Los Angeles County supervisors on Monday approved a revised $21.8 billion budget that calls for spending $534 million more to reopen a Castaic jail, improve inmate medical care and deploy gang investigators to unincorporated areas. About $7.
2 million of the additional money will be used to open the South Facility at Pitchess Detention Center, helping Sheriff Lee Baca increase the length of time inmates spend behind bars. Baca has been broadly criticized for prematurely releasing hundreds of thousands of inmates because of overcrowded jails. He recently ignored a judge's order and allowed celebrity heiress Paris Hilton to be released after serving only three days of what is expected to be a 23-day sentence.
"This budget recognizes the vital need to restore past cuts in public safety that will add an additional 187 positions to the Sheriff's Department," Supervisor Michael D. "It is imperative that the board move forward with reopening available jail beds as quickly and responsibly as possible." The supervisors were initially apprehensive about the request for money to reopen the facility, saying they were suspicious Baca might spend the money elsewhere.
"We've set aside big bucks for the Sheriff's Department, and I'd like to have a forensic analysis to see if it was spent for the purposes the board appropriated it for," Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said. But Assistant Sheriff Paul Tanaka said the money allocated for jails has helped reopen sites that were closed after the recession several years ago. "I can assure you on behalf of Sheriff Baca that this South Facility will reopen," Tanaka said.
The supervisors also voted to spend $10 million to improve medical services for inmates. In addition, $3.3 million will be used to hire gang investigators in unincorporated areas and $2.
4 million to hire 25 more District Attorney's Office employees to ease caseloads at Antelope Valley, Van Nuys and Compton courts. An additional $1.3 million will fund two additional courtrooms at the Antelope Valley Courthouse to address rising caseloads.
The spending package also includes $1.7 million for salaries of five deputy chief executive officers as part of a plan to give greater authority to the newly created position of county chief executive officer. Meanwhile, $18.
5 million will be used to improve management structure and add 45 employees in the Probation Department, which has been under threat of a federal takeover. About $55 million will fund salary and benefit increases. Most of the rest of the money will make up for shortfalls for capital improvements at parks, libraries and other county facilities.
The supervisors also directed current interim CEO David Janssen to prepare recommendations on whether the county should begin setting aside money to pay for its retirees' health care costs. A recent report found the unfunded liability for these costs ranges from $13 billion to $20 billion over 30 years. "Early attention may allow the county to avoid serious future financial problems," Yaroslavsky said.
Los Angeles County supervisors on Monday approved a revised $21.8 billion budget that calls for spending $534 million more to reopen a Castaic jail, improve inmate medical care and deploy gang investigators to unincorporated areas.
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