County probation presents broad facilities reorganization; board seeks more departmental and community input

Chief Probation Officer Guillermo Villarosa on Tuesday presented a “global plan” for Los Angeles County juvenile facilities that would consolidate several camp sites, repurpose campuses for gender‑specific and step‑down programs, and separate Los Padrinos into an intake/assessment program and a longer‑term facility for youth who remain in custody.

Villarosa said the proposal is intended to create “smaller communities” that are easier to staff and that can provide more specialized, trauma‑informed services. “Smaller communities lend themselves to providing better services and healing spaces for our young people,” he told the Board of Supervisors.

The proposal calls for halting intake at Camp Page and shifting those youth into two nearby camps, designating Campus Kilpatrick to house girls and gender‑expansive youth, consolidating health and pharmacy services at other sites and using existing vacant camp properties for a permanent training academy for probation staff. Villarosa said he expects Kilpatrick to be vacated of the current population by late summer and for other moves to proceed in staged timelines subject to licensing and state inspection.

Why it matters: Supervisors said the county needs a long‑term strategy for juvenile facilities but pressed Villarosa for more detail on staffing, licensing approvals, capital costs and how county departments — public health, mental health, the Office of Youth Development, education and others — would deliver services on the new campus footprint. Supervisor Mitchell expressed concern about moving predisposition youth before the Board and the state corrections board have signed off. Several supervisors asked that the plan not be implemented piecemeal without prior departmental sign‑off and community engagement.

County and provider roles: Deputy mental health officials said additional clinical staff would likely be required if mental‑health intensive populations were moved to Kilpatrick, and that hiring could take additional time. David Carroll of the Department of Youth Development told the board his office was surveying community providers for potential placement capacity and said more coordinated placements will be needed if the county seeks to reduce incarceration by sending youth to community programs.

Board response and next steps: Supervisors did not take action to adopt the global plan on Tuesday; the presentation was taken as a receive‑and‑file briefing. Members asked for quarterly (and in some cases monthly) updates and asked Villarosa to convene interdepartmental workgroups to provide operational details and timelines. Villarosa agreed to return with additional cost, staffing and licensing information and to engage county partners and community stakeholders in the coming weeks. He also said certain initial operational steps — for example, finalizing health services moved out of Central Juvenile Hall — could proceed earlier than larger capital reconfigurations.

Quotes and context: "If we don't act, we can't really resolve the problem," Villarosa told supervisors, adding that the plan sought to work “within what we already have” rather than to add new beds. Supervisor Hahn warned the board that large construction and renovation questions remain and that the county must ensure continuity of education, mental health care and staffing during any moves.

Ending: The board asked the probation chief to return with more specific plans, including engagement from department partners and a breakdown of anticipated timelines and costs. No vote or formal authorization to implement large capital projects was taken at Tuesday's meeting.