Public commenters accuse county officials of failing to act on child‑abuse reports; county officials cite legal confidentiality

During the public‑comment period at the May 1 Human Trafficking Commission meeting several members of the public leveled allegations that county agencies, including the District Attorney’s Office, had failed to act on complaints of child sexual abuse and had, in commenters’ view, unfairly prosecuted or otherwise impeded reporting parents.

One commenter identified in the meeting as "Parent" spoke of alleged sexual abuse of children, said they had requested a screening from the Child Advocacy Center and said they had asked specific county officials to make referrals. "I asked Daniel Little to do one, and when he refused to do one, I asked Jeff Rosen to make a referral to the Child Advocacy Center so my children could have a screening, but he just completely ignored me," the commenter said. Another commenter, identified in the record as "Miss Jay," urged the commission to follow high‑profile local cases and expressed concern that prosecutors had not checked electronic device records in an investigation she mentioned.

Co‑Chairperson Young and commission staff responded to the comments by saying county officials are limited in what they may say publicly about open or suspected child‑abuse investigations. Young read a statement to the commission: "Because California law prohibits a disclosure of information related to an investigation of suspected child abuse or neglect, we are not authorized by law to speak to the specifics of any particular case, no matter how horrendous the allegations are." The chair also said county statute and practice requires child‑welfare departments to immediately cross‑report suspected child abuse to law enforcement and to the district attorney, and listed the agencies that participate in cross‑agency responses: the Department of Family and Children's Services, local law enforcement, the Child Advocacy Center and the District Attorney's Office.

Public commenters also raised other complaints about how criminal and family courts handle victims and defendants and about notification practices for victims in criminal cases. At one point the chair warned that personal attacks against commission members or staff would not be permitted during public comment.

The commission did not take formal action on the allegations made during public comment. County legal staff and the chair advised the public that statutory confidentiality and cross‑reporting requirements limit what staff can disclose about ongoing investigations; no contradictory findings or departmental investigations were reported during the meeting itself.