.lacounty.gov/locations/ 2 https://www.lacoe.edu/LACOE-Schools/Juvenile-Courts-Schools 3 https:dmh.lacounty.gov/our-service/transition-age-youth/probation-camp/ HASHTAG: OUR KIDS MATTER 135 Representatives from Probation, LACOE and DMH participate on the Multidisciplinary Team for each juvenile, including their parents, advocates and guardians. During this session, a plan is formulated to address the probation, education and mental health of the juvenile and how each juvenile will be helped during hall/camp placement and transition back into the community. Hashtag: Our Kids Matter (Committee) of the 2019-2020 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury (Jury) discovered that, although the halls and camps are under Probation, each facility is operated differently. However, the overall conclusion of the challenges and problems are the same: • Staff shortages • Assault of staff • No consequences for bad behavior of juveniles • Dorm-style living quarters • No collaboration among Probation, LACOE and Mental Health staff BACKGROUND The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (BOS) established the Probation Reform and Implementation Team4 (PRIT) on May 1, 2018. The team was charged with transforming the Probation Commission into a Probation Oversight Commission5 and coordinating recommendations for systemic reform within Probation. PRIT was composed of Board appointees and other stakeholders. The Commission was to report back in 60 days with “recommendations required to create an independent entity... focused on Probation Department reform and public accountability as well as coordination of existing recommendations and efforts produced to date.”6 The report, “Summary of the Los Angeles County Department Systemic Reform plan from the Probation Reform and Implementation Team” 7 was submitted on August 9, 2019. The report included these challenge areas:8 The most egregious problems include poor facility conditions, inadequacy of staffing and training, and lack of sufficient structured time and meaningful activities for youth, excessive use of force, sexual and physical abuse of minors, unavailability of meaningful grievance processes, need of greater partnerships with community–based organizations, absence of validated assessment tools and inadequate data gathering of obstacles to rehabilitation while in the juvenile justice system. 4 http://prit.lacounty.gov/#:~text=WELCOME%20TO%20THE%20PROBATION%20REFORM%20AND%20IMPREMENTATI ON%20TEAM&text=The%20team%20is%20charged%20with,Department%20into%20a%comprehensive%20plan 5 ibid 6 ibid 7 http://prit.lacounty.gov/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=BmWgSiQvaVQ%3d&portalid=37 (accessed 6/16/20) 8 ibid HASHTAG: OUR KIDS MATTER 136 The report outlined the following: • The juvenile halls are run down and in some cases beyond repair9 • The halls and camps are organized in a prison-like barrack style that is not consistent with best practice10 • Youth speak of punitive environments characterized by prison-like conditions11 • Staff reports low morale12 • Location of juvenile facilities present challenges for family engagement and visitations13 • Improper use of pepper spray14 • Lack of community-based services15 • Bureaucratic and administrative inefficiencies16 • Lack of strategic uses of data and information technologies17 • A negative organizational culture, a pervading “us vs them” mindset18 The following recommendations and summary highlight the pressing issues identified:19 • Culture change: Probation must engage in a major, intentional, organization- wide culture change initiative20 • Reduce and eliminate juvenile facilities21 • Expand and improve community services22 • Implement and expand accountability mechanisms23 • Implement organizational data-driven decision-making and performance management process24 The Commission concluded that the community and the PRIT were not just asking Probation to do business differently, or to move programs around, but to adopt solutions to support youth, adults, families who come in contact with the Los Angeles County justice system. 9 ibid ( ) 10 ibid ( ) 11 ibid 12 ibid 13 ibid ( ) 14 ibid 15 ibid 16 ibid ( ) 17 ibid ( ) 18 ibid ( ) 19 ibid ( ) 20 ibid ( ) 21 ibid ( ) 22 ibid ( ) 23 ibid ( ) 24 ibid ( ) HASHTAG: OUR KIDS MATTER 137 The Los Angeles County Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued “Report Back On Ensuring Safety and Humane Treatment in the County’s Juvenile Justice Facilities”25 and was presented to the BOS on February 5, 2019. The BOS had instructed the OIG to investigate safety concerns in the Probation juvenile halls and camps. The focus included use-of-force incidents involving oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray (also known as pepper spray). The OIG also investigated staffing allocations, data collection and analysis, and internal investigations. The OIG interviewed management, line staff and juveniles residing at various juvenile camps and halls. They compiled and reviewed data collected from these entities. Both the juveniles and staff expressed continuing safety concerns. The staff expressed concerns regarding the elimination of the OC spray, staffing shortages and perceived deficiencies in Probation’s policies, practices and training. The juveniles expressed concerns about staff conduct, inconsistent access to programs, group punishment, and isolation of juveniles due to language barriers. Several limited English proficiency juveniles shared stories of force as a result of their inability to communicate with staff, unfair and/or inappropriate treatment, because they simply did not understand the orders given in English. Juveniles also reported the staff has relied on other juveniles to act as interpreters in the living quarters and during confidential interviews with mental health professionals.26 The OIG directed their attention to the anticipated elimination of OC spray. Some of the staff disagreed with the recommendation of eliminating the spray, because the department had not developed or trained the staff in the modification of discipline.27 The juveniles reported to Committee members that delays in receiving decontamination treatments and inappropriate efforts to decontaminate following the application of OC spray.28 A common concern of staff was the inability to react effectively to larger disturbances involving multiple juveniles. Probation staff stressed the need for more tailored training opportunities to prepare them to perform their jobs without OC spray. Staff believes that the use of OC spray acts as a deterrent.29 An alternative would be the use of a device now being tested in Los Angeles Police Department training facilities: the BolaWrap 100.30 This would be a less harmful method to control and restrain the juveniles involved in an altercation.31 Staff reported feeling overworked and exhausted. It was suggested that staffing shortages were contributing to anxiety and uncertainty while performing their job duties. Staff are faced with difficult choices: whether to intervene at the risk of their own personal safety or wait for staff support that may be delayed, putting the juveniles 25 https://oig.lacounty.gov/Portals/OIG/Reports/Probation_Report 1.pdf?ver=2019-02-05-081601-153 26 https://oig.lacounty.gov/Portals/OIG/Reports/Report_Back_Probation_9_20.pdf?ver=2019-09-27-092054-743 (pages 3-5) 27 https://oig.lacounty.gov/Portals/OIG/Reports/Report_Back_Probation_9_20.pdf?ver=2019-09-27-092054-743 (pages 6-8) 28 Per Committee interview with juveniles at Eastlake Juvenile Hall on 1/22/20 29 https://oig.lacounty.gov/Portals/OIG/Reports/Report_Back_Probation_9_20.pdf?ver=2019-09-27-092054-743 (pages 6-8) 30 wraptechnologies.com 31 https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-12-09/lapd-chief-michel-moore-restraint-device-bolawrap (accessed 6/17/20) HASHTAG: OUR KIDS MATTER 138 at risk. These problems are intensified by unclear policies and insufficient training and guidance in such situations.32 As for the juveniles, they reported not being able to participate in other programs, outdoor recreation, and day-room activities for significant stretches of time, spanning from days to weeks due to the lack of staff.33 Conversations with probation management acknowledged staffing issues; however, the data reviewed by OIG suggests recent facility closures and staff reassignments have not eliminated staffing pressures within Probation facilities. Probation saw a significant drop in total juvenile population from 2012 to 2019. Although the number of staff responsible for direct supervision remained fairly constant, the data reviewed by OIG pointed to increased long-term leave and short-term absences, which negatively impacts Probation’s ability to meet the staffing needs at the facilities.34 Because of low morale and exhaustion among the Deputy Probation Officers (DPOs), some youth reported a perception that staff were:35 • Unprofessional, disrespectful and callous • Imposing arbitrary discipline • Inciting disturbances among the youth • Displaying favoritism along racial lines • Inappropriately taunting and teasing based upon race, religion, ethnicity, medical/mental condition, and expressions of political beliefs • Name calling and use of profanity • The sharing of confidential personal and health information with other juveniles • Failing to intervene when juveniles are fighting Juveniles have access to several programs, depending on the facility. Some of the programs offered are: academics, tutoring, arts and crafts, music, continuing education including college courses, work programs, dancing, and yoga. Limited programming results in juveniles spending hours a day bored and locked in their rooms, which often causes tension and disagreements.36 Juveniles may file grievances. However, the majority of those interviewed continue to be critical of the system especially if the grievance involves staff misconduct. They expressed a lack of confidence in the system, describing the system as unresponsive, untrustworthy, and, therefore, ineffectively run. Multiple juveniles have alleged sexual misconduct and complained to the Probation staff. In one instance, Probation allowed the staff member to continue interacting with the female juveniles who had 32 https://oig.lacounty.gov/Portals/OIG/Reports/Probation_Report 1.pdf?ver=2019-02-05-081601-153 ( ) 33 ibid ( ) 34 Per Committee interview with Probation Staff at Eastlake Juvenile Hall on 1/22/20 35 https://oig.lacounty.gov/Portals/OIG/Reports/Report_Back_Probation_9_20.pdf?ver=2019-09-27-092054-743 ( ) 36 ibid ( ) HASHTAG: OUR KIDS MATTER 139 complained. Probation is currently reviewing the allegations and conducting an investigation.37 An essential part of the juvenile justice system is the Mental Health programs. DMH services are available at the halls and camps. Extensive screening, interviews, assessments and mental health program plans are completed on each juvenile. Some juveniles reported dissatisfaction with their therapists and how difficult it was to be reassigned. There also appears to be a disconnect between DMH and Probation regarding what constitutes a mental health crisis and behavioral issues requiring discipline.38 On May 21, 2019, DPOs who work in the juvenile halls and youth camps, along with union representatives, spoke to the BOS to deliver a single message.39 The message they delivered was a report entitled, “Enough is Enough, it is past time for you to keep us safe at Work.”40 They voiced concerns that both the staff and juveniles were getting hurt, staff was exhausted because of double shifts and low morale, and juveniles were deprived of the programs they needed. Individuals spoke of the juveniles and staff being traumatized inside a crisis state. They reported that property damage at some of the facilities included shattered windows, doors kicked in, computers and phones destroyed, ceiling and wall tiles punched inward or torn out of their frames, bathrooms completely flooded, and rivaling gang graffiti scrawled on the walls.41 The report made a point of emphasizing the need for officer safety, along with the safety and wellbeing of the juveniles.42 Staff expressed that their needs were misunderstood, mostly by the County’s youth advocates, the Probation Commission, and PRIT. However, it also helped that the author of the article reported the adversarial us-vs-them mentality had mostly vanished.43 The focus of the staff’s displeasure was directed primarily at Probation leadership for an incident on April 22, 2019 that occurred at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar, and that Probation leadership did not respond to the incident until two days later. Probation administration had been advised on October 8, 2018 that the conditions at the hall were extremely unsafe both for juveniles and staff and that the conditions had worsened. The three-page single-spaced report further described the out of control and drastically understaffed situation, including 19 pages of disturbing photographs.44 37 ibid ( ) 38 ibid 39 https://witnessla.com/enough-is-enough-la-countys-probation-staff-say-youth-camps-halls-are-no-longer-safe-plead-with- supes-to-take-immediate-action/ 40 ibid 41 ibid 42 ibid 43 ibid 44 ibid HASHTAG: OUR KIDS MATTER 140 With the closing of Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall, 77 juveniles had been transferred but additional staff had not been assigned to Barry J. Nidorf. Extreme staff shortages were reported, as about 85 staff members were out on injured-on-duty status. Fear and confusion about when to apply use-of-force permeated among the staff. The staff reported the conditions also affected LACOE and DMH staff assigned to the facility and conditions of the same nature existed at the other facilities.45 In conclusion, the employees requested the BOS to take immediate action.46 METHODOLOGY The Committee used the following methods to identify current problems and best practices within juvenile facilities: • Using the information from this Jury’s Detention Committee reports on visitations to Probation’s juvenile facilities, this Committee made appointments to interview juvenile hall key staff along with Camp DPOs and representatives from DMH and LACOE. • Prior to each interview, questions were formulated but were not made available to interviewees prior to the interview, at which time more questions were asked regarding policies and procedures. These sessions ranged from one to three hours, and, after, the Committee was given a tour of the facility, including specific areas within the sites that the Committee requested to see. • Committee members were introduced to randomly selected juveniles, staff members, and educators, who answered questions about the facility and themselves. RESULTS OF INVESTIGATION The Committee requested staffing statistics showing the number of staff who were off work due to injuries and on-the-job stress, but at the time of this report the Committee had not been provided the asked-for information. Staff reported they were compelled to work double shifts due to absenteeism of their fellow coworkers. The following data on youth population was provided by Probation in response to our inquiry, relative to the number of youth assigned as of February 4, 2020 to juvenile halls and camps:47 45 ibid 46 ibid 47 information provided by Probation Department in a letter dated March 3, 2020 HASHTAG: OUR KIDS MATTER 141 DETAINED YOUTH AVERAGE DAILY YOUTH POPULATION FISCAL YEAR JUVENILE HALLS CAMPS 2016-17 670 509 2017-18 666 412 2018-19 572 303 2019-20* 590 306 *through December 2019 CAMP YOUTH RELEASED AND SUBSEQUENTLY RETURNED TO CUSTODY48 CALENDAR YEAR RELEASED RETURNED PERCENT 2017 781 149 19% 2018 652 71 11% REFERRAL TO HOPE CENTERS49 FISCAL YEAR JUVENILE HALLS CAMPS 2016-17 1,486 2,510 2017-18 1,361 3,086 2018-19 2,594 1,609 2019-20* 880 696 *through December 2019 ONE-ON-ONE SUPERVISION DUE TO SELF-HARMING BEHAVIORS AVERAGE DAILY FISCAL YEAR JUVENILE HALLS CAMPS 2016-17 17 24 2017-18 19 32 2018-19 13 11 2019-20* 13 3 *through December 2019 Central (Eastlake) Juvenile Hall located at 1605 Eastlake Avenue, Los Angeles is an institutional facility for medium to low-security-risk juvenile residents. Eastlake holds the juveniles temporarily who are awaiting determination of their court case and/or the transition to a camp, foster care, group home or release to their family.50 48 reflects youth who received a new sustained petition with one to twenty-four months after release. Data does not include adult criminal filings 49 https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/justice/juvenile-justice-2/la-probation-leaders-battle-solitary-confinement-minors/32621 50 https://probation.lacounty.gov/juvenile-hall/ HASHTAG: OUR KIDS MATTER 142 An Admissions Intake Officer makes an assessment to determine if the juvenile is to be retained or released on house arrest or citation. An extensive assessment and interview is conducted on each juvenile for any potential medical, physical, or psychological issues that many need to be addressed during their stay. A medical and mental examination is conducted, and then the juvenile is given an orientation to the facility.51 The population at Eastlake increased dramatically with the closure of Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in 2019. During our visit, there were several DPOs out on medical leave due to personal injury. The Committee discussed the problems the staff had encountered in the previous six months among the juveniles, which included mental health issues, physical chemical imbalances, drug abuse, and occurrences of multiple behavioral problems. Staff expressed concerns that juveniles lacked cognitive- behavioral skills and decision-making skills due to a lack of home/parental training, and the staff not having adequate training in controlling fights. The staff repeatedly emphasized to the Committee that the juveniles do not face consequences for their behavior, and that the juveniles are aware that staff control is limited. LACOE is responsible for academic education conducted at the hall. During our interview with LACOE staff we were informed that (1) teachers have been assaulted, one of whom sustained bodily injury, requiring sutures and follow-up care; (2) staff reported that they lack pertinent information regarding the students’ behavioral issues or learning disabilities. They also requested that a DPO be present in each classroom rather that patrolling outside the classroom in the hallway. The Committee visited Camp Afflerbaugh located at 6631 Stephen Ranch Road in La Verne, whose juveniles range from 14 to18 years old. However, the Committee was informed that the camp has had 19-year-olds placed there as well. The camp is a medium security detention facility. Each juvenile undergoes an intensive and individualized Residential Treatment and Camp Service52 process, including mental and medical assessment. The staff shared with the Committee that positive results have been realized utilizing Dialectical Behavioral Treatment,53 which is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy.54 This therapy tries to identify and then adjust negative thinking patterns, and pushes for positive changes, particularly when encountering self-destructive behaviors. Probation informed the Committee of the STOP skills (stop, think, observe, and proceed) technique, during our tour. It is worth noting, the staff knew each young person’s name and would call out to them as we toured the camp. The Committee was introduced to several young men who shared their experience while at camp. In addition to class time, some youth attend focus groups, which they have individually designed and lead themselves with 51 https://probation.lacounty.gov/juvenile-hall/ 52 ibid 53 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/dialectical-behavior-therapy 54 https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cognitive-behavioral-therapy/about/pac-20384610 HASHTAG: OUR KIDS MATTER 143 minimal staff presence. In several friendly, open conversations with this Committee, the young men discussed their future plans after release. The Committee observed showers and toilets located off to the side of the dormitory area. The staff explained that the juveniles do the cleaning. The Committee noticed that the shower stalls, the toilets, and the floors needed a thorough cleaning. This situation presents a quandary: the juveniles should do the cleaning up; however, they are not allowed to use any harsh substances to clean. Camp Paige, located at 6601 North Stephen Ranch Road, also in La Verne, is a medium security facility for juveniles aged 15 to 19 years. Juveniles at Camp Paige are sentenced for periods of over a year for serious crimes. Camp Paige shares common grounds with Camp Afflerbaugh. The staff at Paige allow juveniles to exercise a self-imposed time-out as often as necessary, with staff and DMH joining the juvenile and engaging in therapeutic conversations and/or sessions. The Committee was informed that certain juveniles who displayed exceptional behavior upon their release had the opportunity to be hired by United Postal Service (UPS) at $15 per hour. We were also informed that 16 juveniles had earned their high school diplomas.55 During our tour at Camp Rockey which is located at 1900 Sycamore Canyon Road in San Dimas, we learned that the camp provides separate group housing for over 48 juveniles, both male and female, ages 10 to 21. The LACOE staff, located at Camp Rockey, told us they provide continuing education classes which can lead to a GED. This Committee observed a well-run cafeteria where juveniles in good standing were offered opportunities to work in the camp kitchen. The camp provides recreational areas for soccer, flag football, basketball, and swimming in an outdoor pool. Within the basketball gym there is a stage which juveniles use for musical events. The grounds are groomed and maintained by the juveniles, instilling a sense of pride in the facility. The staff pointed out that a drain that had a cracked and presented a hazardous situation. We were informed that a requisition had been submitted for repairs. The Hope Center, located at Camp Rockey, is used by Camp Paige and also Camp Afflerbaugh for juveniles in need of discipline.56 Campus Kilpatrick, is temporarily relocated at Camp Challenger in Lancaster as a result of the 2018 Woolsey fire in Malibu.57 The Malibu campus was to become the “LA Model” for Probation, costing $53 million to build.58 The staff informed us they will return to the Malibu campus upon completion of repairs.59 55 Per Committee interviews with Probation Staff at Camps Paige & Afflerbaugh on 2/18/20 & 2/26/20 56 Per Committee interviews with Probation Staff at Camp Rockey on 2/26/20 57 https://probation.lacounty.gov/relocation-of-campus-kilpatrick-due-to-woolsey-fire/ 58 https://www.dailynews.com/2018/09/23/malibus-camp-kilpatrick-was-supposed-to-be-the-face-of-reform-for-l-a-countys- probation-department-but-watchdogs-are-sounding-alarm/ 59 Per Committee interviews with Probation Staff at Camp Challenger on 2/25/20 HASHTAG: OUR KIDS MATTER 144 According to an article published in the Daily News on September 23, 2018,60 the Campus program of reform is succumbing to “old model practices and becoming a de facto mental health facility.” The article reports understaffing, among other concerns, and lack of therapeutic and recreational programs. The “LA Model” required small group sessions. Each group was to be assigned a consistent team of DPOs and mental health clinicians in order to create an atmosphere of trust between staff and the juveniles.61 Probation has attempted to maintain the concept of the “LA Model” at Challenger. But Challenger’s space is not conducive to the small-group concept. The staff reported to the Committee 20 incidents of direct assault upon them. Juveniles who become hostile and act out are sent to the Hope Center for time out ranging from two to four hours in isolation at Camp Rockey. The Hope Center replaced the Segregated Housing Unit which in the past housed those juveniles who required disciplinary action. The Hope Center has also become the housing unit for those juveniles who want to remain isolated from the general population. Their self-imposition requires supervision of a single DPO for the entire time the juvenile remains inside the Hope Center. This Committee observed those placed in the Hope Center, for disciplinary action, were not in conversation with their DPOs. This Committee recommends the use of a posted activity agenda for the day, including doing their homework, reading, and receiving counseling.62 Some Campus Kilpatrick juveniles refuse to do school work. Sometimes classes are attended by less than five students. Vocational classes were discontinued years ago due to lack of funding. The Committee spoke to LACOE staff who conveyed a lack of interest among many students.63 Juveniles are kept separated in their dorms with little to no contact with other juveniles. Contact sports are not allowed due to the fear of possible fights breaking out. So juveniles have little else to do except sleep, read, and talk to dorm mates.64 At the time the Committee’s visit to the Mind Center (the same as the Hope Center) it had about five juveniles who were there for disciplinary reasons, or juveniles who wanted to be there for their own safety. The Mind Center has sleeping rooms that are locked at night and checked every 15 minutes.65 There continues to be an on-going drug problem. The drugs may be smuggled in by staff, relatives and friends. 66 60 https://www.dailynews.com/2018/09/23/malibus-camp-kilpatrick-was-supposed-to-be-the-face-of-reform-for-l-a-countys- probation-department-but-watchdogs-are-sounding-alarm/ (accessed on 6/16/20) 61 ibid 62 Per Committee interviews with Probation Staff at Camp Challenger on 2/25/20 63 ibid 64 ibid 65 ibid 66 ibid HASHTAG: OUR KIDS MATTER 145 Dorothy Kirby Center (DKC) is located at 1500 South McDonnell Avenue in Los Angeles. There are six cottages for boys and four cottages for girls. Each cottage has laundry facilities, a limited television area, and a library. The Committee learned that the air-exchange system was malfunctioning throughout the entire building. We were told that the reception area would be at a higher or lower temperature than the living quarters. We were also informed by order of the health department that stoves in the cottages had to be removed, preventing juveniles from preparing snacks for themselves.67 The staff informed the Committee they patterned their program after the LA Model concept and endeavor to embody a culture of care rather than a culture of control. DKC is a modified alternative to juvenile camp. Juveniles assigned to DKC may be referred by an attorney, the court, or a DPO. DKC is a co-educational facility that offers a wide range of care for each juvenile. It promotes co-ed interaction through Kirby Relationships, which sponsors many events including a high school graduation, a prom, off-site events and regular socializing activities. At the time of our visit the Committee was told that there were 62 juveniles in the facility, which has a capacity of 92.68 The staff at DKC includes a Director, Assistant Director, Supervising Probation Officer of the DKC Aftercare Unit, Intake Coordinator, full-time psychiatrist and counselors for a total of 172 staff members. DKC has a more comprehensive staff than other juvenile institutions. DKC offers extensive services such as parent advocacy, family sessions on weekends, parenting classes, and dialectic behavior classes. A Multi-Disciplinary Team meets with each juvenile to develop a plan for his or her education and mental health needs. In addition, within two weeks of their arrival, an aftercare plan unit meets with the juvenile and his or her family to discuss and plan for continued progress after release.69 UPS sponsors a program in which they will employ juveniles upon release from DKC. After five years, the juvenile is eligible for jobs paying as high as $80,000 to $100,000 a year. UPS also pays for tuition. Also, LA Trade Tech offers an automotive repair program on campus. Online courses are offered through Mission College. There is also job training through the Parks and Recreation Department.70 During a visit to the Probation Department at 8240 Broadway in Whittier, we were provided information about Court to College (C2C) a program that is available to adults ages 18 to 25. Upon hearing the information provided, the Committee believes this program would act as an incentive to all youth and should be considered for those who are about to turn 18 and age out of the system. The program should be expanded countywide to include all community colleges.71 67 Per Committee interviews with Probation Staff at Dorothy Kirby Center on 3/4/20 68 ibid 69 ibid 70 ibid 71 Per Committee interviews with Probation Staff in Whittier Office on 2/28/20 HASHTAG: OUR KIDS MATTER 146 Staff reported that this program was created and co-sponsored by Judge Peter Espinoza (retired) in the Norwalk Superior Court, with funding through a grant by the Department of Justice and Cerritos College. SB 67872 funding for the C2C program was allocated to the Office of Diversion and Reentry (ODR), which contracted with Cerritos College to implement it in conjunction with Norwalk Superior Court and Probation. This program takes accused adults (18 to 25 year-olds), who are designated to be low- risk and non-violent, and gives them a chance to go to college, instead of incarceration. Probation assigns the adult to the C2C program, which falls under the Alternate Treatment Caseload73 category. This is a voluntary program which the judge can offer to eligible candidates. Instead of jail, they are offered three years of probation, with many of the standard conditions of probation along with specific conditions to fulfill regarding their college program. The program tries to qualify the participant for student loans, but if they do not qualify, the program will provide the participant with tuition, books and transportation. The age range of participants is generally 18 to 25. According to statistics from January 2017 to November 2019,74 the program has had a total of 71 students; 22 students ordered by the court and three referred by DPOs, and other referral sources. Six have been re-arrested, and five of the six sustained new arrests, and one was sent to county jail for 180 days. Two have been terminated from the program but received their General Education Development (GED). Nineteen students have successfully completed their programs at Cerritos College. Two are currently attending California State University at Fullerton. According to Probation Department representatives with whom we met, regarding the expansion of C2C, the program is now being offered to probationers from other caseloads.