A substitute motion put into the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors agenda Tuesday moves forward with developing a plan for Camps Scott and Scudder in Saugus, but also asks for community stakeholder engagement.
The board agenda item comes a day after city of Santa Clarita Mayor Bill Miranda said the moving of all violent juvenile offenders to the Saugus locations — a move proposed by the Juvenile Justice Realignment Block Grant (JJRBG) Subcommittee — required more environmental impact study and public outreach.
“This substitute motion is a step in the right direction and we are grateful to the Board of Supervisors for not rushing this decision,” said Miranda after learning of the substitute motion on Thursday. “We are confident that the reports they requested will demonstrate that Camps Scott and Scudder are unsuitable for the intended use.
“The city of Santa Clarita will remain vigilant and continue to share that with conditions such as fire and flood danger, as well as proximity to homes, moving these offenders into Santa Clarita is not a viable option,” Miranda added.
The decision to move all violent juvenile offenders in county custody to the two camps in the near future comes on the heels of the county attempting to find a new housing solution in light of legislation passed last year. Officials have not said how many offenders they believe will be housed at Camps Scott and Scudder.
Tuesday’s motion, in addition to asking for more community input and for officials to look into three other alternative facilities (Camps Munz, Mendenhall and Holton), also asks the chief probation officer, in collaboration with the Youth Justice Transition Advisory Group and the JJRBG Subcommittee, to develop the proposed renovations for the camp.
The expected renovations, which include more fencing, door locks and security apparatus, could cost the county millions. Another one of the city’s suggestions, the environmental review of the facilities, is also included in the motion set for Tuesday’s agenda.
The motion also asks for the proposed plan to ensure supportive programming that leads to a “more therapeutic environment” and the “continuum of less restrictive environments.”
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Those wishing to view the meeting can visit http://bos.lacounty.gov/Board-Meeting/Live-Broadcast.
