Board of Supervisors - Regular Meeting

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Good morning, everyone. I want to welcome you to our regularly scheduled meeting of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Today is Tuesday, August 11th, 2026. And we note that Supervisor Barger will be absent from today's meeting. And we take note that a quorum of the board is present. The chief executive officer, county council executive officer, and the sergeant at arms are all here to assist us. We will now start with the county's land acknowledgement. Thank you. The County of Los Angeles recognizes that we occupy land originally and still inhabited and cared for by the Tongva, Tataviem, Serrano, Quiche, and Chumash peoples. We honor and pay respect to their elders and descendants, past, present, and emerging, as they continue their stewardship of these lands and waters. We acknowledge that settler colonization resulted in land seizure, disease, subjugation, slavery, relocation, broken promises, genocide, and multi-generational trauma. This acknowledgement demonstrates our responsibility and commitment to truth, healing and reconciliation, and to elevating the stories, culture, and community of the original inhabitants of Los Angeles County. We are grateful to have the opportunity to live and work on these ancestral lands. We are dedicated to growing and sustaining relationships with native peoples and local tribal governments, including in no particular order. Fernandeño Tataviam, Band of Mission Indians. Gabrielino Tongva, Indians of California Tribal Council. Gabrieleno Tongva, San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians. Gabrieleno Band of Mission Indians, Quiche Nation. Yahaviatam of San Manuel Nation, San Fernando Band of Mission Indians, Coastal Band of Chumash Nation, Gabrielino Tongva Nation, Gabrielino Tongva Tribe. To learn more about the First Peoples of Los Angeles County, please visit the Los Angeles City-County Native American Indian Commission website at lanais.lacounty.gov. Very good, thank you. The invocation this morning will be led by Rabbi Howard from Siani Temple from the 3rd District, I hope I said that correctly, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, which will be led by Georgina Ravalero, former E-4th Specialist for the United States Army, representing the 4th District. Those of you that are here, please join us and stand.

Supervisors Solis, Mitchell, Horvath, and Hahn, and distinguished guests, it is an honor to be invited to deliver this invocation on behalf of Sinai Temple. the Jewish community of Los Angeles, and our fellow Angelenos of all faiths and none. This week begins a significant time on the Jewish calendar as we enter the 40-day period leading up to the holiest day of Yom Kippur. It is a time of reflection and contrition. of stock-taking and amends-making, of atonement, forgiveness, and reconciliation with others and ultimately with God. It is also an especially propitious time for prayer when tradition says the Lord is in the field ready to be encountered. While there are few fields in downtown LA, though Chavez Ravine is close and God is certainly a Dodger fan, The sentiment still stands. God's presence is near to those whose eyes, ears, and hearts are open. So in lieu of a ritual ram's horn to summon our souls to attention, I humbly offer these words. May you have the wisdom to know when to lead and when to be led. May you have the compassion to bear the pain of others alongside your own. May you have the humility to hold two truths in one heart. And may you heed the charge of the psalmist. Be strong and of good courage and put hope in God. And let us say together, amen.

Good morning. Please face the flag. Place your right hand over your heart. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you, Supervisor Horvath. Thank you, Madam Chair. Please join me in thanking Rabbi Moe Howard for providing our invocation today. Rabbi Howard joins us from Sinai Temple in Westwood, which was first established in 1906 and moved to its current location in Westwood in 1956. The temple is a congregation of spiritual seekers who love tradition, embrace modernity, and are animated by the Jewish mission of improving the world. Rabbi Howard is a native Angeleno. He was sharing many generations over. He completed his undergraduate studies at UCLA and taught middle and high school math in Westwood. He has also served as a Bible teacher at Valley Beth Shalom Day School, a student chaplain at Cedar Sinai Medical Center, and a faculty member of the Massar Institute. He will complete his ordination at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in 2027, and we wish you all the best in that. And we thank you for all that you do for our community. We are especially proud to have you in the third district. Thank you very much for being with us this morning.

This is for you.

Supervisor Hahn. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair. It's my pleasure to thank and welcome Georgina Ravalero, who led us in our Pledge of Allegiance today. Georgina is currently a peer support specialist with Veterans Stand Together, an organization based out of our Southgate community. Her work encompasses the advocacy of veterans' goals and needs, as well as empowering them towards success. Georgina is a member of the United States Army and served from November 2018 to April 2021, during which time she earned the Korea Defense Service Medal. She retired from the service as a U.S. Army unit supply specialist. Thank you, Georgina, for your service and for the work you continue to do for your fellow veterans and our community. Thanks for being with us this morning, and we have a little token of our appreciation signed by all the members of the Board of Supervisors.

Executive officer, will you please call the agenda?

Good morning, Madam Chair, members of the board. Today's agenda will begin on page two, Consent Calendar, Board of Supervisors, items one through 12. On item one, this includes a revision as indicated on the supplemental agenda. On item five, this includes a revision as indicated on the supplemental agenda. On item six, Supervisor Mitchell requests that this item be held. On item nine, Supervisor Horfath requests that this item be held. On item 10, Supervisor Han requests that this item be held. Also, this includes a revision as indicated on the supplemental agenda. On item 11, Supervisor Horfath requests that this item be held. On page 12, administrative matters, items 13 through 16. On item 23, Supervisor Solis is recusing herself pursuant to government code section 84308 because she received a contribution or contributions of more than $500 within the past 12 months from Al Ballesteros, who is a party participant or agent of a party or participant in the proceeding. On item 26, the Director of Public Works requests that this item be continued to October 6, 2026, as indicated on the supplemental agenda. On item 33, Supervisor Barger requests that this item be continued to September 1, 2026, as indicated on the supplemental agenda. On page 36, this includes miscellaneous additions to the agenda, which were posted more than 72 hours in advance of the meeting, as indicated on the supplemental agenda. Items 58A and 58B. On page 37, Ordinance for Introduction, item 61. On page 38, separate matter, item 62. On item 62, the board will take a separate vote on this matter. On page 39, special district agenda, this is the agenda for the meeting of the Los Angeles County Development Authority, items 1D and 2D. On item 2D, Supervisor Borfath requests that this item be held. Also on this item, the board is acting as the Board of Supervisors and the Board of Commissioners of the Los Angeles County Development Authority. Item 2D is an addition as indicated on the supplemental agenda. On page 40, notices of closed session items, item CS1 and CS2. On item CS1, County Council requests that this item be continued to September 1st, 2026, as indicated on the posted agenda. The requests for refer back and continuances through CS2 are before you. That completes the reading of the agenda, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Moved by Supervisor Han, seconded by Supervisor Harvath. To approve the items, that will be the order. Executive Officer, play the code of conduct.

Ladies and gentlemen, may I please have your attention. The meeting of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is about to commence. A code of conduct will now be read, and we request that you comply with it to ensure the efficient administration of the meeting. Members of the public, it is your right to participate in today's Board hearing, and the Board encourages such participation. However, the right of the public to address the Board must be balanced with the need to ensure that public comment does not interfere with the orderly course of the Board's business. All are reminded to abide by the following rules. Speakers must cease speaking immediately when their time has ended. Public comment on agenda items must relate to the subject matter of that item. General public comment is limited to subjects within the jurisdiction of the Board. Public comment does not include the right to engage in a dialogue with Board members or staff. Please remain respectful of the forum and refrain from uttering, writing, or displaying profane, personal, threatening, derogatory, demeaning, or other abusive statements toward the Board, any member thereof, staff, or any other person. Members of the audience should be respectful of the views expressed by speakers, staff, and board members and may not clap, cheer, whistle, or otherwise disrupt the orderly conduct of the meeting. Any person engaging in conduct that disrupts the meeting is subject to being removed from the board meeting. And finally, if you witness conduct or behavior by other members of the public that disrupts your ability to remain engaged or participate in this meeting, please notify the sergeant at arms or other county staff. Thank you for your cooperation.

Thank you. Today's meeting order will be the following. Public comment on items not held for discussion by the board, including the closed session matters, followed by items six and nine, then items 10, 11, and 2D, followed by general public comment, finishing up with closed session. Before we begin, Executive Officer, please read the call-in information and explain the speaking rules. Thank you.

Good morning, members of the public. If you wish to participate in public comment, you may do so in person or remotely. To participate remotely, please visit our website at www.bos.lacounty.gov to register and join the meeting, or you may call 213-306-3065 and use access code 25320268973 and meeting password 2672026. You will have the opportunity to address the board throughout the meeting. For items not held by the board, you will receive one minute for one item and up to two minutes for two or more items. For items held by supervisors, you will have one minute to address the board and one minute to address the board on general public comment. Please clearly state your name and indicate the agenda item numbers you will be addressing. Please note, once your time has expired, we will immediately move to the next speaker. When it is your turn to speak, if registered on a computer or device, you will hear a beep and your name will be called. or if joining by telephone, you will hear your line is unmuted, your area code and the last two digits of your phone number will be called. To ensure we hear from both in-person and remote speakers, we will alternate between the two speaking cues. Members of the public who are in attendance, when you hear or see your name displayed on the screen, please come down to the front of the boardroom and staff will assist you. Please do not approach the podium until directed to do so. ALSO, FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN ATTENDANCE, PLEASE NOTE THAT WE HAVE A CONSTITUENT ASSISTANCE TEAM THAT INCLUDES REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE DEPARTMENTS OF MENTAL HEALTH, PUBLIC HEALTH, HEALTH SERVICES, PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES, CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES, HOMELESS SERVICES AND HOUSING, AND PARKS AND RECREATION IN THE AUDIENCE SHOULD YOU NEED ASSISTANCE FROM THEM. AT THIS TIME, WE WILL HEAR FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WISHING TO ADDRESS THE BOARD ON ALL ITEMS NOT HELD FOR DISCUSSION BY SUPERVISORS, INCLUDING CLOSED SESSION MATTERS. THE CONSENT ITEMS WILL BE ACTED UPON WITH ONE MOTION. For members of the public joining us remotely, to comment on these items, please use the raise hand feature if you are online or press star three if on a telephone. Please indicate the agenda item numbers that you wish to address in the beginning of your comment for us to allocate the appropriate amount of time.

We will now call in in-person speakers and while they're coming forward, we will take remote speakers. This will be for all items not held by the board for discussion and closed session items. Will the following individual please come forward and staff will assist you. Sean Patrick Patterson. And Madam Chair, we do not have any remote speakers to address the board on these items. The remote participation for these items is concluded. We will go to our in-person speaker, please begin.

at the path hold on hold on a sec can you start the clock over we couldn't hear you go ahead okay i'm sean patrick patterson program director at path i am here for um i am looking for the permanent housing situation in civil lake is addressed in the proposal that was submitted along with um The attachment, it provides immediate employment through the recycling program, allows pathways to permanent housing through PATH. Congressman Gomez has expressed interest in the recycling attachment, and the program director Jake Epath can resolve the need for home stewardship for a home stewardship program. So I am trying to in favor of supporting the proposal for permanent housing.

Thank you. Madam Chair, we have one remote speaker in the queue. Roy Humphries, your line is open. Please state the agenda items you're addressing and begin.

This is an item regarding the fact that your monitor person continually cuts me off on the general public comment when that is not included in these other computations and as per your person. So, but it is what it is and we know you for what you are. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. That concludes the time for public comment on these items.

At this moment, members, we're going to table consent calendar at this time. And we're going to go directly to the next item, which is item 62. Because there is, can you?

We have recusals on item 23. And so we're going to need to do the drawing of the votes. We have to do drawings. Yeah, because we don't have enough members. And so we need to prepare for that.

Okay, very good. We'll come back to it. Okay, Executive Officer.

So Madam Chair, what I'll do is I could, we'll do the vote on item 62.

Yes.

And then we'll move on to the rest of the held items.

Right. Okay. So moved by Supervisor Horvath, seconded by myself to approve the item. Executive Officer, call the roll.

Supervisor Mitchell. Supervisor Mitchell, aye. Supervisor Horfath?

Aye.

Supervisor Horfath, aye. Supervisor Hahn?

Aye.

Supervisor Hahn, aye. Supervisor Solis?

Aye.

Supervisor Solis, aye. Motion passes. We will now move on to item six, Centering Multidisciplinary Subject Matter Expert Leadership in Jail Closure Planning and Carceral Footprint Reduction, which was held by Supervisor Mitchell. For members of the public joining us remotely to comment on this item, please use the raise hand feature if you are online or press star three if on a telephone. Dr. Lisa Wong, Director of Mental Health, Judge Songhai Armstead, Director of Justice, Care, and Opportunities, Maggie Carter, Chief DOJ Compliance Officer, Chief Executive Office, Dr. Clemens Hong, Medical Director, and Dr. Timothy Belovich, Director of Correctional Health Services, Department of Health Services are available for questions. For the departmental speakers, please state your name and title for the record when you address the board.

Thank you. Supervisor Mitchell, how would you like to proceed?

If I could just make an opening statement and invite the panel to come join us at the table, that would be great. Please come forward and have a seat, panelists. There appears to be some hesitancy. We don't bite on the Tuesday before summer break. This is the best Tuesday to be here. Thank you very much. Let me thank our partners that are here today to talk about this item. I look forward to the conversation. I also want to acknowledge the work that the GL closure implementation team, J-SID, has provided thus far. We now have a set of required actions, excuse me, that will help us reduce our incarcerated population. And so we also know that the group, the required actions that Jason presented, it's not the final blueprint for jail closure. It was a point in time. So I'm clear about that. And that's why I brought today's motion forward because this underscores the urgency and necessity of advancing coordinated action to reduce harm, reduce the population, and safely get us to a point where we can close MCJ. We are clearly working very hard to change a system, and that requires us to strengthen the planning framework and ensure that this work is guided by a comprehensive system-wide approach informed by the expertise of our county and the community who know our jail population best. And a systems-wide approach, from my perspective, ensures that behavior health, health services, operations, and all other programs and services with a nexus to jail closure are indeed coordinated and at the table, I think both literally and figuratively. In conversations that we've had with J-CIT, the CEO's office, and the departments, we've come to a collective understanding that there is still much that we as a county can do to depopulate our jails with greater cohesion, engagement, and alignment, all to meet the needs of our family members and community members within these facilities. That's why this item will direct the CEO's office through J-CIT and in coordination with the departments to do the following. Coordinate the closure process through a multidisciplinary lens. Set departmental goals and related benchmarks to ensure accountability. Incorporate budgetary considerations and program outcomes and complete a requested report back on this matter. You know, I've heard, as I've tried to talk to a variety of these departments, as well as to the sheriff's department, that there's kind of a difference of opinion about who should drive this process. You know, if it's care first, from my perspective, it shouldn't be driven by the sheriff. And it was suggested that perhaps a motion was necessary to express the desire to have all the departments at the table. And so that's how we got here for me today. Again, this is not about building a replacement jail for MCJ. From my perspective, this is not about building a replacement jail for MCJ. It's about finding solutions that will get us to jail closure. It's about ensuring that all efforts ahead are guided by the expertise of our health and care departments to ensure that all decisions have been informed from that lens, health and care. And that requires a holistic view of justice reform. I think we've treated jail closure primarily as a justice systems challenge with health departments supporting the work. And I think we need to flip that script and shift that thinking. There's so many people in our jails with complex needs, including behavioral health, substance use abuse, and housing needs. Departments with a nexus to these needs must be more than supporting actors in jail closure. They are essential to the solution. So I wanna see that reflected in the level of initiative, creativity, and ownership that they bring to this effort as well. It's my expectations that departments are at the table with the CEO and J-CIT to speak to what is possible, what is most care-centered for incarcerated people, and what is needed to continue to move jail closure forward while centering the health of those in MCJ. I look forward to the conversation. And at this point, Matt, I'm sure I've got a couple of questions to kind of get the conversation started. And I welcome hearing from my colleagues as well. So to the Departments of Mental Health, Correctional Health Services, and DHS ODR. JSTD has identified where we need additional strategies and expertise. From your department's perspective, where do you see your responsibility for driving solutions for jail closure? Mental health, correctional health, ODR.

Good morning, Supervisor. I can speak for correctional health, so I'll start us off. As I think everybody's aware, correctional health is charged with the current care and treatment of all of the patients entrusted to us at the jail. And for years, we've been doing this under the umbrella of Department of Health Services. We regularly engage with our county partners and have for years with Department of Mental Health, with ODR, with public health, with our outside county stakeholders in helping them especially understand our patient population and their specific needs. And I think one of our biggest roles as correctional health is just that, helping people understand who is in the jail, what their healthcare concerns are, what their mental health concerns are, and assisting in identifying ways that they could potentially no longer be incarcerated or a path out of the jail. We welcome all of our partners regularly into the jail. We share data, and I think that's a big role that we have in correctional health, is putting together and helping understand not just the specific patients that we deal with, but the aggregate of our population. Because, again, if we're looking to close a jail, we're looking to remove thousands of people from our care. And correctional health's role really is to help understand what that population looks like.

So you don't see that your department has any specific role or responsibility to really help drive solutions to closure?

Well, I think providing that information and that data really is the first step to driving the solutions to closure. We have to understand who's there and what their needs are so that we can identify those services on the outside so that that does drive closure. At the same time, we have over 100 individuals dedicated to release planning services that are on a daily basis working with our county partners and our contracted county partners to identify where individuals go. And that's been going on for years. And that goes on regardless of whether or not we were trying to close the jail. But that's a huge role that we play in correctional health. in providing that reentry planning services or that release planning service as well.

Do you play any role in helping to support, build out, provide data to those external entities and placements? Is there any role you plan supporting them or expanding their capacity or their numbers?

Sure. For example, and I know Dr. Hong will speak about this with ODR, we provide to ODR a good amount of data because they are one of the main conduits for our patients upon release or in order to be released. So yeah, we play a large role there in building out and advocating for expansion of community programs.

Hi, I'm Clemens Hong. I'm with the Office of Diversion and Reentry and Director of Community Programs. Thank you for having us. I will add one piece to the correctional health services, which is we worked in whole person care and then in the subsequent waiver to really get into place Medicaid funding for pre-release services. California is the first state in the country to sign this waiver with the federal government to provide services pre-release, going past what some would call the inmate exemption. It took a while for us to get into place, but that launched in the jails. Tim could speak to this, because he launched it in July in our phase one population. But this has been, it's a really critical piece, and he spoke about the 100 case managers. But this is a piece that would likely grow if the waiver is extended, right? We're kind of in that period where we're renewing our waivers. But this set of services is really important, I think, because it allows us to not only deliver the best care we can in the jails to stabilize people as much as possible, but then once they are ready to go to the community, we're doing a warm handoff to providers in the community, especially mental health services providers, substance use treatment providers, or primary care, enhanced care management providers that can connect people to resources such as housing that are really critical for people to reenter safely and remain in the community and not go through that continuous cycle that lands them back incarcerated, often due to health conditions and other things that play a role in that. And so I think that's a really key piece of this. Independent of ODR, it's work that we're doing together. I've been involved. And sort of the state level work and trying to get this on the ground here. So it just started in July with the P2 population, that sort of intensive outpatient level of care, and it's going to expand from there.

So this is a waiver that the state is lead on and has already applied to be re-upped, if you will?

Yes, I don't know how many are enrolled now, but we're the first state in the country to sign it about four years ago, I believe it was. And then they've been rolling it out across the state to implement across all counties, including LA County. And we started in July of this year. And it needs to be renewed. It's a part of the 1115 waiver construct, so it needs to be renewed.

I appreciate you piggybacking on health services. Can you talk a little bit about, again, from ODR's perspective, what your responsibility is for driving solutions for jail closure.

Happy to do so. Thank you. So ODR, I'll talk about three programs briefly. And I think the first is what we call a community diversion program. I think a really critical part, as Will and Jason alluded, is reducing inflow. And I think there's two real critical ways to reduce inflow. One is to reduce recidivism, people who come out, have them avoid coming back in. The second is to avoid them from being arrested and put in the jail in the first place in the community. So LEAD is a community diversion program where we partner in certain zones with law enforcement and also take community referrals for people who have just frequent arrests, frequent sort of touches with the justice system. And what we try to do is we try to engage them in the community, give them housing and integrated case care management and link them to health care. And by doing so, we try to stabilize them in the community, avert the arrest at the front door. They don't even hit the front door. And this program, just as one data point, has reduced felony arrests by five-fold, right? So people who are enrolled in this program compared to a comparison group. So that's one program where we really reduce the inflow into the jails. The other two programs I'll talk about are our jail-based diversion programs. One is the felony incompetence stand trial program. This is a program that we partner with the state, so the Department of State Hospitals funds this program wholly. So we take individuals that would have otherwise gone to the Department of State Hospitals, and we do something called community-based restoration or diversion. So instead of sending them to the state hospitals where they will be restored to competency and come back to their trials or be released sometimes to the community without the types of connections that ODR provides. FIST enables us to get them out right away, right? Instead of having them go to the Department of State hospitals. And they get the type of housing, integrated mental health treatment, substance use treatment, physical health treatment that ODR provides in these settings. So we go to the house and we provide care in the house, right? And we have care managers and case managers to keep them housed and all of those sorts of things. That model has been really successful. It's a model for the rest of the state. People who enter this program, the FIST program, 70% never go back to jail in the two years that they're in the program. This is as opposed to people who go to the state hospitals where 70% go back, right? So if you think about just the impact that ODR is having in removing this population that is incompetent to stand trial when they start with us. So they're extremely sick. And we remove them, we give them housing and treatment, and then they don't go back to jail. We remove them from that sort of pathway. For a period of two years, and the trick now is trying to get them permanently housed thereafter, right? To break that cycle permanently, and we do some of that. The third program which is really critical and important is the ODR Housing Program. This is a program that was started here, has been immensely successful in diverting individuals with serious mental illness to the community who are also experiencing homelessness. This program is at risk for shrinking. So in October of this year, if we're not able to expand funding to this program, this is funding that was put forward in unmet needs and is a little bit outside of the scope of what was approved two weeks ago by the board. The ODR housing program will start to reduce the number we're able to serve from about 120 per month to about 60 per month. However, if we're able to maintain it at the 120 a month, we remove about 2,500 people a year who are experiencing homelessness and are some of the sickest folks in our jails. Because the focus of the program is on the P3 and P4 populations. So it's people who come in, they're the sickest, and we remove them to the community. When we do that, 54% never go back to jail in multiple years. And this is a population that has an average of ten incarcerations before ODR starts working with them. So we're drastically, again, changing the trajectory. We've also done an analysis looking at the two years prior to two years after they're served. And we've shown that we've reduced the number of jail days, the time that they've spent in jail compared to the two years prior by 380,000 jail days, right? And so if you think about closure of jail beds or moving people who are really sick, this P3, P4 population, we're giving them housing, mental health treatment, and getting them into care. And we're removing them from that pathway to the tune of 380,000 fewer days in just that two-year time period. When you then extrapolate that forward, we don't know yet what the impact of that could be in terms of completely removing people from that structure. So it's a hugely impactful program. And these are the types of programs ODR operates that really help to remove, and we're seeing just the growing population, as you know, with serious mental illness in our jails. But that population, ODR can serve at scale and move them to the community. And that's, I think, probably where Odeo has the biggest role to play, right, in the closure of Men's Central Jail. Because we serve people that, outside of DMH, who can obviously do this, we're a program in place that's doing this in partnership with the courts, so.

I appreciate that, and just want to make sure I heard you. based on your current funding level, you extrapolated that you remove about 2,500 annually, and about half that number, I think you said 54%, don't return.

Yeah, they don't go back at all. Got it.

With an average of 10 prior to- Right, and if through the unmet needs letter in the budget process, if your needs aren't met, you'll have to serve half of who you're serving now. You said you're serving 120, it will drop down to 60.

Around 60 per year, and that's just leveraging existing beds across our programs. Got it, thank you.

Can I ask a question just to follow up on what you're asking? This is intriguing. So where does your funding come for this program, this particular program?

ODR housing is funded predominantly through AB 109 dollars through care first community investment funds. And that's currently how it's funded through state and local funds.

Right, but we haven't seen any cut back in AB 109. Right, exactly.

We haven't. So the program currently with the number of beds that we have today and the number of slots is sustained. So we don't have a fiscal cliff where we'll have to close those beds without obviously changes in the direction of that. Where we face the trouble is we need to continue to expand the beds to continue to serve more and more people. And so what functionally happens in October is without the growth of those beds, there's about 60 people we can no longer remove from the jails. We can use the existing beds because people graduate. They move on to family and those sorts of things. And there's some turnover, obviously. And so we can use those beds to continue to move 60 people out. But we lose the capacity to the growth that's needed to serve the other 60.

So maybe the question is for our CEO. Can you help us figure out why this gap exists and give us some background on it? Because I'm hearing some good figures here, if they are correct, that it seems to me we're going in the wrong direction on this particular program. So I just want to know a little bit more background on why the unmet needs went down that route.

Thank you for the question, Supervisor. Acknowledging the outcomes of ODR, it is a great program. In fact, ODR figures prominently into J-SIT's seven required actions, occupying, I think, three or four of those. We have invested a lot in ODR. Unfortunately, because of the cost of the program, it is very costly. We've invested some one-time money, which didn't facilitate ongoing expansion of We've been creative in leveraging other funding sources. Ms. Carter and I had a recent conversation about my consternation over the cost of the program and how we can get to a sustainable funding model for ODNR. I would just ask Ms. Carter to kind of walk through some of our thinking going forward as to how we might expand upon what is already invested and what we're looking for for the future.

Good morning, Supervisors. Maggie Carter, Chief of Strategic Initiatives for CEO and Chief DOJ Compliance Officer. As our CEO mentioned, ODR is a critically important program both for jail closure and for DOJ compliance, in part because as Dr. Hong explained, ODR is really very focused on serving some of our sickest individuals in the jail at scale. But because it is a high cost, high touch program that really carries people through for quite a long time to follow them on their journey to stability and to provide different levels of support over time. there's not a lot of turnover in the program. So that's the issue with why the program needs to grow to sort of stay constant in terms of how many new individuals are coming out of the jail. And we're deeply engaged with Dr. Hong to both look at every possible source of funding for the program to try to draw down more Medicaid dollars for the program. And there's been a lot of progress made just recently between DHS and DMH on how to do some of that billing. That's very exciting. And I think the result of a long time of those two departments working together to try to achieve that. And also, ODR is looking very carefully at the program to understand are there places where we can cut costs to the program without sacrificing the trust that they've built in part because it's such a high touch program.

I guess that makes sense. The funding, and I've heard over the years that people tend to stay longer than we can maybe actually afford it. But then the handoff from that program needs to be extended, I think, to some of our other support systems that we are now uh popping up and have been over the last three years like jaycott so i'm just curious what you know what connection if there exists one uh between uh between you and jaycott is there how are you interfacing on that issue and maybe you know judge you can also chime in i think the one thing i'll say i'll hand it off to judge armstead i think the

We serve different populations is one answer to that question. We serve a very sick population that has a very high level of clinical needs. It's not that JCOT doesn't serve some of those folks as they sort of come out. However, there is a little bit of a, I would say like maybe How would you put it? We serve a different populations, the services that we leverage in the partnerships, for instance, with DMH are a little bit different. However, we've been long at the table together around CFCI and other dollars and collaborating where we could. So I would sort of start there and then I don't know.

Yes, Judge Armstead, yeah.

Thank you, Supervisor. I would agree with some of that. We do serve a small number of P1, P2 folks. Not so many people in the P3, P4 area. And I would say that JCOD's focus is really for those folks that we can stabilize and make fully independent. So we are able to get a person housed, employed, medicated, stable, so that they can support themselves. I would say that some of the population that ODR is dealing with are folks that are not able to become as independent in the same sort of timeframe. So I would say that's one of the differences.

And then also an individual can move in and out of stability, right?

So the person could be stable at one point, but need more supports later. And so that's when we kind of lean on each other and also with DMH to try to help tackle those things. But once a person is able to be stable, then we're more than happy to be able to get a person employed and housed and move forward in times when a person needs more supports and services and we lean on our other health partners.

There's still kind of a missing link for me from what I'm hearing. There has to be, I think, more effort placed. Once they are capable or able to leave you, then find another set of services that mental health, Department of Mental Health is here, I see, and how we can try to bridge that. So it is seamless, because I get it. The costs are very high, but these people do need some specialized, maybe step down after they leave you, but where is that? Where is that target? And I guess maybe that's the question.

Well, Madam Chair, I would pose a perhaps more global, broader question to Jay Codd, which is where do you see your role and opportunities to do more across the board around jail closure, not just the population that OCR manages, but the entire jail population. What role do you play?

Thank you for that question, Supervisor. I would say that since we've launched, we've been steadily building in a bunch of different areas, and our outcomes have been pretty strong. So of the people that we have served, if you're looking at just sort of our pretrial services, we see that 91% of them return to court and 80% or more stay arrest free. So that's kind of- You said 80%? Yes, stay arrest free. So as was mentioned earlier,

Really, to stay arrest free means I am not in jail.

Yes, it means you're not in jail. So recidivism is, you know, like they like was mentioned earlier, there's two different there's two ways to sort of keep a person out of jail. One is to make them not go there in the first place. The other one is to keep them from going back. Right. And so our focus is really about keeping people from going back and also pulling them out as soon as possible. So I would say that we are continuing. But for instance, our courthouse navigation program, it's only at three courts. It's at Airport Compton in Lancaster. We are placing people. We are transporting people. We're doing the work, but we don't have the resources to expand beyond that at this time. I would say our RDP program is working quite well as well. We're in eight courthouses. We don't have the capacity to expand. Our transportation is one of the things that the courts love because that's the number one way that people pick up bench warrants. They don't get to court. We are getting folks to court, we are providing wraparound services for them. We don't have the capacity to expand. And then also our STOP program is being used both for the courts and by the jails as well. And those numbers have been pretty well as well. I think of the 60 people the jail have placed in the program since they have started it, only four have absconded. So that's showing that people are actually staying. in the program, but once again, we don't have the capacity to.

Let me just say, I am clear that no one has the capacity to do all that you would want to do. That's a given. I think the point of today's conversation, this motion, is to, if you have the opportunity, to think creatively. Yes. And I'm clear about JCOT's pretrial role, and it's important to stem the tide of people entering the system. Do you see, we're going to put resources to the side, just for a moment, that there is a role JCOD could play beyond the pretrial services? Is there an appropriate role for JCOD to play to not only stem the tide, but play a role in reduction those that are already incarcerated?

Yes, I kind of see it in three places. I think one of the places that we could do more work is sort of in the jail and reach place, starting with folks when they're in custody, helping to get them stable, developing those relationships, starting the case management to be able to move them through. So we already have that relationship built with them. I don't think we do a very good job in serving women, to be honest with you. I think that's a population that we've underserved. We spend a lot of time on the men, but we don't do enough in the space in the women's jail. And we know about the levels of trauma that exist there. So that's a place that I would like for us to do better and to do more work. And then I think the other thing, the number one way that I think people forget to keep a person from going back to the system is employment and purpose. And so we've seen really, really, really good outcomes when we've been able to help a person to be able to have the supports they need and to do work, you know, and to have, you know, a trade, a job, an education, something that actually reminds them that they have a purpose and things to do well. And so we've had pretty good outcomes there. I think we could also do more.

I appreciate that. That might be the kind of connection you were talking about, Madam Chair, even though it might not be directly with the unique population at ODR houses, but what role Jaycott plays, I think, across the board. Thank you for that. If I could circle back to mental health on my initial question, in terms of where do you see your responsibility for driving solutions for jail closure? Good morning.

Good morning, Supervisor. Thank you for that question. I think that we have kind of looked at our efforts in being in four areas. I think one is looking at how we can reduce inflow. The next is really looking at increasing opportunities for diversion and places to go so that diversion becomes accessible. a realistic opportunity for folks. The third is to increase community capacity for post-release. And the fourth is to keep our eye on legislation because we know that as there are legislative changes, our population changes and the needs change.

With your third in terms of supporting and expanding the community capacity, how are we doing there?

Well, one of the things that we've been working hard on is increasing our treatment bed capacity. So as you know, we have had certain requirements for a number of treatment beds that we have to come up with. And DMH is actually ahead of schedule and a little bit above the number that we had been committed to. So by the end of this year, we will have brought on about 2,000 additional treatment beds, close to 2,000.

And that's kind of across, as you've showed us in the charts when you present, that's kind of across the spectrum of varied needs across levels.

And that is really treatment beds. I think another really exciting thing that we're working on is we're expanding the Clubhouse International model in the Department of Mental Health. This is a model that is now a Medi-Cal benefit. It's a new Medi-Cal benefit we can opt in for, and it will support our ability to build programs where Clients have a place to connect, find purpose, find meaning. It connects them with employment, with going back to education. We've been studying Fountainhouse in New York City, and we've been looking at what their results have been. They have a lot of data behind their, I think it's like 70 years of practice. And we've seen some really, really promising impact they've been able to make. So I think that besides having treatment beds, I think that is a very necessary first step for people to be able to access the most appropriate level of care. Beyond that, people need to have a place where they can feel like they can belong and connect. find meaningful activity and find purpose. And so we're building out sort of our entire continuum to support that so that post-release people will have high acuity beds to go to. We have an expansion of our FSP, our full service partnership, so that for those folks for whom outpatient is not intensive enough, we have and our FSP ICM programs that we've expanded. We'll have about 14,000 slots altogether. Of course, many of those are occupied now. We are building out more robust outpatient programs because we believe that if we invest in outpatient, we can hopefully avoid people needing higher acuity. And then, of course, we're building out our fountain houses. inspired clubhouse models as well.

Two quick follow-ups. Going back to the 2,000 beds, as I think about seeing those when you're presenting, are any of those kind of reserved or designated for incarcerated people, or are you talking about you built out 2,000 beds across the spectrum?

It'll be like a little bit under 2,000 beds, and it'll be across the spectrum, but we do have certain beds that are focused on people who are justice-involved. For instance, the new LA General Campus that is coming online, the majority of those beds are funded with justice-involved funding-related dollars.

Okay, so if the point of Today's conversation in this motion is depopulation of MCJ. Give me a sense of how many of those 2,000 beds would be used to help toward depopulation.

We would use them when it's clinically appropriate. And I think if somebody is coming out and they are on, let's say, a temporary conservatorship or they're seen to need that level of care, they will access those beds. However, we've done a massive chart review with J-SIT. And I think out of the 1,250 total cases, we're at over 1,000 now that we've reviewed. And it does appear that the vast majority of the charts that we reviewed are really appropriate for lower levels of care and not the highest acuity, which was a little surprising to us given a lot of what we've been told. So I think the data is going to be very important to look at. We will do a summary once we've completed the chart review and share that, of course, with all of your offices and J-SIT. But I think for us to have a really good response to people who are being released and to try to get people out, we have to treat to target. We have to get people where they really need to be.

You said that it's a Medi-Cal reimbursable program. Was that still funded through the state this year through their Medi-Cal funding?

Do you know? It is continued. It's actually a new benefit, so it's probably too new for them to cut. Well, okay. All right. But we are also taking in people who are non-Medical as well into that program, so it will not just be for Medi-Cal recipients.

Appreciate it. Ms. Carter, my goal, as is the goal of my colleagues, is to get us closer to jail closure. I have a joke in my office, and I think I've said it here from the day before in terms of motion sickness. My goal is if we can get something done without a motion, great. When you look at the elements of this motion today and the direction I'm attempting to really go in in terms of bringing these groups to the table, do you think this gets us closer to jail closure?

The way that I see this motion, Supervisor, getting us closer to jail closure is in a couple of ways. I think it's helpful in that it affirms the board's desire to close MCJ and to look at all options for doing so. I think that's very helpful. The board has said that many times, but we have new information now and new challenges now. and a new budget climate now. And so affirming that, again, in light of the difficulty of the task and the challenges that we face, I think is helpful. I also think that the motion acknowledges the importance of aligning facilities to reduce our reliance on MCJ and ultimately close it, and emphasizes that all solutions, including facilities, should be informed by a multidisciplinary process that draws on the care-focused departments subject matter experts, justice system partners, and community stakeholders, and that's informed by Budget Reality's program outcomes and best practices, and I think that's helpful. We've talked a lot about some of the population reduction strategies, but if we are trying to maximize and align the use of our other facilities, I think it is helpful to have that lens of that multidisciplinary approach. And certainly, I think the departments have tried to bring that to even small renovation projects and alignment projects in the jail, like the new mental health treatment area in the IRC, for example, for folks coming in and presenting in the jail. That was just opened this year, and CHS was instrumental in that process. And also some of the work now that's happening in the design phase for the renovation and alignment for Pitch's Detention Center South for those who need moderate observation housing. I think those projects would not be the same without the insight and the expertise of the health departments and really aligning for the care that needs to happen in our jail facilities as well as to get people out of our jail facilities as fast as possible. And then I think the third thing that is helpful about this motion is it gives the CEO and county departments clear direction that closing MCJ must remain a goal, notwithstanding the budget pressures, and that when we invest in new programs in this space, we should do so with an eye to maximizing the impact on closing the jail. And I think county departments have already been working with J-CIT to always have metrics that capture this type of impact, and this motion seems to emphasize that that should continue.

I appreciate that. Mr. Nikita, you have a tough job. So from your perspective, how should the county align services, department priorities, budget decisions with depopulation strategies to ultimately get us to closure?

It's quite the puzzle. I think the way I conceive of it and the way we're talking about it in the CEO's office is all tools are on the table. So that means programs, It means case processing reforms, which don't, case processing reforms, by the way, don't cost as much, but there's a lot of opportunity to reduce people's time in jail through case processing. And we're talking about facilities alignment. Those are kind of roughly the big three areas that I see as part of the puzzle. When we talk about next steps, and we've had a lot of internal conversations with Mr. Pinckney about what comes next after the board's directive to fund year one of the program side of it, A couple things are important. Number one is we have to make sure that all of our tools are represented in a plan for closure. So that means everything's critical. Number two is we have to scale it to our budget realities. It's not feasible to say we're going to implement something that we just can't afford budgetarily, which means we need to be strategic about where we make those investments early on. we need to think through what we invest in now versus what we invest in later because again everything's on the table everything's important and the second thing the last thing is we really can't we don't have the luxury of coming to the board with a completely 100 100 baked closure plan because there's a lot of unknowns and there's a lot of analysis and as we move into these we start funding programs and we move into this world, we're gonna have a better understanding of our outcomes and our metrics. We have to keep ourselves accountable to those outcomes, so if we invest $28 million in year one of programs, we should know what will that buy us, and we should track it. So I think when we think about what the next steps look like, it's probably going to be a combination of those three things, programs, facilities, and case processing reforms, scale to our budget availability. And then we want to make sure that we can fund these things in a sequence that gets us to ultimately the closure. I'll say one of the things that we talked about last time, that was exciting was the ability to start to close floors at MCJ or modules at MCJ. Now, there's some challenges on the operating side for law enforcement, and I don't want to speak for the sheriff, But if we can hold ourselves accountable to those outcomes, then we can start to see progress. Whereas today we've seen a lot of work, we haven't seen progress on closure per se. And so I think that really is the next step is what do we present to the board in a way that we can finance it or fund it? What creativity can we come up with on the funding side? And then what metrics are we expecting to achieve and how do we hold ourselves accountable to that?

Thank you very much. That was a comprehensive, helpful answer. Madam Chair, thank you.

Thank you, Supervisor Horvath, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to thank you, Supervisor Mitchell, for bringing this motion forward. I know when people say we need a motion to get clarity, I know what that feels like. So I fully support you in that and keeping the county focused on pathways towards the closure of MCJ. I too agree that it's important to emphasize a multidisciplinary approach. to jail closure and especially the role of our health departments. I'm frequently reminded of the high number of individuals in our jails that are facing charges under Prop 36. Often these individuals who have multiple nonviolent crimes and that could be diverted to substance use treatment facilities if and when those programs have capacity. I'm also a strong proponent of departmental goals, benchmarks and recommendations and of tying J-CIT and its work to the respective departments. and, of course, our county's budget, which I think you very clearly outlined in your line of questioning. We know it's far more expensive to care for someone in jail than in community, and so I know we can do more, and I'm hopeful that our current efforts improved by this motion will accelerate our work to close the jail, so I want to thank you for that, and I'm very supportive.

Thank you. Supervisor Hahn just moved momentarily. I'm sure she'll be back. But I too wanna thank all of you for the work that you're doing, because I'm reminded that back in June of 2021 is when I authored the motion to create a J-SET. And it's taken us some time and I get it. There's a lot of different factors and different powerful interests that move us in different directions from the original goal. And I'm glad Supervisor Mitchell that you continue to say and the board repeats itself by saying that we have to have that as a continued goal that Bend Central Jail should be closed. And it's a matter of how we get there and the layering and all the things that you're doing, the reports that you're bringing to us now is very useful and helpful to remind us that we still have to keep our are foot on the pedal, so to speak. And I don't have a lot of time here on this board, but these issues are so challenging for us and a big priority for, I know, the public and for people who have of family members that are currently in our jails. And I just have to say that we have to move with some speed. And I think given the circumstances financially, with our own budget, the state and the federal government, we are gonna have to perhaps in the future work with less, but that doesn't mean you lose creativity and innovation and a different partnership. Maybe sometimes looking at how we did things because we did them that way for 10 or 15 years isn't relevant and give it some flexibility and maybe that's how we start addressing more capacity to serve people in need. And I just want to say when I got here, most 12 years ago, my agenda was don't rebuild Men's Central Jail. We don't need it. We can go to other off paths and get the help and treatment that people need. And it takes a long time to do that, I have no doubt in my mind, because now I know in my district, we used property. We didn't have to go out and buy property. We used the county resources to build recuperative beds and sub-acute beds. And now we're gonna be opening up, even this coming week or so, more beds. And the purpose was to address people with mental health and substance abuse. And I know some of my colleagues here have the same concept, Restorative Care Village. And we have to step out and up and up our game in that capacity because the time it takes to build these beds is just incredible. But there are some good people on our staff, I would say, public works and others and contractors and people from the state that helped us with some of these grants to help build these beds. But it's sustaining it and expanding it. And it doesn't always have to be on county property. by all means, let's look at other places, but let's start doing it in concert with community. And I think that's where sometimes we get lost. And I know that's a criticism that I have heard, heard it even from people who said, why do you have to build anything on your county property? And I'm, well, guess what? I'm trying to make a point. Trying to make a point that this kind of treatment is so needed. And I'm sure, and I know it has helped to reduce people from reentering homelessness and even going back to the jails. And that's why. And these are not locked facilities. We can't have them locked. But they're at that level that I know have made a dent. And I bet you if all of us here were to put our heads together and see that progress continue, we can make the difference so that we do depopulate the jails. And we just have to continue with that treatment and advocate for more flexibility in the formulas that fund these projects, especially the IMD waiver that we know is catastrophic, not just for us, but for other places around the country. So I continue to have faith in you, but there has to be some more urgency here. by all means, and money is tight. So now we really do need to work, I think, at a faster pace. So I really thank you, Supervisor Mitchell, for bringing this forward and reminding us why we started this venture. And it has to continue, and I know you're going to help to carry that, and members of this board will carry that baton as I look back on you from afar, 3,000 miles away, I hope, and hope to come here and see that there is more progress being made. I know there will be. because of the commitment of this board and our CEO. Well, be nice.

Supervisor Hahn, you're recognized. Be nice. Thank you. Yeah, and I had a lot of questions, but a lot of them have been answered. I think we've kind of run the gamut of all the departments and what you have been doing, what you could be doing, what you see yourself doing in this role. I remain not quite as optimistic as you, Madam Chair. I am really frustrated at this process. And I know Will and I, we were chatting in the back and you felt like it was going in the right direction. But for me, it just seems like You know, we are nothing against motions. That's how we operate. And that's how we bring things to light. But it seems like we are motioning this jail closure week by week by week by week. And in my view, you know, Joe is certainly at the helm of this will, as I've said before, the quarterback. This is the team. And this motion seeks to center these multidisciplinary subject matter experts in conversation, I think is used at different parts of the motion. So my question is, how does this actually work? Does this team that I see before me Have conversations except for in a board meeting in front of the supervisors as a response to a motion. Do you meet regularly? Will, do you like call them all together? Are they offering you their expertise or are they waiting for us to motion it or you to ask for it? How is this going to work? And if it's not gonna get closed in your supervisorial lifetime, Madam Chair, it's probably not in mine either. I have two and a half years left. So, you know, the torch just keeps getting passed. But I'm frustrated in it seems like when we're all together, you know, there's great suggestions, great expertise. You all are really the smartest people in the room all the time. And yet then when we go away, I'm wondering. How does it continue? And Will, maybe you can give me some sort of confidence that these conversations, as we're calling them, are literally happening and that you're taking their ideas, you're giving them ideas. How is this going to work?

Thank you, great question. As we talked about in the back, you know, I understand the frustration. I think when I first spoke before your board back in April last year, I said I understand the urgency. I understand the frustration of people long before my time here, right? Yes, we do talk. We have meetings every four to six weeks where we all come together as sort of the decision makers. My team works with all of their teams. I joked in one of the, I think, custom meetings on a regular basis, probably to the point of annoyance, but a good annoyance. We challenge each other. They are critical to the production of our quarterly reports. In terms of the information, you know, my goal as the quarterback I see in my team as, you know, working with the departments is to look at what is happening and to supervise the Lisa's point, not just focus on, well, this is the way we've already done, always done it, but to promote innovation. And I think and I feel there has been innovation. I let my colleagues speak for themselves, but we do meet regularly. I'm on the phone with all of them at some point during a month. We just met with our colleagues in DMH yesterday. Clemens, you know, speak to all the time and trying to help them identify funding opportunities. So we are constantly engaged. I do understand how, you know, when we're not here, to your point, if you don't see things, it seems like things aren't happening. But I would say that's not accurate. But I can understand why people feel that way. So we will continue to do that. I think it's three things that are important to the urgency of the work. And I talk about this a lot when I think about strategic leadership. One is meeting to set goals, which we do. The other one is trying things in real time. People are frustrated. There is an urgency to this. We can't wait till everything is fully baked. We need to try things in real time. We've launched pilot programs. I'll talk about other things that people are trying to do. And they don't need us just alone. They're doing it on their own. And then it's the metrics that the CEO talked about to say, how are we doing? I do think we need to give some time sometimes that Sometimes in this type of work, and I know the judge can speak to this because she does a lot of this, we don't give enough time to this type of work as we do to other work. We don't accept failure in the same way in this work as we do other work. We should be critical. We should ask questions. But we should also give things time to happen and to take root. So those are the three things that we do that I hope give you confidence.

Yeah, I appreciate that. Because again, we've given you, while everyone is, we're all responsible, you are really responsible. Yes, definitely. We have given you that responsibility. But I'm thinking most of the time when we're together, I think you're going to hear from me and maybe some of my colleagues, we want to know, we're grilling our department heads saying, what more can you do? Can you be more innovative? What more can you do? So it feels like that's the constant frustration. And do you ask that question of them? Are you asking Dr. Wong, what more can you do in terms of mental health, either for helping us to keep folks from being in jail in the first place or once they're in there, how do we successfully get? I mean, are you asking those questions? Because it does seem like that's what we're always wanting to know. So I can't speak for my colleagues, although sometimes I try. So we must be feeling you're not doing enough or we wouldn't ask that question. We must believe in our hearts that you could each of you could do more or we wouldn't keep asking that.

So yes, no, no. Once again, I mean, you're right. Like that is the key, especially in these fiscal times. The challenge in fiscal times, but just generally around this work, what more we can do. And I do ask that question of my colleagues. That's how we even got to the point of the required actions because we asked those questions was feasible. I will tell you there's been a conversation that we've been having for a couple of months with Dr. Wong, Dr. Clemons, Dr. Belovich, around, and I know Dr. Tsai isn't here anymore, Dr. Hurley has taken over, but talking with that group around what are some innovative things we can do around mental health treatment for people, whether they are court order release or just release generally, that can take part of the best practices of the work that the court is confident in, judges are confident in, What can we create? And we we're having that conversation and we're about to reconvene that conversation now that we've gotten past a lot of the heavy work of the required actions. Right. And this is that work that I mentioned continues. So, yes, I do ask those questions. That's an example of that. But listen, I did some I led violence prevention work in St. Louis a long time ago and, you know, was like a key spokesman to your point, like. being charged with it, right? And I used to talk a lot in the media about every time someone died, I felt responsible, right? It wasn't my responsibility personally, but I felt responsible. And I bring that same thought to this work, right? The longer this is going on, I feel responsible, of course, because I want to make this successful. And that drives me. So I know it drives my colleagues, but we think about those things.

Yeah, well, I appreciate that because I you know, there's no question that this this board, this current makeup of this board has been committed to closing men's central jail for over five years. And so we're committed. You saw us in this budget process appropriate, you know, that other that twenty eight million. So you've seen us put our money where our mouth is. And it's just I want to get the sense that that we don't have to continue motion every aspect, although I don't know what we would do if we can motion everything.

But you know what I mean?

No, I know. Listen, my colleagues, I'm sure they want, they don't want any more motions either. No, but I agree with you.

You know, it's like we want the report backs. Yes, we will. But, you know, really, we want it. We want to figure out how to close it. That's where we want to get. And I hope by motioning or asking for report backs, we don't take time away. uh from you do but it's a it's a it's actually a constant um conflict exactly uh we want the information but i do know that every time we ask for report backs it means that you're not doing something else so um thank you will i appreciate uh your honesty and your transparency and i thank you to all the departments who we are rowing in the same direction it just feels like um you know it's not happening fast enough yeah no thank you yeah thank you madam chair okay thank you uh

Before that, seeing no other questions from my colleagues, let's go to public comment at this time. And I'll ask the panelists if you could sit tight in case you need to hear from the audience. Go ahead.

Will the following individuals please come forward and staff will assist you. Claudia Jerez, Dr. Critical Truth Bay. Caller with phone number 818, last two digits, 95. Your line is open. Please state your name and begin. Caller with phone number 818, last two digits 95, your line is open, please begin. All right, we'll go to the next caller. Roy Humphries, your line is open, please begin.

Yes, 2026, still talking this to death. The two criminals deserving of incarceration at Alligator Alcatraz are the four Democrats on this board and Sheila Kuehl, of course. with lesbian and transgender guards to make it comfortable. You compound the problems by cutting the funding of the system and failure to expand the system is perverse. County board members and their staff should adopt a jail inmate to show their dedication to the cause. And you can always go to the Chinese for consultation. They could take care of this problem like overnight. Thank you.

Thank you. Janet Asante, your line is open. Please begin.

Hi, my name is Janet Asante. I'm with Dignity and Power Now and the Justice LA Coalition. I think that this motion was necessary and I thank Supervisor Mitchell for bringing it forward. It's very clear that Joseph and Maggie have received their promotions, but I think there's something really nefarious about the conversations around expanding facilities. We know that expanding the facilities costs billions of dollars. It's ineffective and that MOH housing and ODR costs a quarter of the price. So when I hear CEO Deputy Joseph saying, you know, we need to examine what 28 million buys us, and we've seen how the CEO moves in the CCJCC meetings, what is $4 billion buying us? We know that there's a press conference tomorrow representing 14 of the families whose loved ones have died in custody this year. We know that $4 billion going towards LASD buys us settlement after settlement, and we've never been in compliance with the DOJ lawsuit. So I hope that under Maggie Carter's leadership, we're exploring additional options, as stated by Supervisor Mitchell's motion. So thank you very much.

Thank you. Caller with phone number 818, last two digits 95, your line is open. Please state your name and begin.

Good afternoon or good morning. My name is Eunice Hernandez, LA City Council member representing the first district where Men's Central Jail and Twin Towers are currently located. I'm also the co-author of Measure J and have been a former commissioner of the GRAC, LA County ATI member, and someone who has been fighting for the closure of Men's Central Jail and the creation of a decentralized system of care. And I'm here to speak in support of Supervisor Mitchell's motion that would center multidisciplinary subject matter, expert leadership, and jail closure. I believe that it's a step forward to center the experts that have been doing this work and embed them into the jail closure process. But you all have the responsibility to deliver on MCJ closure. We need you to fully commit to not building new jails or replacing MCJ with anything else other than thousands of new multidisciplinary beds to deal with substance abuse, mental health needs, co-occurring disorders. And please, and finally, building out a community-embedded pre-child system. We literally made sure Measure J included language that prioritizes pre-child services. Thank you.

Caller with phone number 310, last two digits 65, your line is open. Please state your name and begin.

Yeah, how you doing? My name is James Nelson. I'm with DPN and Justice LA. And I'm just calling to say thank you, Supervisor Mitchell, for raising this motion. And it is a shame we have to keep raising motions to get this jail closed. It's been, what, over five years now? But ODR is a program that's proven to work. It's a shame that they only have 2,000 beds. I just visited one of ODR's transitional house and had a meeting with the folks that's in that house. And, again, though, they have proven that they work. And it's crazy just to know that the BOS don't even know how Jason works. But, again, it just sounds like everybody kicking a can down the road while everybody continues to get paid for the work that they're supposed to be doing. But at the same time, our community members is dying in that jail. And Will said that, you know, he takes it personal why this happened. Everybody should be taking it personal. you know, one way or another, because we know that the jail is out of compliance, and we know that it needs to be closed, and we know that we all should feel compelled.

Thank you. Anthony Robles, your line is open. Please begin.

Hello, I'm Anthony Robles, resident of District 1. I'm also a DCN in Justice Alley. The motion itself gets the House Department involved more in the leadership of closing this jail. But we also heard that ODR is looking for funding for one of their programs not to be downsized this year. And that falls on the board. We need, I know we keep hearing about the budget being tough this year because of federal and state things. But, you know, somebody who never struggles to find funding is the Sheriff's Department. But the House departments always have to fight and fall for any extra funding. And they are so essential, as we can see with this motion, to closing these jails. And so we really need more to fund the House departments as they step up their leadership in this process, along with funding the Public Defender's Office. We know that with all the cases that Prop 36 brought up earlier, There's more cases being heard in the courts, and there's not enough infrastructure, not enough public defense.

Thank you. Caitlin Player, your line is open. Please begin.

The bathroom is clean. Oh, okay. The bathroom is full clean.

Caitlin Player, your line is open.

Hello, my name is Kaitlyn Player and I'm an intern for La Defensa and I am speaking today in strong support of item number six. True partial footprint reduction requires shifting away from punitive systems and centering public health, mental health, and community-based care, bringing multidisciplinary subject matter experts into the leadership jail closure planning is a critical step towards ensuring that LA County's Care First Jail's last vision moves from policy to real world implementation. By utilizing experts in public health, supportive housing, diversion, and lived experience, the county can safely scale down the jail population while building out the necessary community resources. I urge the board to vote yes on item six to keep jail closure efforts moving forward transparently and effectively. Thank you.

Thank you. Benny Moore, your line is open. Please begin. Benny Moore, your line is open. Benny Moore. Okay, Anthony Arenas, your line is open. Please begin.

Anthony Arenas, lifelong resident of Supervisorial District 3 with Dignity and Power Now, as well as the Justice LA Coalition, speaking alongside 140 people that I assisted in writing your offices since just yesterday. The fact that 140 other people, your constituents, took time out of their day to write the board speaks to the urgency and importance of jail closure for your constituents. Supervisor Mitchell, thank you for taking actionable steps to implement a true Care First Jails Never LA County. The community will stand alongside you in this effort to make true what you and other board members committed to doing, which is closing Men's Central Jail. The community would be better served by fully funding all seven initial jail closure implementation team recommendations. And by standing firm with their recommendations, you're demonstrating your dignity and power Now is the time to divert funding away from the Sheriff's Department.

Thank you. James Sakamatsu, your line is open. Please begin.

Hi, my name is James Takamatsu with Dignity Empowered Now and the Justice LA Coalition and Care First California. Speaking in support of this motion, I want to thank Supervisor Mitchell and her office for putting forward this motion and taking direct action to try to get this jail closed. I had other things I wanted to say, but the conversation was very frustrating to hear. Like others have stated earlier, it's crazy that J-CIT's been around for five years and the board still doesn't know how they work. Like, how do you not know that they meet with these board members or these departments already? It's very frustrating. And then to put the bulk of the responsibility on J-SIT is insane. The responsibility of closing this jail falls on the supervisors. Don't think because J-SIT's here leading the... plan puts that responsibility on them it's on you so don't take a back seat and try to put blame onto will and jayce's team it's on you and then secondly it's pretty obvious that the ceo leadership in the ceo office is in lockstep with hawkman and luna in building out a new facility i don't know whether it's um in thank you xenia moreno your line is open please begin

Hi, my name is Zinnia Moreno with La Defensa and I support this measure because I support the county holding itself to its word and closing MCJ. I want to thank Supervisor Mitchell for this motion for centering multidisciplinary expertise. However, the arguments over what amount to pennies compared to the Sheriff Department's budget are incredibly unproductive. The Sheriff Department is going to ask for $35 million in this very meeting for item 33, even though we already spend millions at the end of every single board meeting in settlements. for the people that they kill, they harm, and that they sexually abuse. Fund ODR, close MCJ, and do so without spending billions towards a replacement by funding all seven JSA recommendations. Thank you.

Thank you. Madam Chair, there are no other remote speakers to address the board. Remote participation for item six is concluded. We will go to our in-person speaker. Please begin.

Hi, good morning. So I was trying to get Mr. Guillermo Vienna Rosa that should be added to this panel. So first and foremost, if you really want to shut off Men's Central Jail, you would have done it a long time ago. There's no oversight, especially with DMH. Ms. Wong saw Dr. Jonathan Sharon the other day, and he reminded me how there are fighters for directors of DMH, and they are just people who just sit there. There's a lot of misappropriation of funding going again because there's no oversight. One of the things that I wanted to address is the behaviors of the probation officers. They have a big stake in how somebody rehabilitates when they go in there and how they come out. You don't need no more beds. You need mental health training. with some of our officers. I'm not blaming everyone. I'm just saying some people have more mental health issues than the actual people incarcerated. And you are not doing oversight enough to really see that. And as my son has been through the system, I can tell you firsthand, it's not catered to black and brown. So please, everybody in this panel, do your job, close mental health to jail.

Thank you. That concludes the time for public comment on item six.

Madam Chair, item six is before you.

Thank you. Moved by Supervisor Mitchell, I will second. To approve the item, Executive Officer, please call the roll.

Supervisor Mitchell?

Aye.

Supervisor Mitchell, aye. Supervisor Horfath?

Aye.

Supervisor Horfath, aye. Supervisor Hahn?

Aye.

Supervisor Hahn, aye. Supervisor Solis?

Aye.

Supervisor Solis, aye. Motion passes. Madam Chair, we're now going to return back to consent items, and then we will take a vote on that and move over to item 9 next. So on the consent items, the items to approve, and we're going to exclude item 23 due to the inability to obtain a quorum of qualified members. So this item is going to be administratively carried over by the executive office. So this item number three is due to the recuses of Supervisor Solis and Horfath paired with the absence of Supervisor Barger. And so the executive officer will be administratively continuing this item to the meeting of September 1st.

Can we just get a clarification? So it's not being continued. It's being, you're just going to make it happen administratively? Correct.

So my office is moving it to the September 1st meeting.

And is that...

That's the correct supervisor. It's being continued administratively to September 1. Oh, because no, I got it.

I didn't understand it. So it is coming back to the board. Yes. Oh, okay. I thought you meant you were just making.

Right?

Yeah. Yeah. Okay, pose a voting for it and then having it continue. I'm moving it.

Right. Right. Proceed.

Okay, so the items to approve are going to be items 1 through 5, 7 and 8, 12 through 22, 24 and 25, 27 through 32, 34 through 57, 58A and 58B, 61, 1D. These items are before you.

Thank you. Moved by Supervisor Mitchell, seconded by Supervisor Horvath to approve these items, with the exceptions noted by Executive Officer. Executive Officer, call the roll.

Supervisor Mitchell? Aye. Supervisor Mitchell, aye. Supervisor Horvath?

Aye.

Supervisor Horvath, aye. Supervisor Hahn?

Aye.

Supervisor Hahn, aye. Supervisor Solis?

Aye.

Supervisor Solis, aye. Motion carries. We will now move on to item nine. which is establishing a county office of gender equity, which was held by Supervisor Horvath. For members of the public joining us remotely to comment on this item, please use the raise hand feature if you are online or press star three if on the telephone. There were no departmental speakers requested for this item.

Great, Supervisor Horvath, you're recognized. Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm excited to speak about this motion, which asks our CEO and Department of Public Health, in consultation with County Council, to explore the feasibility of creating a county office of gender equity. As we know, there has been a gap in this space since the Women and Girls Initiative sunset in 2024, and we've spent time thinking about what the next phase of this work could and should look like. Earlier this year, our gender impact assessment program was honored with the 2026 Cities for CEDAW Global Leadership Award by the UN. I was honored to be part of the team that accepted this award on behalf of the county. and had the opportunity to speak with our departmental representatives and leaders in the CEDAW space from across the country and around the world. Those conversations inspired more thinking around how we can and should do even more, especially at a time when women, transgender, gender expansive, and gender nonconforming people continue to face attacks on our rights, our healthcare, and our safety. Los Angeles County is one of the largest local governments in the world. The decisions we make affect millions of people, but inspire billions more. That gives us both an enormous responsibility and an enormous opportunity to lead. Our CDAW work and gender impact assessment program have given us a strong foundation. But for too long, our gender equity work has been siloed without a central entity responsible for coordinating and advancing this work. which makes it harder to collaborate strategically, to leverage resources, and to build on what's already working, an Office of Gender Equity would help change that. It would work across all our county departments, bringing subject matter expertise and helping align existing programs, services, and initiatives around gender equity. Most importantly, it would make this a sustained part of how Los Angeles County operates, not a short term effort. This work requires sustained leadership, long term investment and the courage to redesign systems so they work for everyone. I've heard from advocates and community members throughout the county who believe this office is needed and that this work matters, and I agree with them. And I wanna thank the advocates, the GIA program staff, and everyone across the county who has championed this work for years. I see your efforts, I am incredibly grateful for your leadership, and I'm excited about what we can continue to build together. Thank you. Thank you, Supervisor Mitchell.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair, and thank you to my colleague for elevating this issue. I was really proud back, and I think it was 2021, to co-author the county's ordinance on CEDAW. It certainly felt completely appropriate given the composition of this board itself that we step up to the plate. I do want to elevate an issue and then bring forward an amendment and hoping the author will be open to it. This is really important work that goes without saying. At the same time, I have concerns about potentially establishing a new county office given the current fiscal health, or lack thereof, and financial challenges facing the county as a whole as well as the Department of Public Health, which was named as one of the lead departments for the report back. You know, last year alone, Department of Public Health faced more than, and I think this is a conservative number, $60 million in extraordinary fiscal challenges due to the federal funding reductions, labor costs, disaster and disease outbreak related expenses. I know that they are proposing to tap into the emergency funding this board passed to make available to that department. So as resources become strained, I think we need to be thoughtful about what additional responsibilities we're asking departments to take on when they are having to leave some of their current work kind of on the table. And so before we move toward establishing a new office, I would like for us to first have a clear understanding of what already exists across the county included in the report back, but also be really clear if we're going to ask if we're going to create a new office, ask a department to fund it with existing resources. We need to be clear about what work they're currently doing, that they'll have to stop in order to do the new work we're asking of them. it was my understanding that based on the recommendation from the former commission, that a number of departments across the county are doing some of the work, are doing some of the gender equity work. And so there may be opportunities to better coordinate those efforts, address gaps, leverage existing infrastructure before creating an entirely new office. So for that reason, I'd like to introduce an amendment that would be added as directive F as in Frank, and that says the report back should include a comprehensive assessment of county departments, initiatives, and staff engaged in gender equity efforts in order to identify and document existing work and gaps across the county. That would be my proposed amendment, just asking that we pause, understand what's happening, identify the gaps, that would help clarify for us what work needs to be done to determine if an office should be established and also to figure out where the resources would be coming from and potentially what work would end in order to fund that work. So that would be my ask of the board.

Thank you, Supervisor Mitchell. This work was assigned by CEO Davenport to DPH, removed from the CEO's office. So there are both staff and resources assigned to DPH, which is why we were directing for them to continue that work. We've spoken with CEO Nikita about how we see this work advancing, because I know as we're looking to them to steward what will be the report back to all of us, he had questions just along the same lines you did. So what you are asking for is already intended by the motion, and if spelling it out more clearly helps, we are certainly receptive to that and accept your amendment.

I appreciate that. I just want to make sure that that work is done before we assume that an office would be established. So I appreciate you accepting the amendment. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Okay, with that, I also support the motion before us. I think it's very, very important, something that I know I've spent a great deal of years working on as well, helping to establish the Women and Girls Initiatives. And that was something that Sheila Kuehl and I worked on. So seeing no further questions from the board, let's go to public comment.

Will the following individuals please come forward and staff will assist you. Claudia Jerez, Dr. Critical Truth Bay. Roy Humphreys, your line is open, please begin.

Yes, thank you. How absurd that you waste our time, energy, and our money. This Los Angeles County kids just work the numbers. You're broke. You are bankrupt. And you're bankrupt in more things that's called ethics and morality. And if you want to find out what equity is, if you use this word equity, and I would never suggest that anybody's stupid, okay? But this goes in line with this Democrat... garbage that we're all subjected to and abused by. And you're abusing the people of this county and the resources, the so limited resources that we have. To say you're disgusting, that has given you too much credit. You should be removed. The four Democrats should resign immediately.

Thank you. Madam Chair, there are no other remote speakers to address the board. Remote participation for this item is concluded. We will go to our in-person speakers. Please begin.

Good morning. Claudia Jerez, DPSS DWC. I have to say something very brief about this. I am a former ICMS case manager for Downtown Women's Center, and we have a high number of individuals that are identify as gender, and I work along with them as staff, and I understand a lot of the struggles that gender identity people go through. I think it is necessary to make an assessment of what is working and what is not working so that you'd be able to appropriately put the resources in place for that. I do believe that there is a need to have support and to feel that you are part of a community. So that's what I can say. Thank you. Next speaker, please.

Hi, this is Dr. Critical Truth Bay. I am a policy analyst for the UN. And this actually is very important. I'm proud of this agenda as a woman. Attending the Commission of the Status of Women this past March, you have talked about the violence against women. in all, not only this country, but globally. And I'm really proud that you bring, especially Supervisor Horvath, bringing this to light, what's needed. So anyone who identifies as a woman, whatever the case may be, that they are protected by all costs. A lot of women in Skid Row, a lot of them that live in the tents that are removed, are subject to rape every night. So this is a major issue that we're asking for this board, if this agency is created, to address primarily and to have women who suffer through domestic violence as well to be protected. So bravo to this agenda. I look forward to seeing it to its fruition. And great job. Five women on board.

Thank you. That concludes the time for public comment on Item 9. Madam Chair, Item 9 as amended is before you.

Moved by Supervisor Horvath, I'll second. To approve the item, Executive Officer, please call the roll.

Supervisor Mitchell.

Aye.

Supervisor Horvath.

Aye.

Supervisor Han. Aye. And Chair Solis.

Aye.

That item does pass. We will now move on to item 10, implementing a pilot to authorize emergency room physicians under the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act to improve the alternative crisis response system in Los Angeles County, which was held by Supervisor Han. For members of the public joining us remotely to comment on this item, please use the raise hand feature if you are online or press star three if on a telephone. There were no departmental speakers requested for this item.

Supervisor Horvath.

I think it's mine. It's mine.

Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I apologize.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Horvath is my co. Thank you. You know, colleagues, over the past years, we've worked hard to build up LA County's alternative crisis response system where mental health professionals respond directly to a person experiencing a mental health crisis rather than relying on armed law enforcement. We've expanded our mental health crisis response teams and now have 71 teams operating around the clock seven days a week. And the data shows that it's working. At the same time that calls to 988 and our county's mental health crisis line have gone up, calls to law enforcement that relate to mental health issues have gone down. And arrests related to mental health crisis have dropped by almost 25%. This is encouraging data, but our mental health crisis teams still take too long to respond to some of these calls. And one of the reasons why our response times are still so high is because our teams spend over 1,000 hours every month responding to local emergency rooms where they are authorizing 5150 holds. 5150 holds are where a patient experiencing a mental health crisis is determined to be a danger to themselves or others and is placed under an involuntary 72-hour hold. And doctors at our county hospitals have long been authorized to 5150 their patients. However, there are at least 35 private hospitals across our county where the doctors are not authorized. This means that when one of the 35 hospitals has a patient who is in danger to themselves or others, they call our county response teams to initiate the 5150 hold. And this has been a huge drain on our resources. It would benefit everyone if more of these non-county hospitals were authorized to conduct psychiatric holds themselves. Our crisis teams could focus on what they were designed to do, respond to the crisis out in our communities, and ER patients could get evaluated more quickly by hospital staff right then and there. And thanks to a new state law, this is now possible. Emergency room physicians are now eligible to be trained and authorized by our Department of Mental Health to conduct those 5150 holds. So that's what this motion will do. It will direct our Department of Mental Health to implement a pilot with the top five ERs who utilize our crisis response teams to train physicians at these hospitals to be authorized to conduct 5150 holds by the end of this year. And just for everybody's information, the five top hospitals are Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, Providence St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, UCI Health in Lakewood, Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance, and UCLA West Valley Medical Center. The motion also asks for a plan to expand the pilot beyond these five highest utilizers so that by the end of 2027, all non-county, non-authorized hospitals in Los Angeles County can have ER physicians trained to conduct 5150 holds. I have high hopes for this pilot program. It will free up our county crisis response teams to focus on the emergencies out on the streets or in people's homes where people are more vulnerable and risk of harming themselves or others. I am really looking forward to seeing the outcome of this pilot program and for the expansion to all of our eligible hospitals so that our county teams can focus on responding quickly to community crisis. Because we know that many times minutes is what matters when someone is having a mental health crisis. And then the emergency room patients can still have the urgent crisis support that they need. Thank you, Supervisor Horvath, for being the co-author of this motion.

yes thank you i thank you supervisor hahn for bringing this forward and for allowing me to co-author um this motion i know you have been passionate about this topic investing in many ways and i want to express my strong support for the implementation of ab416 what and what it can mean for people experiencing behavioral health crises across our county Every day, individuals experiencing serious mental health crises arrive in emergency departments throughout Los Angeles County. In many cases, the emergency physician standing at the patient's bedside has already evaluated the individual, understands their medical condition, and is responsible for determining what happens next. but that physician may not be eligible for the Lanterman-Petras short designation necessary to initiate an involuntary hold. AB 416 gives us an opportunity to change that. By allowing counties to make emergency physicians eligible for LPS designation, we can empower appropriately trained physicians who are already at the patient's bedside to act when someone meets the legal criteria for involuntary evaluation and treatment. Our emergency departments face tremendous pressures, and when someone is experiencing a crisis, unnecessary delays affect everyone, the patient, their family, hospital staff, first responders, and other patients waiting for emergency care. AB 416 can help us reduce those delays, improve coordination between hospitals and our behavioral health system, and make better use of the highly trained medical professionals who are already caring for those patients. It can also reduce unnecessary reliance on psychiatric mobile response teams. When an individual is already safely inside an emergency department, and being evaluated by a qualified physician, we shouldn't need to take a psychiatric mobile response team away from serving people in crisis in the community to bring them back into our hospitals simply because of a gap in LPS designation authority. This is where government gets in its own way, and we have a common sense solution before us today. However, the goal of AB 416 should not be more holds. Involuntary detention involves fundamental civil liberties. The goal should be better and more timely decisions made by qualified professionals who understand both the clinical needs of the patient and the legal protections established by the Lanterman-Petra Short Act. implementation matters. Expanding eligibility must be accompanied by county training, clear standards, appropriate oversight, documentation, and a strong commitment to patient rights. I look forward to the report back from the Department of Mental Health that will outline these important trainings and protocols Ultimately, when someone reaches an emergency department in crisis, our system should be prepared to respond immediately with compassion, clinical expertise, and respect for that individual's rights and dignity. AB 416 is an opportunity to improve how our entire system responds to people in crisis. Thank you.

Thank you. Supervisor Mitchell, you're recognized.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair, and I'm going to thank my colleagues for bringing the motion forward. Authorizing emergency room physicians to conduct 5150 evaluations is really a practical fix that cuts wait times for patients in crisis. It's not a new idea. The county first piloted this model back in 2016 with Martin Luther King Community Hospital, our safety net hospital in South LA, as the anchor site. Since then, MLK Community Hospital has continued this work. On an average shift, its emergency room holds roughly six patients a day under a 5150 psychiatric hold. So I look forward to the expansion timeline and hope to see more hospitals in the second district as well as countywide onboarded in the next phase. Looking forward to supporting the motion.

Great. I too want to join my colleagues and thank you, Supervisor Hahn. I know how this is such a close issue for you and has been, and also for Supervisor Horvath. I just want to say that I too am very supportive. I think treatment by trained professionals is obviously always very, very helpful. And knowing that this program will expand to areas like our Pomona Hospital, which is in dire need of support in many ways, can be a solution. So I look forward to supporting the motion. Seeing no other colleagues on this item, let's go to public comment.

Will the following individuals please come forward and staff will assist you. Adeline Fagan, Claudia Jerez, Dr. Critical Drouffe. Roy Humphreys, your line is open. Please begin.

Yeah, and these matters are partly where I've worked, that you have to look for the choke point. Where is the choke point? Under the most ideal conditions, you have all these physicians making all these judgments. And if the ERs have the capacity to handle the load on any given moment, any given time, then where and how fast can you get those persons out of the emergency rooms and into a facility? That is the choke point. And it needs to be resolved. But you took on this task, so it's in your court. Thank you.

Thank you. Madam Chair, there are no other remote speakers to address the board. Remote participation for item 10 is concluded. We will go to our in-person speakers. Please begin.

Good morning, Chair and Supervisors. On behalf of NAMI Westside Los Angeles, thank you to Supervisors Hahn and Horvath for bringing forward this important motion. By allowing trained emergency room physicians to conduct 5150 evaluations in non-designated LPS hospitals, we can help those in crisis get the help they need, reduce delays, and improve patient care and outcomes and a chance at recovery. As this pilot moves forward, we encourage strong training, oversight, and collaboration with families, community organizations, and people with lived experiences to ensure every evaluation is conducted with dignity and compassion. This is a practical step towards strengthening mental health care and improving crisis response across LA County. We encourage a yes vote on this motion. Thank you. Next speaker, please.

I have to say that physicians already do that, 5150. I believe that you are going to implement a new sort of emergency pilot. I have some experiences with that, but that is totally private for me. But what I can say is that physicians already do it. And I would look forward to see how the implementation of it could change. I have some recommendations on that, just because I've experienced some items. I know that the medical system does work, because I've been in hospitals and I have recovered, and I have been cured, so I can really see that. Thank you. Next speaker, please.

Hi, Dr. Truthberry, policy analyst. So I'm clutching my pearls right now because I thought that this was already implemented in hospitals as far as 5150 holds. The LPS Short Act should certainly be administered in downtown LA hospital, Hollywood Presbyterian. The motion for this particularly, It's self-explanatory, it's definitely needed, but how long will it take for this pilot program to actually launch is the question. I really thought this was a countywide initiative already implemented, but the fact that you have it on the agenda today says a lot. So we can expedite the help, because any type of compassionate care towards 5150 holds is much needed. It's never enough, and it's always welcome. So I look forward to seeing the report back, and thank you Horvath and Han for putting this item on. Thank you.

That concludes the time for public comment on this item.

Madam Chair, item 10 is before you.

Yes, Supervisor Han moves, seconded by Supervisor Horvath. To approve the item, Executive Officer, call the roll.

Supervisor Mitchell? Aye. Supervisor Mitchell, aye. Supervisor Horvath?

Aye.

Supervisor Han?

Aye.

Supervisor Solis?

Aye.

Motion passes. We will now move on to item 11, board policy on water conservation and sustainable landscaping, which was held by Supervisor Horfath. For members of the public joining us remotely to comment on this item, please use the raise hand feature if you are online, or press star three if on the telephone. Rita Kompiloff, Chief Sustainability Officer, and Rebecca Ferdman, Policy Director, Chief Sustainability Office, are available for questions. For the departmental speakers, please state your name and title for the record when you address the board.

Thank you, Supervisor Horvath. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to our esteemed panel for being here. I know this is your report and I thank you for the work that you've done. Los Angeles County sits within a globally recognized biodiversity hotspot. and is home to more than 4,000 species of plants and animals, including more than 50 endangered species, more than any US county outside of Hawaii. Our mountains, rivers, coastlines, and deserts support ecosystems found in few other places on Earth, but this biodiversity is under pressure from urbanization, climate change, invasive species, wildfires and pollution, and most recently, the Trump administration. Protecting native habitats is vital not only to local species, but to our communities. Healthy ecosystems provide clean air and water, help buffer extreme heat and flooding, support physical and mental health, and connect people to nature. Today la county has an opportunity to advance biodiversity conservation, while modeling sustainable practices that benefit both people and nature. The water conservation and sustainable landscaping policy will require native California landscaping. at 4,500 county-operated facilities, conserving water and enhancing local biodiversity across our communities. The policy will apply to new buildings, new landscaped areas, and existing properties undergoing substantial renovations, with limited exemptions such as recreational turf that must be tracked. I've been proud to champion several strategies to enhance biodiversity across Los Angeles County. including our community forest management plan to improve the health of our urban forest and address inequities in tree canopy, the blue ribbon panel on nature-based solutions to ensure our water investments enhance biodiversity and expand access to green space, the Integrated Pest Management Unit to reduce the spread of invasive tree pests, including the gold-spotted oak borer, the Coastal Resiliency Initiative to build living shorelines that enhance biodiversity while fighting coastal erosion, and wherever possible, acquiring land that supports conservation, wildlife connectivity, and access to nature. LA County has also joined the California Global Biodiversity Alliance and become a formal observer to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. These partnerships give us the opportunity to learn from best practices around the world and strengthen our local stewardship. I look forward to the lessons the county will gain from the COP 17 Biodiversity Convention in Armenia later this year. And I want to thank the Chief Sustainability Office and all of the departments that contributed to this policy following the board's passage of my motion last year. But you don't have to take my word for it. I'm going to ask a couple questions of our chief sustainability team. First of all, what are the major challenges associated with this updated policy?

Thank you, Supervisor Horvath. And once again, my name is Rita Complath. I'm the chief sustainability officer for the county. And I have with me Rebecca Ferdman from my team who really spearheaded the development and updated this policy. So we really see this policy as a critical step towards our overall county biodiversity goals. So the purpose is, first of all, to establish a water conservation and sustainable landscaping standard for county departments. So we want to ensure efficient water use, but also use those opportunities to promote biodiversity and long-term ecological stewardship through California native plants. So compared to the previous version, which was really primarily focused on water conservation, This updated version now also addresses the use of native plants as well as best practices to support implementation. The native plants portion of the policy is probably the most significant change over the previous version as it now requires the use of 70% native plants at county facilities.

And why is it not enough to just have drought tolerant plants?

Yes, so native plants are climate adapted to our region. So first of all, as I think you've kind of noted, many of them are already drought tolerant, and they are already a great strategy for water conservation. But they also include many other benefits, provide many other benefits. So they support local biodiversity, they create habitat for insects, and also support birds and other wildlife. And as you've mentioned, we are dealing with a nationwide biodiversity crisis. They're also more resilient to all sorts of climate conditions, and they adapt well to those conditions across different ecosystems. So while they can also reduce water consumption, they also reduce other types of resource consumption, like fewer soil amendments and pesticides and less maintenance, like mowing and leaf blowing once they're established.

And how do you expect county departments to prepare to successfully implement this policy? Do you anticipate challenges that they'll face, and how can you support them in that work?

Thank you for that. Yes, and I want to, again, express gratitude to all the county departments who were such great partners in doing this revision. very open and supportive of everything. So the policy contains two requirements aimed at successful implementation because we did want to address that. One is making sure that we're updating contract requirements and also training requirements for our staff. So where the county relies on contractors, we want to make sure that the contractors that we're working with can demonstrate that they can handle native plants. So we want to ensure that they survive once they're planted and we're putting in those resources. At facilities where county staff maintain our landscapes, we also want to make sure that the staff have appropriate training to ensure that they can succeed in supporting our native plants. So our office has some specific plans to support that. We will be continuing to work on implementation after hopefully this policy is adopted by your board. Some of the work that we're going to be doing is identifying local capacity at nurseries and making sure that that's available. But also, you know, working with external partners and also helping departments create contracting language. We'll also be assisting departments in accessing the required training that may be identifying existing resources that are available that we can pull together for county departments to access as well.

So just to reiterate, you know I think you're offering a lot of help and support to departments in this process, I know that. Sometimes when we adopt requirements, it can feel like additional layers that people have to navigate, but I would say, from what I heard you identify not only is this important when it comes to our conservation efforts. But it's also important for when it comes to our safety and especially when we're thinking about wildfire prevention, sometimes our best intentions and bringing plants into our county spaces backfire because we are choosing species that contribute to wildfires and contribute to other challenges that actually increase safety challenges. So if people don't get behind your work because they believe in conservation, because they're not convinced about our changing climate, hopefully they can understand from a safety perspective that these policies are done with that sort of intention in mind, not to make it harder to green our county, but to make it smarter in how we green our county. So I thank you for that.

Thank you, Supervisor Horvath. I too wanna thank you and also our Chief Sustainability Office for bringing forward this request because in the last part of my term, I've seen so many changes in terms of landscaping uses whether it's our parks, whether it's recreational areas, or whether it's helping to sustain facilities like health care facilities and interim housing. All of these things play an important role, and especially with the climate change occurring at such a... vast speed and what we're expecting with El Nino upon us already today. I mean, we've been feeling it even more increasingly in the last month or so. And I just want to point out that I'd really like to see more happening in terms of work with youth. so that they also are trained and given opportunities. So I know we do a good job with some of our groups now, the Conservation Corps, California Conservation Corps, and others, but what about in-housing some of the resources that we give out through the Youth at Work through DEO, because I know there's opportunity for youth that are at risk and those that are just needing to have a job, but learning about a new way of life, and they can take those skills home. I've seen it demonstrated in one of our parks, Whittier Narrows by La Cultiva, a group that actually brings and nurtures in students and young people, but it is an experience of a lifetime for our young people. It would be great to see something like that expanded throughout the entire county. So I just want to say that. And with water conservation on our minds, I also want us to think about what we do in the future in terms of data centers. They're popping up. whether we like it or not in the county and in, well, I won't say in the county of Los Angeles, but also in incorporated cities. And I think I keep continually hearing people's concern about water conservation and use and how valuable our practices need to be to protect that. So I hope as we move forward that that's something that will be a focus for you as well. So with that, thank you very much. Seeing no further questions, let's go to public comment, Executive Office.

Will the following individuals please come forward and staff will assist you. Melina Watts, Claudia Jerez, Angie Schrader, your line is open, please begin.

Hello, it's Andy Schroeder. I was one of the initiators with then Councilmember Paul Koretz of the City of Los Angeles Biodiversity Index and a founding member of the California Global Biodiversity Alliance. I urge your full and unanimous support for Supervisor Horvat's updated and transformative motion. Los Angeles sits in a globally recognized biodiversity hotspot, yet for decades our urban landscape and development has fractured critical habitats. When we launched the city's biodiversity index, our vision was clear. Subnational leadership must lead where higher levels of government lag. Cities and counties are where the policy meets the soil. This motion translates vision into concrete, scalable action. Updating the county's policy to prioritize California native plants, restrict artificial turf, and integrate traditional ecological knowledge honors the deep wisdom of local tribal governments and restores our degraded ecosystems, soil health, and water resilience, which is especially important.

Thank you. Jeremy Wolf, your line is open. Please begin.

My name is Jeremy Wolf. I am the mayor of the city of Agora Hills, and I want to thank the board of supervisors for the incredible work they do every day on behalf of the residents of Los Angeles County. But I am calling in today with strong support for item 11, which is the board policy on water conservation and sustainable landscaping. As mentioned by the speakers, it checks so many boxes from improving local biodiversity, improving air quality, supporting pollinators and wildlife, capturing stormwater and it creates healthier communities. And a huge thank you to Supervisor Horvath for being such a biodiversity champion and her staff. I respectfully urge the board to support this. Thank you.

Thank you. Dustin Herrmann, your line is open. Please begin.

Good morning. I'm calling in on behalf of tree people. Dustin Herman, the principal scientist there, and our strong support for this item. We applaud the county for advancing this motion that recognizes the stunning beauty and the critical importance of California native ecosystems. In this motion, the county is establishing a model that reflects the interconnected nature of our challenges and our solutions to those challenges. Importantly, it moves us away from just responding to the hazards around water resource management and puts us on identifying the actual positive futures that we want to pursue. And looking to the future, we know nature-based solutions are among the most cost-effective investments that governments can make to address the growing impacts of climate change while improving public health and quality of life. Thank you for your leadership and your commitment to building a healthier, more resilient, and biodiverse LA County.

Thank you. Rosie Daggett, your line is open. Please begin.

Thank you. I am here today to encourage the approval of this and adoption of this amazing effort to integrate and institutionalize and prioritize native plants. It's a great step forward toward trying to rewild our entire county. Having examples on county property of beautiful natives and trees and other plants not only increases biodiversity, it also provides inspiration to private property owners to think about how they could incorporate these into their landscapes in their own hometowns and their own home places. Dr. Doug Thalamy has shown that having native plants in a mosaic throughout an urban system is critical towards supporting native insects and native birds primarily, but it also does a great amount of good just in terms of all the egos. Thank you.

Roy Humphreys, your line is open. Please begin.

Okay, thank you. I'm rather just stymied by this situation. I called a local water board person in which he fell off his chair and went to drinking on the issue. What the heck is with this one? We are, the Western United States is in a huge drought situation. I've sent all the Board of Supervisors multiple articles on the situation. And then we have the data center situation. We're in a heck... And we have Archuleta State Senator come up with this 1274 thing. What the heck is this? You people are so behind the power curve on this water situation and data centers. You're an embarrassment to governance. And that's why we can't get rid of you fast enough. You're disgusting. And I would say more, but I don't want to lose it. Thank you.

Thank you. Caller, your line is open. Please begin.

I'd like to speak to an aspect on water conservation. During the pandemic, I was watching my favorite new program, Looking Out the Window. During a torrential rainstorm, water was pouring from the skies. Looking down, water was rising from the ground. Due to the ignorance of automatic landscaping sprinklers, this it this this issue came up. I'm hoping that the county will move forward in terms of having all public and private landscaping land water sprinklers be outlawed because if there's nothing worse in a drought to watch people ignorantly have water during a rainstorm. Thank you for your consideration.

Thank you. Madam Chair, there are no other remote speakers to address the board. Remote participation for this item is concluded. We will go to our in-person speakers. Please begin.

Hello, my name is Melina Watts, and my novel Tree is the story of a California live oak, so you know where my heart is. In suburban areas, 70% of our precious imported water goes to non-functional turf. With climate change, this is a criminal misuse of our natural resources. Transforming non-functional turf to California native plants can reduce this number by half overnight. This is a survival issue. For all the species that evolved to live in Los Angeles County, from hummingbirds to bobcats, from monarch butterflies to southern steelhead, these beautiful animals need California native plants as habitat. By putting this in our gardens throughout LA County, you guys are creating space for them to live and thrive alongside people. Thank you, Supervisor Horvath and the entire Board of Supervisors for caring about the non-human beings with whom we share LA County. I appreciate you.

Thank you. Next speaker, please.

So native plants are a symbol of our identity and our connection with our environment. Since resources are scarce, we must have restraint is necessary for all of us. I think being self-disciplined It's very difficult because we don't care. We go in the shower and we just take like 40 an hour shower or two hour showers. So restrain, self-discipline, be meticulous about what you do. And I believe that... there should be an understanding that native plants must survive, therefore we must do this, we must be restrained, be self-disciplined, we must be meticulous about what we do, and of course, youth can learn that. They can learn restraint, to be self-disciplined, and to be meticulous about what they do, and of course, their parents can help them, right? But yeah, so plants, survival is necessary, and they have to do all these things. Thank you, that concludes the time for public comment on this item.

Madam Chair, item 11 is before you.

Moved by Supervisor Horvath, seconded by Supervisor Han. To approve the item, please call the roll.

Supervisor Mitchell?

Aye.

Supervisor Horvath?

Aye.

Supervisor Han?

Aye.

Supervisor Solis?

Aye.

Motion passes. We will now move on to item 2D, supporting a regional continuum of care, which was held by Supervisor Horfath. On this item, the board will hear the item as a board of supervisors and the board of commissioners of the Los Angeles County Development Authority. For members of the public joining us remotely to comment on this item, please use the raise hand feature if you are online or press star three if on the telephone. Sarah Mahan, Director of Homeless Services and Housing, and Emilio Salas, Executive Director of Los Angeles County Development Authority, are available for questions. For the departmental speakers, please state your name and title for the record when you address the board.

Thank you. Supervisor Horvath. Thank you very much, and I want to thank Supervisor Barger for joining me as a co-author on this motion. This is an incredibly uncertain time for the federal continuum of care funding. Multiple lawsuits are being litigated across the country, and the situation is changing by the day. But even amid this uncertainty, some things remain clear. The Los Angeles region must do everything we can to protect this COC funding and the more than 10,000 people who rely on these resources to stay housed. This means our continuum of care must not fracture as we work together to preserve and protect these critical federal resources. This motion makes our path forward abundantly clear. We must maximize funding by maintaining one unified LACOC, The county stands ready to support our continuum of care and take on any roles the COC board designates for us to lead. The county must partner with the COC's largest grantee, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, to minimize disruptions to COC-funded programs, and the county will coordinate with all cities and unincorporated areas as appropriate to ensure equitable access and distribution of COC resources. Let there be no confusion. Los Angeles County is ready to partner. In fact, this board authorized the submission of a letter and communicating our intentions to this effort, including and especially partnership. And that is what LA County intends to do. We're ready to lead and we will do everything in our power to protect this funding and keep people in the places they already call home alongside our city and community partners committed to working together. So for Emilio and for Sarah, how are HSH and LACTA preparing to implement any components that the COC designates for you to lead?

Sarah Mann, Director of the Department of Homeless Services and Housing. As you just referenced, on July 24th, LACDA and HSH transmitted a letter to the COC Board letting the COC know that we were making a formal offer to provide one-time interim support for continuum of care roles. if they're needed. In this letter, we provided information around our qualifications to perform those functions. It is important to reiterate that this would only occur if the COC delegated authority to LACDA and HSH to assume those roles, and that we would have to do that in close collaboration with the City of LA and HACLA. For the roles that HSH has offered to assume should it be needed for HMIS and CES, we have begun to do work to analyze what it would take for us to be able to assume those functions with minimal disruption. That includes looking at the various types of agreements, IT systems, what the capacity would be needed to maintain those, as well as the different types of legal agreements that would be needed to execute it. And I'll turn it over to Emilio.

Emilio Salas, Executive Director of Los Angeles County Development Authority. In addition to what was mentioned by Sarah, for LACDA, our role would be to act as a collaborative applicant and submit the application if and when that time comes. And specifically, we are gearing up to identify staffing requirements, system requirements, as well as any outside consultants that may be needed to enhance our subject matter expertise. But we're also dusting off the playbook that we've used many times before to respond to emergencies, and we've got quite a bit of experience in making sure that we are flexible and pivot to meet the moment.

And I know that you've communicated to us that it is not our preference to have to step in in this way, but we need to make sure that we are prepared to do so to ensure that funding can continue to come to our region. So I just want to make that clear, and I know you've communicated that to us as well. I think we were a little surprised by some comments which were unlike our proposal to the COC that were made in court on Friday, where the mayor expressed a desire to have the city of LA go it alone. And I'm not sure she has agreement from the council or community partners on that, but in any event, what would the risk be to our region's funding if the city of Los Angeles broke away from the LA COC to form a new continuum?

What I really want to emphasize is how important it is that we continue to work together as a region to protect the $240 million that's keeping over 11,000 people housed today. There's also a lot of infrastructure that's needed to maintain a successful continuum of care. It's a complex program with complex sets of requirements and requires coordination across the city and county. especially given how there's interconnectedness between the county services that are going and being paired with the COC housing resources. Those two things are linked and need to maintain that sort of connection. And we are just stronger together as a region.

And I would say, you know, the express concerns from many leaders in the city of Los Angeles are well documented. So given their concerns, how will you outreach and partner with the city of L.A., affirming the county's commitment to partnership?

Supervisor, we've got a longstanding relationship with the city and have really a real long history of partnering very closely together on all things housing related. I can tell you from the LACDA's perspective, we've worked very closely with HACLA from the very onset of this emergency and have had a lot of conversations and dialogue. In fact, even just recently when we jointly found out that we were going to be able to absorb all of our emergency housing voucher holders to the HCV program, We issued a joint press release. When we talked about big status families, we issued joint webinars to make sure that we have an aligned message and that we are working in close partnership. So this time will be no different.

And I'll just add from HSH's perspective, we work very closely with the city and we know that we will need to on this as well. And as soon as we saw the letter that was sent by the mayor and the council president, I immediately reached out to my counterparts at the city and asked to meet and to discuss and we'll continue that outreach. My team meets biweekly with every single council district in the city of LA to talk about street homelessness and their districts and to talk about their priorities and outreach activities that are happening. My team meets monthly with the mayor's office to be coordinating activities, and myself and my team meet biweekly with the CAO, the CLA, and LAHD. It's essential that the city and county are working hand in hand together.

And if I can highlight, I know our CEO has also communicated with your counterparts at the city of LA. Can you talk about who you're communicating with as well?

Certainly. So I've communicated directly with Matt Szabo, the city CAO, and we've had a number of conversations on what comes next. If the court were to rule in favor of HUD, I think it's important and emphasize with him in a conversation as early as this morning that we continue that collaborative planning. I know the city has their concerns. What I emphasize to him is that at least, you know, at least at my level and at Sarah's level and our work, you know, with the city is that we are open to discussing their concerns, what they want to achieve. their desired outcomes so that we can have a collaborative path forward. I think we all recognize that working together will solve many of the issues we've had for the last several years. And so I just wanted him to know that's where I was at and that I was welcoming the dialogue going forward.

I think that's really helpful and I'm belaboring the point because we have heard concerns expressed from elected officials about lack of communication or understanding, but it sounds like there is a lot of coordination happening at the departmental level and at a staff level. And so I think that's important to highlight, especially Director May and you talked about you know working directly with council offices and the mayor's office as well so having those direct communications i think is going to be essential going forward so it doesn't it's not just rhetoric it's um it's actually indeed how we are partnering with them and actively coordinating so i'm glad to hear that's happening thank you very much thank you supervisor supervisor mitchell

Thank you very much, Madam Chair, and thank you to my colleague for bringing the motion forward. I think it's important that we shed light on the battle and the battle we are facing is against HUD and the federal administration. Let's be clear who the target is. I support the motion. I believe we as a county should be prepared to act should the LACLC and the CLC board designate us. Residents, all eyes are on LA County. And when I say LA County, I mean 88 cities and our hundreds of unincorporated communities. And our collective strength is greater than the sum of individual programs. Residents benefit when our systems speak the same language, use the same metrics, and deploy resources strategically across the entire region toward a unified goal. So by bringing the city, County partners, service providers, and local jurisdictions together, we create a unified front with shared goals and coordinated investments, which I think builds a stronger case against the unified problem. HUD, and the federal government. Again, a regional approach amplifies each partner's impacts, builds a seamless continuum of services, and positions the entire region to respond more effectively to emerging needs. For all those reasons, I'll be supporting today's motion. Thank you.

Thank you. I'm sorry to jump in, Madam Chair. I just learned that we have federal representatives here locally today. I learned that Secretary Turner and Kennedy are also here in LA to talk about this issue. I guess it's been highlighted from their perspective as talking about the homelessness industrial complex in Los Angeles. And I just wanted to note that My office was not contacted by them to meet and talk substantively about the reforms and changes that they would like to see. I don't know if anybody else was reached out to. But I believe that if we want to make progress locally, we need to get in a room. We have to have the tough conversations. We need to talk about what can be done differently, but also what's essential to achieving success. And I think that publicity stunts are not the solution. I think what we need are... people who are willing to do the hard work. And I think that's what this motion intends and represents. I don't know if any of our department leaders were reached out to by the administration. No, neither of us were.

Neither, yeah.

Did you know they were coming? And I highlight that exactly as Supervisor Mitchell is saying. I highlight that because if there's a sincere intention to make reform that is meaningful and helps us accomplish goals and make progress, then it should come with collaboration and at least a discussion. And it might be a tough one, but it's one we have to be open to. And if there's no intention to even have a conversation, then I sincerely question whether this effort is truly about making something better or just about stirring a pot, making political headlines, but not really making a difference. And so I'm glad to see that we're taking this work seriously, that we intend to partner with our region and continue what we know works. Thank you.

Thank you. I'm not alarmed, Supervisor Horvath, by what's taking place on the political scene here today. It seems as though we have always been misled by the Trump administration on many aspects, on not just this one issue, but on health care and a lot of other things. It's not surprising and I think that's why this motion is necessary and we have to be prepared and be ready if needed to protect what we know a structure that's been put in place for many years and the relationships that we have and how important and indeed our constituents rely on this service. And there are many people that are employed in these programs that are doing hard, hard work that probably should be given more appreciation And we know that it's been really tough on many of the providers and those individuals that stand up these programs. And that's the real story and how we've been able to impact and in many ways, bring down the number of people that would be out on the street that are getting care. And that's really the most important thing. So I wholeheartedly support this. And I know that you two are doing the best you can. And I applaud both you, Supervisor Horvath and Barger for bringing the motion. And I know our CEO and our teams have been working very closely on this and time's a wasting, we have to move. So thank you. And with that, seeing no other questions from the board, EO, let's go to any public comment.

Will the following individual please come forward and staff will assist you. Dr. Critical Truth Pei. Roy Humphreys, your line is open. Please begin.

Yes, another disgusting moment. And you get what you deserve. But we don't deserve it. The four Democrats on this board and Sheila Kuhl of the past created the monster and allowed it going on because you wouldn't you want to take your left wing propaganda crap to its logical conclusion. And so we are all paying for your your. Again, I'm not trying to control myself. You people do not deserve to be in office. You are an existential threat to this state, this county, and everybody that you come in contact. And just look what the sheriff did over there on the beach area of the city of Los Angeles and cleaned that up where the county and the city hadn't done anything for decades. I got to turn it off. You people are just beyond disgusting.

Promise. Promise.

Thank you. Madam Chair, there are no other remote speakers to address the board. Remote participation for this item is concluded. Public comment. We will go to in person. Please begin.

Save yourself.

Okay.

Go ahead. Yeah.

So, Emilia Salas, your LACTA website needs improvement. If you're doing inspections from 7.30 to 5.30, honor that. Not at 3 p.m. So, before we jump to replacing anything concerning housing and homelessness, LACTA has to do some in-house cleaning. Moving forward, what should have been there, I should have seen one of you in David Carter's chambers on August 6th. Not Mayor Karen Bass, who called during lunch, but one of you to be in the room would have made a big difference. We can't demonize HUD when Los Angeles County has been the misappropriation homeless capital of the world. Hello? People are not trying to vilify people. Do the right thing. You got a whole agency that's asking for $241 million to keep 100 members of staff, not to house the homeless. Oop, that was a Freudian slip. And she said that in the chambers. I'm shamed. So let's not put the cart before the horse. Let's take it one step. Thank you. Next speaker, please.

Please begin. I am a former ICMS case manager. I work with the CLC individuals, and I understand how the program works. And so I believe that you are very, very important that you make an assessment and you make audits of these programs before you move forward with funding of $240 million. There is a lot of restructuring that you'll do, but... make your assessment, make your audits, ask questions from the workers, especially ICMS case managers that work with clients that have this COC bracket on them, and get some input from them. Get input from them, get input from the supervisors, all of them, and ask some questions. How does it work? How will this work, how this will work, in order to make feasible change for the county and save money, save time and all that. Thank you. That concludes the time for public comment on this item.

Madam Chair, item 2D is before you.

Moved by Supervisor Horvath, seconded by Supervisor Mitchell to approve the item. Executive Officer, please call the roll.

Supervisor Mitchell?

Aye.

Supervisor Horvath?

Aye.

Supervisor Han?

Aye.

Supervisor Solis?

Aye.

Motion passes four to zero. Madam Chair, we will, I believe we- I have one special. We do have a special and this is regarding the providing the county with additional tools to respond to environmental public health disasters. And we will be making a finding pursuant to government code section 5495 4.2 B2 that there is a need to take immediate action and that the need for action came to the attention of the board subsequent to the agenda being posted as specified in subdivision A. So we will need a motion and a second to vote on the urgency motion first and then- I move.

Okay. Do I have a second? Second.

Second by Supervisor Hahn. And then after the reading motion, then we will be discussing the public comment and then a vote. So we'll make a vote on the urgency motion first.

Okay.

Supervisor Mitchell? Aye. Supervisor Horvath?

She stepped out.

Okay, Supervisor Han.

Aye.

And Supervisor Solis.

Aye.

So motion carries on the urgency motion and you have your reading motion.

Okay, thank you very much. Colleagues, I'd like to read in an urgency motion for action today regarding legislation to respond to the lineage fire. After the agenda was filed last Friday, it was brought to my attention that there were a pair of bills that were moving forward in Sacramento in response to the lineage fire. And that includes legislation by Senator Durazo to give the county additional authority to impose additional fines on parties like Lineage who fail to address public and environmental health needs, as well as legislation filed by Assemblymember Mark Gonzalez that could provide the county with additional tools to address flies and vermin that residents of East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights are contending with now. Given the state legislature needs to pass their legislation before August 31st, which precedes our next board meeting, it is imperative that we give Lair and our departments the needed authority to engage on the legislation, these two bills in particular, as well as provide the needed flexibility to provide feedback or support on the bills after our engagement with the authors. To that end, I'd like to read in the directives of a motion for action today pursuant to government code section 54954.2 B2, I therefore move that the Board determine that there is a need to take immediate action and the need to take this action came to the attention of the Board subsequent to the posting of the agenda for today's meeting. I further move that the Board of Supervisors provide the Chief Executive Office's Legislative Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations Branch with authority to support legislation to strengthen the County's enforcement mechanisms to hold responsible parties accountable for public and environmental health emergencies, including but not limited to legislation that increases penalties that the county may impose on larger violators, provides county departments with additional enforcement tools to rapidly address vectors, pests, and vermin in response to local emergencies, and or provides the county with additional measures to weigh in on permitting processes for large industrial facilities, including rebuilding after an environmental disaster. As community continues to contend with the recovery and the fallout from this environmental disaster, I want to ensure that the county is able to leverage any additional tools can deem appropriate and at their disposal. So colleagues, I respectfully ask for your aye vote on this urgency matter. Okay, all right. Do we have any public comment on this item?

Public comment for the special motion. Any members of the public wishing to address the board? Please come forward. Madam Chair, there are no in-person or remote speakers who wish to address the board on this item.

Madam Chair, your reading motion is before you. We'll need a motion in a second.

Okay, I'll move. Do I have a second? Second. I have a second, okay.

Which one?

Han.

Supervisor Han, second.

And call the roll.

Supervisor Mitchell. Aye. Supervisor Horfath.

Aye.

Supervisor Han.

Aye.

Supervisor Solis. Aye. Supervisor Solis, aye. Motion carries four to zero. It is it is. All right. We will now move on to general public comment. At this time, we will hear from members of the public wishing to address the board on general public comment. This is an opportunity for the public to address the board on subject matters within the board's jurisdiction, but not on items on the meeting agenda. For members of the public joining us remotely, please use the raise hand feature of your online or press star three if on a telephone.

We will now call in in-person speakers and while they're coming forward, we will take remote speakers. Will the following individuals please come forward and staff will assist you. Mary Kukertz, Brian Barreto, Claudia Jerez, Dr. Critical Trupe, Robert Gambao, Papu Togafao. Danny Gonzalez, your line is open, please begin.

Good morning, everyone. My name is Danny Gonzalez, and I'm here on behalf of the Los Angeles LGBT Center in strong support of restoring $24 million cut from transition-age youth homelessness services. Transition-age youth services are critical for young people experiencing homelessness including LGBT youth who are relying on housing, supportive services, and consistent network of care to build stable futures. Disruptions of funding between fiscal years can have catastrophic consequences, really pushing vulnerable young people back into homelessness and instability. We urge the county to backfill the full $24 million, providing greater transparency around funding and implementation, and work closely with the city to ensure that there are no gaps in services. We ask that you make TAY homelessness services a priority and protect the young people who depend on them. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Madam Chair, there are no other remote speakers to address the board. Remote participation is concluded. We will go to our in-person speakers. Please begin.

Hi, good afternoon. My name is Mary Cookerts, and I'm a children's mental health researcher and child psychologist. And I'm here today because I'm part of a new initiative connecting researchers and local policymakers. More specifically, I'm interested in how I might be able to support you in a policy issue that you're having that affects children and families. So this could be anything like youth substance prevention, parental incarceration, child welfare, you name it. So after this meeting, I'll send you a follow-up email. And if you respond, then we can set up a short meeting for you and I to talk, for me to learn how I can support you and find more research on that specific topic. And then I'll create a short brief that's tailored to that topic you're interested in. And then we can have a discussion at that point if you're interested. And that's about it. This is free because I'm funded by the William T. Grant Foundation. I really thank you for your time. And I'm open to questions later today or another day. Thank you. Next speaker, please.

Hi, good afternoon. My name is Brian Barreto, and I serve as California American Water's Southern California External Affairs Manager. California American Water provides water to service in the Baldwin Hills, Ladera Heights, and View Park communities, along with nine communities in the San Gabriel Valley. I'm here to share that California American Water has recently updated our emergency response plan. Our ERP outlines how we protect, operate, and restore service in the water systems that we provide water during an emergency situation. California American Water, we value our partnership with the community. and remain committed to ensuring the safety and resilience of our water systems. We welcome ongoing coordination with the county and staff, and if you would like additional information about any component of the plan, please don't hesitate to contact me. I can be reached via email at brian.barreto at amwater.com or 626-388-7484. Thank you. Next speaker, please.

Yes, Claudia Hernandez, DWC DPSS. In reference to Directive 595-2B2, governmental mechanisms rebuilding from environmental destruction, I believe that we as a community should be responsible for all our actions and in our mishaps. I think that rebuilding from an environmental destruction, you need accountability, you need to identify possible hazards, have punitive damages, for individuals reimagine a new way forward through education and instruction, especially for young adults and children. Environmental destructions are very detrimental to our environment and what we see in lineage is a very, very good example of irresponsible behavior and just a lack of. Thank you, next speaker please.

Good morning. My name is Robert Gamboa with the Los Angeles LGBT Center. The 24 million in cuts to transition-age youth homelessness services threaten housing and critical supports for some of our county's most vulnerable young people. Even a short disruption in services between fiscal years can mean losing housing, stability, and trusted support systems. We urge the county to backfill this 24 million, provide greater transparency around implementation, and work closely with community-based organizations and service providers to ensure there are no gaps in care. Our young people cannot afford a disruption in the services they depend on. Thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker, please.

Good afternoon, Supervisors. My name is and I'm here on behalf of and the Los Angeles County Community Health Workers Representatives Consortium, a network of 104 community-based and health organizations working together to strengthen and elevate the CHW workforce across LA County. We want to thank Supervisor Horvath and the co-authors of Motion 8, promoting LA County's community health worker services for recognizing the vital role promotores and community health workers play in the health and well-being of our communities. This motion reflects values our consortium holds at our core, uplifting the community-centered workforce that meets people where they are, building real collaboration across county departments and community partners, and ensuring that the populations with the greatest need, including those identified in the 2020 expansion, are not left behind. We're especially encouraged by the focus on youth engagement, digital visibility, and data transparency because a stronger, more visible CHW program means more county residents can access trusted, culturally grounded care. We stand in full support of this motion and look forward to continuing our partnership with the county to bring it to life. Thank you very much. Have a blessed day.

Thank you. Next speaker, please.

All right, Truth Bay Palacianos. So I want to talk about the extended stay in Carson on Albert Tourney. I think the Wine Guard has possession of it. It's one example of... 200 rooms that are available for those who need acute care. I don't know if there's any plans to utilize it, but one of the things that I want you to be very mindful of in the next few weeks is that there are gonna be updates on availability for housing. Housing is not a problem. There's a lot of empty units out there. There's veterans out there that are getting their vashes, and they need to be housed. All we're just asking is that when we communicate, if we're calling Sarah Mahan, her telephone number or emailing her, if she's the point of contact, have somebody respond. It's just something simple. Have somebody respond. Don't let people linger and think, okay, nobody cares. Geeta O'Neill should not be in charge of Lhasa. she has absolutely no heart to even speak to people. So these are the things I want you to think.

Thank you. That concludes the time for public comment.

We will now proceed with adjournments.

Thank you. I don't have any adjournments today, so we'll start with Supervisor Mitchell, then Supervisor Horvath, and ending with Supervisor Hahn.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Colleagues, I move that when we adjourn today, we adjourn in the memory of Carlo E. Lomelli. Mr. Lomelli, the beloved owner of Lomelli's Italian restaurant in Gardena for 48 years, passed away July 26th at the age of 71. Mr. Lomeli began his restaurant career at the age of 14 as a busboy at Salas Italian Restaurant in Lawndale. Under the guidance of the Salas family, he discovered his passion for cooking, became Salas' main chef, and was ultimately entrusted with managing the restaurant by the age of 18. At 23, after gaining additional managerial experience and studying business management, Mr. Lamelli purchased Big Joe's Italian restaurant in December of 1978, renaming it in honor of his own family, Lamelli's, the following year. To commemorate the anniversary, he offered guests a celebratory 50% discount on dining meals, a tradition that continues to this day. Mr. Lomeli created a restaurant where everyone felt at home. He greeted guests warmly, remembered their names and favorite dishes, and ended each visit with his familiar, see you tomorrow. Many longtime employees reflect the loyalty and kindness he showed to all who worked with him. Mr. Lomeli's dedication touched countless lives, and his loss is deeply felt. He will be fondly remembered by his three children, Robert, Ray, and Laura Lynn, his family, friends, and the many customers who became part of his extended community. His legacy lives on through Lomeli's Italian restaurant, which remains a cherished part of the Gardena community. I move that when we adjourn today, we adjourn in the memory of Reginald Foreman. Mr. Foreman, a beloved community member, tragically lost his life on August 6th in Hyde Park at the age of 51. Through his work with Second Call, a nonprofit organization focused on reducing violence and supporting high-risk individuals, he assisted those returning home from incarceration and provided guidance as they navigated their transition back home. At the time of his passing, he was helping with a fence restoration project along Destination Crenshaw. He also enjoyed working with young people, especially as little league coach at Holly Park. His father shared, we're grateful that he was changing his life and we're glad that he came to know the Lord so we know where he is. Above all, Mr. Foreman was a loving son, father, and brother. He will be deeply missed and forever cherished. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Supervisor Horvath.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that when we adjourn today, we adjourn in memory of Norma Jean Vascovo, a resident of Van Nuys who passed away last month at the age of 90. For nearly five decades, Norma Jean dedicated her life to advancing the independent living movement and expanding opportunities for people with disabilities throughout Southern California. As one of the early leaders of the Independent Living Center of Southern California, she helped transform a bold vision into one of the region's most respected independent living centers, creating lasting opportunities for thousands of individuals and their families. Norma believed that every person deserves the opportunity to live with dignity, to make their own choices, and to fully participate in their community. Her leadership extended beyond programs and services. She inspired a culture of empowerment, accessibility, and inclusion that continues to shape Independent Living Center of Southern California's mission today. As the Center approaches its 50th anniversary, her legacy can be seen in the programs she helped establish and the countless lives strengthened through independent living services. Her compassion, vision, and unwavering commitment laid the foundation for an organization that continues to empower people with disabilities to live independently and to thrive. Norma's extraordinary contributions leave an enduring legacy that will continue to inspire staff, consumers, partners, and the broader community for generations to come. She is survived by her sister Darlene Waldron, daughters Frankie Sims and Gina Piscitello, daughter-in-law Sharon Vescovo, grandchildren Parker Sims, Jake Vescovo, and Ross and Mike Piscitello, and was preceded in death by her husband Albert and son John. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Supervisor Hahn. Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that when we adjourn today, we adjourn in the memory of Mona Bailey. Mona was the mother of Sonia Bailey, the executive director of our YWCA in San Pedro. She was born in New Zealand. Mona was a pioneer in both business and public service. She broke barriers as the first Pacific Island woman appointed to a national tribunal where she served with distinction on numerous government panels and commissions. Mona was deeply committed to helping young people succeed. Long before workforce development became a common focus, she created an innovative life skills and workforce readiness curriculum for at-risk youth, providing guidance and opportunity to young people who had too often been overlooked. And in recognition of her extraordinary contributions, Mona received one of the highest honors bestowed by Queen Elizabeth II for her service to her community and her country.

Mona is survived by her four children and 11 grandchildren.

And this is not an official adjournment, Madam Chair, but I just wanted to express my own sympathy and join the thousands, maybe millions of people here and abroad who are mourning the loss of Jackie. Our very own Big Bear Lake Bald Eagle, who passed away yesterday. And Jackie and Shadow have become such an interesting... that has brought people together. I know I've watched the nest cam many times and we watched her give birth to her eggs and her babies and watched the little chicks in the nest and it was a sad day. She was injured in a fight. a few weeks ago, and I just wanted to thank the staff who around the clock were working to help Jackie survive, but alas, she did not. So anyway, I just wanted to join all those who are mourning her loss and our condolences to Shadow.

I didn't have anything official, but I just wanted to raise two items. One is for those individuals in Columbia that lost their lives in the victims of the earthquake and their families that are here in LA County, that we remember them and that we send our best and we know that our firefighters, our special team may be called upon to go out there. So let's send them our best prayers and wishes. And then secondly, I just heard that one of my good friends and perhaps to some members here on the board, David Allgood passed. And he was the executive director for the League of Conservation Voters and many other things and a pioneer. in environmental justice for the last 30 years. I've known him and he's just a wonderful man. I'll be bringing that forward next time. I wasn't able to get anything together. So with that, Yeah, go ahead.

I'm sorry, because it's just occurring to me that we'll be absent. I learned just this morning that L.A. City Councilman Curran Price of the 9th District lost his mother, who was 100. I just learned this morning, and so because of our absence, I too will be bringing forward her name. But thank you for the opportunity, and thank you for letting us know about David.

SO WE'LL TAKE ALL THE MOTIONS AS SECONDED AND IF THERE'S NO OBJECTION TO A UNANIMOUS VOTE, THAT WILL BE THE ORDER. AND EXECUTIVE OFFICER, PLEASE READ US INTO CLOSED SESSION.

MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, THE BOARD WILL NOW BE GOING INTO CLOSED SESSION. IN ACCORDANCE WITH BROWN ACT REQUIREMENTS, NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS WILL CONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION TO DISCUSS ITEM NUMBER CS2, CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATORS, JOSEPH M. NIKITA AND DESIGNATED STAFF AS INDICATED ON THE POSTED AGENDA.

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Okay.

Okay, we're now back in open session. Executive Officer, please read the report of action.

The following is the report of action taken in closed session on August 11, 2026. Item number CS2, Conference with Labor Negotiators, Joseph M. Nikita and Designated Staff. No reportable action was taken.

Okay, that concludes today's meeting. And please note that the Board of Supervisors' next meetings of August 18th and the 25th are officially canceled. Therefore, the next regular meeting of the Board will be held on September the 1st, 2026 at 9.30 a.m. We are officially adjourned. Thank you.

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