header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
March 18
1919 - Fire destroys abandoned second Southern Hotel, built 1878 in Newhall (corner Main & Market) [story]
Second Southern Hotel


| Friday, Jun 18, 2021
Sacramento, State Capitol Building

After a state-appointed committee shared a controversial plan to realign the justice system, which would place all of L.A. County’s juvenile offenders in two local camps, local legislators shared their views on their votes for the bills that made the plan possible.

The plans called for by Senate bills 92 and 823 — approved last year to realign the juvenile justice system by closing all of the state’s juvenile facilities by 2023 and putting offenders in local custody — drew the ire of many local officials this week, who contend there was no local stakeholder input in the plan’s discussion.

Christy Smith, D-Santa Clarita, who voted to support SB 823 while she was in office last August, said she approached the bill from an education lens as assemblywoman for the 38th District.

“When a young person is given a second chance, when they are given opportunities at rehabilitation, and the guidance and the support and the services to help them get there, they are much less likely to be recidivists to return to the justice system,” Smith told The Signal.

She said the goal of that legislation is to ensure that young people who have committed offenses aren’t “railroaded into a lifetime of incarceration.

“In the traditional juvenile justice criminal justice system, it was oftentimes much more about incarceration and sometimes at great risk to the young person, particularly if they could not be housed in an area that was anywhere near family or adult supportive individuals in their lives,” Smith said. “It can be a very isolating and scary experience which isn’t really providing the kind of supportive environment that that young person needs to be able to rehabilitate.”

Assemblywoman Suzzette Valladares, R-Santa Clarita, Smith’s successor, voted against SB 92, which establishes a separate path for “higher-need” youth with the intent of reducing the transfer of youth to adult jurisdiction.

“It’s upsetting that once again plans that could directly affect public safety are being announced without input from our community,” Valladares said. “This move could have a significant impact on the city of Santa Clarita, yet no one representing the city has had a chance to weigh in. Impacted communities deserve to have their voice heard.”

Assemblyman Tom Lackey, R-Palmdale, voted against both bills.

“It is irresponsible and disappointing for the state to shift youth rehabilitation responsibilities to counties,” Lackey said in a written statement. “Smaller counties already have limited resources and this bill just adds to the burdens they have to endure. This is not fair to our youth or counties.”

Sen. Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, also cast “no” votes for both pieces of legislation. Both were approved as budget trailer bills, meaning they did not pass through policy and appropriations committees before arriving on the Assembly and Senate floors.

“You know a bill is bad when Democrats jam it through the process at the last minute without proper committee hearings, transparency or public input, and still only received the minimum number of votes required to pass,” Wilk wrote in a prepared statement. “SB 823 barely passed the Senate because it was bad policy that puts victims at risk and increases financial burdens on counties.”

Sen. Henry Stern, D-Calabasas, voted in favor of both bills. Stern did not respond to a request for comment as of press time.

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

0 Comments

You can be the first one to leave a comment.

Leave a Comment


SCV NewsBreak
LOCAL NEWS HEADLINES
Monday, Mar 18, 2024
Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival Live Music Performers Announced
The 28th Annual Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival is back with your favorite musical performers and an exciting lineup of new acts.
Monday, Mar 18, 2024
City’s 2024 ‘Celebrate’ Lineup Released
There is so much to learn from different customs and cultures and you don’t need a plane ticket to experience it all.
Monday, Mar 18, 2024
March 22: COC’s Uniquely Abled Academy Robotics Graduation
On Friday, March 22, the Uniquely Abled Academy (UAA) at College of the Canyons will host a graduation ceremony for nine students who have completed the UAA’s pilot robotics training program.
Keep Up With Our Facebook

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
College of the Canyons notched its first victory at the newly named Mike Gillespie Field on Saturday, winning its second straight conference series, this time over visiting Bakersfield College, by a 6-4 final score. 
Cougars Notch First Win at Mike Gillespie Field
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- The Master's University hit 20 3-pointers, one shy of the program record in a game, to defeat the St. Thomas Bobcats 122-91 in the second round of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Men's Basketball National Championship tournament.
Mustangs Advance to NAIA Sweet 16
The Master's University baseball team lost a pair of 1-run games Saturday against the Menlo Oaks in Atherton, Calif.
Mustangs Drop Three Games to Menlo
The Los Angeles County Development Authority is excited to announce that its executive director, Emilio Salas, has been appointed to a two-year term to serve as a member of the national Strategic Planning Advisory Committee for the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO).
LACDA’s Emilio Salas Appointed to National Planning Advisory Committee
The 28th Annual Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival is back with your favorite musical performers and an exciting lineup of new acts.
Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival Live Music Performers Announced
REDLANDS — College of the Canyons track and field recorded a dozen top-10 finishes and established 30 new personal records while competing at the University of Redlands Invitational on March 15. 
Cougars Earn Top-10 Finishes at Redlands Invitational
There is so much to learn from different customs and cultures and you don’t need a plane ticket to experience it all.
City’s 2024 ‘Celebrate’ Lineup Released
Big Chicken, the star-powered fast casual chicken concept, which has a location in Santa Clarita, is fueling the mania for the Big Tournament with a nationwide Big Bracket Challenge.
Compete for Chance to Open Shaquille O’Neal Chicken Restaurant
California State University, Northridge’s Spring 2024 Cinematheque series will pay tribute to Hollywood casting director and producer Deborah Aquila, executive vice president and head of casting at Paramount Television Studios and CBS Studios, to mark the end of Women’s History Month on Wednesday, March 27.
Legendary Casting Director Deborah Aquila to Speak at CSUN
On Friday, March 22, the Uniquely Abled Academy (UAA) at College of the Canyons will host a graduation ceremony for nine students who have completed the UAA’s pilot robotics training program.
March 22: COC’s Uniquely Abled Academy Robotics Graduation
The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation is excited to announce spring has sprung at its local parks, including those in the Santa Clarita Valley.
L.A. County Parks Releases Spring Jubilee Dates
The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office released the list of six productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, March 18 - Sunday, March 24.
‘Bosch Legacy,’ ‘CSI Vegas’ Among Six Productions Filming in SCV
Unlike our children who enjoy a week-long spring break, we adults no longer have that luxury.
Ken Striplin | Register Now for Spring Break Camp 2024
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health cautions residents who are planning to visit the following Los Angeles County beaches to avoid swimming, surfing and playing in ocean waters due to bacterial levels exceeding health standards when last tested.
Ocean Water Advisory Continues for L.A. County Beaches
The California Department of Motor Vehicles now offers a faster way for businesses to check that their employees have clean driving records using the new online Employee Pull Notice (EPN) Service.
DMV Launches Enhanced Digital Employer Pull Notice Service
1919 - Fire destroys abandoned second Southern Hotel, built 1878 in Newhall (corner Main & Market) [story]
Second Southern Hotel
1927 - Newhall telephone exchange, est. 1900, now serves 100 phones [story]
telephone
2003 - Lifesize sculpture honoring heroes of St. Francis Dam disaster unveiled in Santa Paula [video]
The Warning
In the first of three matches on consecutive nights in Arizona, The Master's men's volleyball team defeated Benedictine-Mesa in three sets 27-25, 28-26, 25-19.
TMU Men’s Volleyball Sweeps Benu in Arizona
Greg Herrick, the former longtime College of the Canyons women's basketball head coach who recorded 611 career wins while winning 16 conference titles, was inducted into the California Community College Women's Basketball Coaches Association (CCCWBCA) Hall of Fame during the organization's annual Banquet of Champions at Mt. San Antonio College on March 13.
Longtime COC Women’s Basketball Coach Herrick Enshrined in Hall of Fame
The Santa Clarita Planning Commission will hold its regular meeting Tuesday, March 19, at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd. 1st Floor, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
March 19: Planning Commission to Discuss Wiley Canyon Mixed Use Project
Attend the city of Santa Clarita's most unique egg hunt, the Splash N’ Dash at the Santa Clarita Aquatics Center, presented by Kaiser Permanente.
March 30: Dive into Spring at Splash n’ Dash Egg Hunt
String orchestras and concert bands from around the Santa Clarita Valley and Southern California will participate in the Southern California School Band & Orchestra Association concert festival hosted by West Ranch High School on Tuesday, March 26 and Wednesday, March 27, 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
March 26-27: SoCal School Band, Orchestra Concert Festival
SCVNews.com