County jail inspectors report water, sanitation and medical-care problems; commission sends report to supervisors

The Los Angeles County Civil Brand Commission for Institutional Inspections voted June 9 to file and transmit a report to the Board of Supervisors after commissioners described persistent water-quality, sanitation and medical-access problems at several county jails.

Commissioners presented inspection findings from the Men’s Central Jail (MCJ), the Century Regional Detention Facility (CRDF) and the Intake Release Center (IRC). Reports documented leaking ceilings, buckets used to collect water, nonfunctional toilets and sinks, crowded holding cells lacking running water, brown or foul-smelling water in housing units, mold on shower ceilings, broken ADA shower tiles, and complaints of delayed medical responses.

"There was no running water, no access to any water, no food had been provided" for a holding cell the commissioners inspected, a report to the commission said, describing roughly 25–30 men held for about four hours after court without water or food. Commissioners also described human feces visible in some cells, flies, and sanitation conditions that prevented immediate access to showers and toilets.

At CRDF, commissioners reported brown water emerging from sinks and showers, pests in plumbing, mold in an ADA shower that caused condensation to fall on people using the shower, and a slip-and-fall hazard from broken tile. Commissioners said one incarcerated woman reported 11 days of unresolved constipation before receiving care; others raised complaints about delayed responses to medical requests.

Commissioners who inspected IRC said intake areas lacked clear signage; they praised one deputy who safely de-escalated a crisis but said the new mental-health assessment area offered little privacy during evaluations.

Public commenters included Anastasia Comaras, who identified herself as a Malibu resident and a candidate for governor, and Berkeley Donovan of ACLU SoCal. Donovan told the commission that nonworking televisions matter for recreation and mental well-being, urged better communication between custody staff and medical providers, and flagged ADA-access problems for people who rely on showers and mobility supports.

Commissioners asked staff to follow up with Correctional Health Services and to return matters for further discussion at the July meeting. The body voted to file and transmit the commission’s written report back to the Board of Supervisors; the motion carried among commissioners present.

The chair concluded the meeting by noting three recent in-custody deaths across county facilities — a 68-year-old man at MCJ, a 45-year-old pretrial man who later died in a hospital intensive-care unit, and a 48-year-old at NCCF — all pending final autopsy reports. The commission said it would continue inspections and follow up with custody health officials.

What’s next: commissioners asked commission staff to share the body-worn camera policy language they cited and to coordinate follow-up with custodial and medical departments ahead of the July meeting.