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Bill to trigger extra annual reviews for repeatedly cited youth facilities fails to proceed today
Summary
Sen. Alvarado Gill's SB 1109 would require an annual license‑renewal review for STRTPs that receive five or more Type A citations in 12 months; supporters cited repeated egregious violations and a May 25 fire at a Rite of Passage facility, but the motion did not receive a second and the bill was held in committee.
Sen. Maria Alvarado Gill presented SB 1109, the Accountability Before Custody Act, arguing that short‑term residential therapeutic programs (STRTPs) with repeated Type A licensing citations (the state's most serious) should trigger an annual license renewal review by the Department of Social Services. The author said the bill "simply requires the department to take another look before renewing the license of a facility that has repeatedly received the state's most serious licensing citations," and repeatedly noted that the measure "does not close facilities" or "create new licensing violations." (Sen. Alvarado Gill)
Alpine County Chief Probation Officer Brian Lowry and Calaveras County Chief Probation Officer Kim Craddock testified in support, describing high numbers of law‑enforcement calls (Alpine: 200 calls over five years; Calaveras: 91 calls in 2025) and limited local resources and long response times. Craddock described a May 25, 2026, fire at a Rite of Passage facility and community concerns about debris removal, potential hazardous material handling, runoff impacts and insufficient code‑enforcement follow‑through.
Committee members raised enforcement and implementation questions. The chair and some members signaled concern about whether additional statutory requirements were necessary given CDSS's existing authority; the chair recommended a "no" recommendation on the bill in the current form. When members attempted to move SB 1109, there was no second and the motion did not proceed; the author asked for reconsideration later but the chair explained the bill remained held in committee.
The debate highlighted competing priorities: protecting children and local communities from repeated serious violations while avoiding statutory changes that could unintentionally remove local placement capacity if not carefully crafted. Senator Alvarado Gill said the threshold of five Type A citations was deliberately chosen to target repeated egregious noncompliance rather than isolated errors. The committee did not advance the bill today; the author may consider revisions or further dialogue with CDSS and stakeholders.
