Please see the joint release issued by
Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Mark Ridley-Thomas:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 12, 2020
Stopping the Unvetted and Abrupt Closures of
Patrol Stations
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
(Board) unanimously voted to direct the Sheriff to immediately cease efforts to
close the Altadena and Marina del Rey stations, as recently announced by the
Sheriff’s Department (Department). These closures were announced without any
independent vetting or validation by the County’s Chief Executive Office, or
advance notice or input to impacted communities.
The motion by Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and
Kathryn Barger also directs the Sheriff, in consultation with the Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) and Auditor-Controller, to identify appropriate budget
curtailments that are properly vetted and will have limited impact on public
safety.
The motion follows the Sheriff’s abrupt and
unilateral announcement on May 4, 2020 of plans to close the Altadena and
Marina Del Rey stations. Questions remain about how and why the station
closures were selected and what cost savings may be achieved.
“These station closures were announced without
any vetting or advance notice, validation of cost savings, or assessment of
impact on public safety. As a result, our communities are rightly concerned –
as is this Board,” Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said. “The Sheriff’s
Department must achieve the necessary cost savings and budget curtailments needed
to address the Department’s deficit and the County’s revenue shortfall in a
more transparent, collaborative and democratic way without jeopardizing service
to our communities.”
“The public safety and security of our
communities is critically important, now more than ever, given the public
health crisis created by COVID-19,” said Supervisor Barger. “I am hopeful that
through today’s Board action, the Sheriff will work with the County Chief
Executive Office to identify more appropriate budget measures that will not
impact our local communities, including Altadena, an unincorporated region that
has relied on their Sheriff’s station for years. I remain committed to ensuring
that the Sheriff’s Department maintains its core mission of public safety and
meets the essential needs of residents and businesses throughout Los Angeles
County.”
Since these announcements, a range of
constituents and the Civilian Oversight Commission tasked with overseeing the
Sheriff’s Department have expressed deep concern about the station closures and
the negative impacts that they may have on community safety and service
delivery.
“The loss of the Marina del Rey station would
truly be a detriment to our community. This, not just for the policing and our
public safety but also for the relationships we have worked to build over the
years. We need our station and deputies in the close proximity to our
community,” said Lorinee Jackson, lifetime resident of the unincorporated
community View Park, located in the Second District. “Knowing we can count on
the Marina del Rey station to be there for us when we need help completes our
community.”
Well before the preparation of Fiscal Year (FY)
2020-21 budget curtailment scenarios that were necessitated by recent revenue
shortfalls, the Department had been facing significant budget overruns
primarily caused by overtime expenditures and under-realization of revenues.
Over the past several months, the Board has taken steps to proactively address
the Department’s overspending. The Department overspent its FY 2018-29 budget
by $63.4 million and is currently projected to overspend its FY 2019-20 budget
$89 million. In October, the Board asked the Department to work with the CEO
and A-C to formulate a deficit mitigation plan. Additionally, in April, the
Board requested a reduction of academy classes, intended to realize approximately
$49 million in cost savings and substantially close the budget gap.
This motion seeks to avoid unnecessary and
unanticipated negative impact to services and programs that enhance public
safety as the Board works to finalize the County’s FY 2020-21 budget, as well
as ensure that these decisions are made in a transparent, collaborative and
democratic way.
