[Supervisor Mike Antonovich] – Gov. Brown’s administration has denied the county’s request to reconsider Friday’s upcoming transfer of a criminally insane and violent state prisoner to a county hospital, Mayor Michael D. Antonovich announced Thursday.

“The political appointees who made this stupid and reckless decision from the safety of their secure offices, turn a deaf ear to the warnings from the Chief of Psychiatry at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, Dr. Alex Kopelowicz, who said his facility is not equipped or staffed to handle a patient with this violent history and who poses a threat to the safety of patients and staff,” said Antonovich.

In a last-ditch effort to protect Los Angeles County residents and the safety of patients and staff, the County Department of Mental Health has initiated an assessment of the inmate for potential placement in a locked-down high-security mental health facility on contract with the county.  This assessment could result in a readmission to the state’s maximum security hospital in Atascadero.

“If this effort fails, the county will pursue vigorous legal action to protect our citizens,” Antonovich said.

“This inmate should never have been paroled in the first place and should have remained in state custody,” Antonovich said.  “However, the cost of further care, treatment and all liability for this individual will be at the expense of the Los Angeles County taxpayers because of the Governor’s legislation – AB109, which allows criminals with a violent past to be considered low level offenders.”

“Based on this inmate’s long history of violence including rape, arson, armed robbery and assaults on peace officers, and the Governor’s pseudo-commitment to the Board of Supervisors, this type of prisoner would never be a candidate for parole under AB109,” said Antonovich. “Los Angeles County intends to move aggressively to pass legislation to amend AB 109 to include the totality of an inmate’s record when being considered for parole.”