KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
The proposed relocation of juvenile offenders from the Los Angeles area to campsites in Santa Clarita has sparked much controversy from the City, with the County expected to make the official vote on whether to approve the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) Subcommittee’s plan on July 27.
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors delayed their project vote on July 13 when Santa Clarita City Council Members went before the board to reinvestigate alternative opportunities and propose potential relocation ideas for the project.
On Tuesday, July 27, the board is scheduled to revisit the project which, if approved, would result in the resolution to move “violent” youth offenders to Camp Joseph Scott or Camp Kenyon Scudder in Saugus, a location that was originally intended to host nonviolent youth offenders near residential properties.
During the meeting, the L.A. County Board Of Supervisors are expected to “develop a plan for proposed renovations at Camps Scott and Scudder that would make the camps safe and ready for use in accordance with the values of YJR and recommendations of the JJRBG Subcommittee.”
In addition, the substitution is expected to ask for more community participation in relation to the project, direct the chief probation officer, in collaboration with the Youth Justice Transition Advisory Group and the JJRBG Subcommittee to explore renovations to the camps, and suggest exploration of three other potential camps (Camps Munz, Mendenhall and Holton) in the County for use in the project.
“The county is committed to doing a better job in justice reform, focused on our youth,” said Stephanie English, a representative for Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger in a City Council meeting in June. “We are also committed to the rights of victims and adhering to the public safety policy as needed. These goals are not mutually exclusive.”
While committed to justice reform and justice for victims, Barger is opposed to the JJRBG subcommittee’s chosen locations in Saugus as “it is not the appropriate facility or the appropriate location.”
Barger offered a motion to go before the board on July 13, which resulted in the condition that appropriate renovations must be made at Camp Scott or Scudder within 90 days to ensure the camps are safe and ready to use.
See Related: County Recommends Placement Of Juvenile Offenders In Santa Clarita, Without Notifying City
“I share the concerns from the community regarding the rushed proposal to house Department of Juvenile Justice youth at Camps Scott and Scudder in the Santa Clarita Valley,” Barger said. “The State only provided the County with a very compressed timeline to develop a proposal to house and care for the youth they are diverting out of the California Department of Juvenile Justice. However, I believe that the recommendations and the proposal by the JJRBG subcommittee were not completed with the community input and engagement that is necessary for a program of this nature.”
In early June, the Los Angeles County Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) Subcommittee recommended a plan that would place juvenile offenders in Santa Clarita for the long-term without discussing the proposal with the City of Santa Clarita.
“This motion was added to the agenda without any communication with the City of Santa Clarita or our residents,” said representatives for the City of Santa Clarita. “This motion was made without any consultation with the City, and the Santa Clarita City Attorney’s Office is currently evaluating all legal options.”
Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Sheila Kuehl, representing L.A. County’s second and third districts respectively, have recommended accepting the DJJ subcommittee’s plan to transfer male juvenile delinquents to Camp Scott or Camp Scutter in Santa Clarita.
Neither Mitchell nor Kuehl represent the Santa Clarita area.
See Related: City Council Unanimously Votes Against Juvenile Offenders Coming To Santa Clarita
In a meeting on June 23, Santa Clarita City Council unanimously voted against the decision to reopen Camps Scott or Scutter, which are both out of function and located near residential areas.
“The lack of outreach, input and thought to the residents of Saugus and all of Santa Clarita when it comes to housing juveniles who commit serious crimes is extremely disappointing,” said Councilman Jason Gibbs. “Modifying a facility to house criminals that have been convicted of rape, arson and even murder, so close to residential homes is not only inappropriate, but a disservice to the safety and family-first environment people have come to enjoy and expect from Santa Clarita.”
The board is set to reevaluate motion at the next regular meeting, which is scheduled at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 27.
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This juvenile facility will be nothing more than a dumping ground for young gang bangers to be imported into Santa Clarita, most of whom are probably from Los Angeles. Because their parents came into the U.S. illegally to help their kids have a better life while they were
working there 2 x jobs, there lack of parenting is now the problem of the LA County taxpayers. Just remember folks, when Biden, Pelosi, and Newsom start talking about inequity just remember they created it. They enabled the open Southern Border and allowed all this poverty into the California all so they could have new Democrat voters.
Once again people listen up these are not youth these are 18 to 25-year-olds stop referring to them as a youth they were tried as a juvenile when they committed murder they are now adults please stop referring to them as youth that need to be rehabilitated they are adults they are violent adults. This is not what Camp Scott was built for this is not what you want in your neighborhood. The probation department is not equipped or trained to work with these adults.