The city of Santa Clarita settled its lawsuit with the L.A. County Department of Probation over the county’s proposed plans to renovate Camp Scott and reopen it to juvenile offenders, according to a news release issued Tuesday.
Santa Clarita officials initially sued Los Angeles County over its plans to use Camp Scott to house male juvenile offenders accused of violent crimes, a plan that the county announced it would drop in March 2023.
However, city officials said earlier this year their lawsuit would remain in place while the county dealt with problems over two of the other facilities where the county planned to send male offenders, due to uncertainties over whether the state would certify the facilities.
Tuesday’s announcement marks the end to the city’s current legal fight over the changes to Camp Scott, but the city alluded to a desire to keep its legal options open.
“The dismissal of the lawsuit includes stipulations that the county is not currently planning to use Camp Scott as a permanent facility or emergency evacuation facility for any Probation juvenile population, regardless of any findings made by the state with respect to other facilities,” according to the statement from the city. “If, in the future, the county proposes renovations or other physical preparations at Camp Scott for the purpose of supporting its potential future use as a permanent or emergency facility to serve any juvenile population, the county would be required to comply with CEQA prior to approving or authorizing such activities.”
Camp Scott, which is located in the city on property owned by the county, was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the city’s release
In March 2022, the county Board of Supervisors approved a motion to consider making Camp Scott a permanent facility for juvenile male serious offenders formerly under the State’s Division of Juvenile Justice.
In April of that year, the city filed a lawsuit against the county, alleging the county had failed to comply with CEQA, the California Environmental Quality Act, in approving Camp Scott as a permanent facility for juvenile male serious offenders.
The city filed its stipulated resolution Friday removing its opposition. However, the project will now go through the CEQA process, per city and county officials.
The release added: “The city retains the ability to file a lawsuit in the future if it finds that the county violated CEQA in connection with any future county actions. The city will continue to keep the community informed of this crucial issue. For more information, please visit SantaClarita.gov/city-hall/camp-joseph-scott.”
