West
LA county axes leadership in juvenile detention system over rampant violence, officer morale collapse
Authorities in Southern California have axed more than a dozen top officials after complaints of violence and injuries from rank-and-file officers in the county’s juvenile facilities.
Los Angeles County Probation Chief Guillermo Viera Rosa said that 14 top managers would be impacted and 13 chief deputy positions would be eliminated – “an entire layer of management” in the department, which has 6,600 employees.
The impacted individuals were offered positions in other county offices, authorities said.
Sources tell Fox News Digital the shakeup is connected to chaos within the county’s juvenile facilities. Officers have been complaining of increasing violence against themselves and between inmates at the jails for at least the past two years.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY HAS PUT 66 PROBATION OFFICERS ON LEAVE SINCE JAN 1 FOR MISCONDUCT, INCLUDING SEX ABUSE
The Coalition of Probation Unions staged a rally to demand L.A. County Board of Supervisors address safety on the job as probation officers were being assaulted at youth facilities. The rally was held at the Hall of Administration on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022, in Los Angeles, CA. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
“The entire justice system is a mess, and criminals have the upper hand,” said Neama Rahmani, a Los Angeles-based trial attorney and former federal prosecutor. “Probation officers aren’t coming to work, because the juveniles are so dangerous.”
The cuts came in expedited fashion after Viera Rosa’s office asked the county board of supervisors to eliminate funding for the jobs in its latest budget revision.
“A streamlined organization will not only allow us to enact internal reforms more effectively, but it will also align us better with the new County Departments of Youth Development, and Justice Care and Opportunities,” the probation chief said in a statement.
In an internal email to the department seen by Fox News Digital, Viera Rosa wrote that the cuts would “make us stronger and nimbler” without adding to the workload of sworn officers and other staff.
“It will make it easier to institute the reforms we need to guarantee the safety of employees and clients,” he wrote.
JEWISH LA PROSECUTORS BLOW WHISTLE ON ALLEGED ANTISEMITISM IN DA’S OFFICE
Aerial view of Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey, CA, on Thursday, June 29, 2023. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The cuts come as the department is facing a class action lawsuit from officers who accuse leadership of discriminating against officers with injuries, and the county as a whole struggles with crime.
The Los Angeles Times last week revealed that dozens of probation officers assigned to the Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall facility were calling out on a daily basis, due to the unchecked inmate violence.
Last year, overcrowding at the facility forced police to wait with suspects in their squad cars in the parking lot for hours.
OVERCROWDED LA SLAMMER LEAVES JUVENILES IN SQUAD CARS FOR HOURS AS POLICE WAIT IN LINE TO DROP THEM OFF
An aerial view of Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey, California. Some probation officers in the facility as well as others have been placed on leave since Jan. 1 for a range of alleged offenses, officials said Monday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
As Fox News Digital has reported, Los Angeles has shied away from prosecuting juveniles for minor offenses – so the ones who do make it to lockup are accused of serious and often violent crimes. Last summer, the juvenile hall endured an inmate riot and a jailbreak. On the night of the escape, 60 officers out of 100 scheduled to work that shift had failed to show up, according to the LA Times report.
And although it is a juvenile facility, there are still offenders housed there who are above the age of 18.
The result is that probation officers, typically trained for desk jobs that focus on the supervised release of low-level offenders, are now being forced to confront violent individuals without the training, protective equipment or compensation given to correctional officers, according to Arnold Peter, a lawyer for hundreds of probation officers in a class action lawsuit against the county.
“The job of the probation officer in the last seven to 10 years has changed pretty dramatically,” he told Fox News Digital.
And juvenile inmates have been growing bolder at the same time.
“Youth offenders feel like there are few restraints on their ability to be violent,” he said.
Despite complaints from probation officers, on-the-job safety remains a concern. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
He said county leadership, structural failures and a lack of funding are to blame, but he is hopeful the management shakeup will help improve the situation.
“I hope that someone with this management change can think about that issue and not kick this lawsuit down the road,” he said. “Fix the issues. Provide adequate compensation, and put this behind them – otherwise, it will cost them exponentially more.”
Peter said he filed the class action in part because the county tried to staunch its staffing problems by ordering employees with medical restrictions to take on shifts at the juvenile facilities. Then it got worse.
“These people were constantly getting injured,” he said. “Sometimes there’s as much violence in the juvenile halls as in the adult prisons.”
The headquarters of the Los Angeles County Department of Probation. (Los Angeles County Department of Probation)
The county is trying to have the case thrown out, but Peter said he expects the procedural move to fail after the next hearing on July 25.
On top of the probation department’s funding problems, the county is facing a number of whistleblower retaliation lawsuits aimed at the district attorney’s office – two of which have ended in multimillion-dollar payouts – and at least one other major labor lawsuit from Viera Rosa’s predecessor, Alfredo Gonzales.
Gonzales’s lawsuit states that he repeatedly told the county board of supervisors that the department was so understaffed that it violated state law. When state inspectors conducted a review of Los Angeles’ juvenile facilities, he told them that compliance issues were due to the staffing shortage.
Then he was fired.
Read the full article from Here
San Francisco, CA
California dominates top 10 priciest U.S. cities for homeowners — here’s what you need to earn
- California dominates US housing costs, with 9 of 10 priciest metros; San Jose leads at $11,690/month.
- San Francisco and Los Angeles also rank high, requiring annual incomes of $358,090 and $301,221 respectively.
- Despite a slight decline in income requirements since 2025, affordability remains a distant dream for many.
From Silicon Valley to San Diego, the Golden State boasts nine of the 10 most expensive metropolitan areas in the US for homeowners, a new report revealed.
San Jose landed in the top spot, followed by San Francisco at No. 2 and Los Angeles at No. 5.
An analysis from ConsumerAffairs examined monthly home payments across 200 of the nation’s largest metro areas to determine the income needed to afford a home in each location.
In San Jose, that monthly cost came out to a staggering $11,690 — making it by far the the most expensive US metro for homeowners for the second year in a row.
Buyers now need to earn an eye-popping $501,012 in annual income to afford a typical property.
That figure dwarfs the city’s actual median household income of $164,801, exceeding it by a massive 204%, according to the report. It also far surpasses the national median household income of $81,604.
With a median home price of more than $1.55 million, ownership in the Silicon Valley city remains out of reach for most residents.
Nearby San Francisco ranked the second most expensive, with monthly housing costs at $8,355 and buyers needing to earn $358,090 annually to afford a home there, the analysis found.
In Los Angeles, monthly costs averaged $7,029, with buyers needing to earn $301,221.
The 10 most expensive metro areas in the US and their average monthly costs:
- 1. San Jose: $11,690
- 2. San Francisco: $8,355
- 3. Santa Cruz: $354,973
- 4. Santa Maria: $305,535
- 5. Los Angeles: $301,221
- 6. San Diego: $293,618
- 7. San Luis Obispo: $280,591
- 8. Oxnard: $276,805
- 9. Salinas: $262,403
- 10. Honolulu, Hawaii: $255,280
The only metro outside California to crack the top 10 was Honolulu.
The divide across the country is stark.
The gap between the income needed to buy a home in San Jose compared to Huntington, West Virginia, the most affordable metro in the analysis, stood at a staggering $447,362.
Despite the sky-high costs, there is a slight silver lining: Income requirements in each of the top 10 cities in the ranking declined more than the average national drop of 3.2% since 2025.
Still, affordability remains a distant dream for many Americans.
The last time a typical US household could comfortably follow the 28% rule — spending no more than 28% of income on housing — was in 2015, when incomes exceeded required levels by just 0.4%.
Today, buyers need 48% more income than the median household earns nationwide.
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedIn
California Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X
California Post Opinion
California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!
California Post App: Download here!
Home delivery: Sign up here!
Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!
DENVER — A strong, late-season snowstorm has moved into northern Colorado and the Front Range Tuesday evening and will continue into Wednesday, making for a hazardous morning commute.
MORE | Denver7 weather blog
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning from midnight Tuesday through 3 p.m. Wednesday.
How much are we getting?
The NWS forecasts 5-8 inches of snow for the Interstate 25 corridor, while areas closer to the foothills could receive up to 9 inches.
For the Eastern Plains, forecasters expect 2-6 inches of snow, a lower total than in the Front Range.
The Northern Mountains and foothills could receive as much as 2 feet of snow, with Estes Park and surrounding areas seeing early accumulation Tuesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the Southern Mountains are forecasted to get 6-14 inches.
NWS
When will it get here?
In Denver, rain began to transition to snow around 5 p.m. And snow accumulation is expected to continue into Wednesday afternoon, according to the NWS.
Forecasters expect that from Tuesday at midnight to 9 a.m. Wednesday will see the brunt of this storm in the Denver metro area.
NWS
What are the biggest concerns?
That midnight-to-9 a.m. stretch of snowfall should have the biggest impact, according to the NWS.
Wet, heavy snowfall poses the greatest risk for broken branches and tree damage, especially in areas with the largest accumulations, which can cause scattered power outages.
Hazardous conditions, especially for the morning commute in the Denver metro area, are expected due to heavy snowfall. The Colorado Department of Transportation is prepared for these impacts.
CDOT said there will be about 100 plows throughout the storm, focusing on clearing interstates and major roadways first before secondary roads.
Tuesday evening forecast
When will it skidaddle out of here?
Snow accumulation should end north to south by midday Wednesday, with drier weather moving in Wednesday night into Thursday.
Denver will see a high of 39 degrees with a low dropping below freezing on Wednesday. A freeze warning is likely on Wednesday night.
Thursday, we may see a shower or two, but mild springlike conditions will return.
NWS
Weather Links
MORE: Hourly forecast | Latest forecast | Radars | Traffic | Weather Page | 24/7 Weather Stream
Stream live, current temperatures plus radars across Colorado anytime for free on the free Denver7+ app on your TV or watch from your computer or mobile phone anytime.
The Seattle Mariners have been staring down a difficult decision for weeks now and it’s only getting closer as Bryce Miller nears the end of his rehab assignment.
Two factors Hyphen sees in Bryan Woo’s recent struggles
When Miller makes his return to the big league club, which is now less than two weeks away barring a setback, the Mariners will have six capable starters but only five rotation spots.
The assumption when Miller started the season on the injured list was that he would replace Emerson Hancock when he returned, but Hancock has been Seattle’s best starter thus far, posting a 2.59 ERA over seven starts while striking out batters at a career-best 28.9% clip.
Now it looks as if veteran Luis Castillo could be the top candidate to taken out of the rotation. In seven starts this season, the right-hander has produced a 6.29 ERA and minus-0.8 bWAR.
ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan weighed in on the possibility of Castillo being taken out of the starting rotation when he joined Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Tuesday.
“I think it all depends on where Luis Castillo’s frame of mind is,” Passan said. “If Luis Castillo is open to going to the bullpen, you consider that. And if he is not, then you take a look and see what his willingness to go on the injured list is. And if that’s not the case, then maybe you do consider a six-man rotation. I think there are just lots of different possibilities here.”
For Passan, what Castillo has done for the organization, which includes helping the team reach the playoffs twice, is also an important part of the equation.
“I think what also factors in is Luis Castillo has done this for a really long time at a really high level and been a really important part of the success that you’ve had organizationally, and I don’t take that lightly,” Passan said. “I think the way that you treat people who have done right by you and helped you get into the position (you’re in), they’re not disposable. So you can’t just say to Luis Castillo, you’re not performing right now, you’re going to the pen.
“Well, you could. I just don’t know how well that goes over and I don’t know what sort of precedent that sets for treatment of players going forward.”
Passan added that moving Castillo to the bullpen is the type of “cold” decision a contender has to make sometimes, but that having a productive Castillo is also key for the team.
“Having a productive Luis Castillo makes them much likelier to be a World Series team,” Passan said. “You can get rid of your manager and survive that. But knowing that Castillo has to be around still, you just need to be mindful of the way – not even the way that you’re treating him, because the way that you’re treating him is through your perspective. The question is, how does he feel like he’s being treated? That is imperative here, and if you can thread the needle and figure out a way to solve your problem while still keeping Luis Castillo content, then that’s the ideal (situation). That’s the goal, that is the aim of this whole thing. And it’s a very delicate and difficult subject.”
Castillo in line for positive regression?
While it has been a struggle for Castillo early on, Passan sees some reason to believe his numbers will level out with more starts. He pointed to Castillo’s 4.25 FIP, which is nearly identical to Bryan Woo’s and better than Logan Gilbert’s. However, he is concerned with Castillo’s career-low groundball rate.
“Ever since he’s come to Seattle, he’s been much more of a flyball pitcher. But he’s down to a 33% ground ball rate this year. Not good,” Passan said. “I will say this, the positive regression is going to come in the form of runners being stranded. He’s got a strand rate right now of only 58.8%, league average is somewhere in the 70-plus range.”
Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player in this story. Listen to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
Seattle Mariners coverage
• Seattle Mariners place Gabe Speier on IL, add two lefty relievers
• The latest on Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh’s injury
• Seattle Mariners showing some concerning signs on defense
• Mariners prospect Felnin Celesten on a tear for High-A Everett
• What Mariners’ Emerson Hancock says has been key to his breakout
-
News11 minutes agoTrump-backed Ramaswamy wins Ohio governor primary, setting up a competitive Nov. race
-
New York2 hours agoIn Attack on Mamdani, Vornado Chief Likens ‘Tax the Rich’ to Hate Speech
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoTigers’ Framber Valdez ejected as benches clear after hit-by-pitch
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoCalifornia dominates top 10 priciest U.S. cities for homeowners — here’s what you need to earn
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoThe Strokes Aren’t Coming to Texas, but Cover Band Different Strokes is Playing Friday
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoTrust in crypto remains biggest barrier to adoption, say Consensus Miami 2026 panelists
-
Boston, MA3 hours agoTwo Boston city councilors slam Mayor Wu for cutting $724K from veterans budget: ‘Unconscionable’
-
Denver, CO3 hours ago
Denver area faces hazardous Wednesday morning commute as heavy, wet snow begins to fall