LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Today the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted in support of a motion, authored by Chair Holly J. Mitchell and co-authored by Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, declaring Los Angeles County as a Housing First County, which prioritizes permanent housing for people experiencing homelessness across the County.

“Having a quality place to call home that is affordable to your income is a fundamental human need and the foundation for creating opportunities in your life” said Chair Holly J. Mitchell, Supervisor for the Second District. “Today’s motion centers housing security are our strongest tool in combating homelessness. The Housing First model is the only proven model that has effectively solved homelessness. It is necessary for ensuring our unhoused residents can access the wide range of services and treatment they may need to help them stay housed.”

“It is important for the County to continue creating low-barrier housing, both interim and permanent, to ensure that people get off the streets quickly,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, First District. “Housing First means that people have the option to be housed while they work on their behavioral health concerns, and to that end, is critical that we continue investing in a housing system that is open to everyone.”

In 2016, the California state legislators voted to approve Senate Bill 1380, making California a Housing First state. The bill, authored by then California State Senator Holly J. Mitchell, aligned with evidence-based practices on housing and homelessness recognizing that an unhoused person must first have access to a safe place to live before improving other outcomes. Over the last three decades, studies in the United States have shown that 88% of participants remain housed over longer periods compared to those who followed the traditional homelessness system.

According to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, there are currently three states and 83 communities that have permanently solved veteran and chronic homelessness by using the Housing First model. No other model or program has worked as a permanent solution.

In Los Angeles County, the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services and Office of Diversion and Re-Entry operate with a Housing First approach and are successful at housing and retention due to the wrap-around services provided to participants once they are placed into housing.

Additionally, today’s motion directs the County’s legislative advocates in Sacramento to oppose any bills that may cease the Housing First Model in response to the recent introduction of Senate Bill 1284, which sought to oppose the Housing First Model.

To read the full motion click here.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Holly Mitchell provided the following statement on why she voted no on the motion to support the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Homelessness and the importance of declaring LA County a Housing First County in helping to end the homelessness crisis:

My votes today reflect the best practices across the country of putting resources and time towards what works in addressing our homelessness crisis. Last year, I voted no on the motion to form the Blue Ribbon Commission on Homelessness – this entity was formed to discuss and address the issues of Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s governance.

I did not vote to support the formation of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Homelessness because doubling down on governance will not solve our housing and homelessness crisis. Even before the six-month process to create the commission with $1 million of taxpayer money, the County had plenty of studies, and over 500 interviews with stakeholders – who agreed that the increased governance was not the issue here.

Today, I voted no on the motion that will require the County to move forward with all seven of the recommendations by the Blue Ribbon Commission on Homelessness without the option to vote separately for each recommendation. All seven of the recommendations do not uphold public transparency on decision making and the usage of our limited homelessness funds. Without the option to bifurcate the vote on the recommendations that do make sense, as a whole I could not support the motion.

Our constituents and taxpayers have been clear. We need action now to close the gap in housing, services, and funding. I refuse to support a blank check of taxpayer funds to setting up more committees which do not focus on the long-term solutions of creating the housing, health facilities and corresponding services that have been proven to bring people off the streets and into homes.

The solutions to homelessness are known, simply put it comes down to homes and services. The crisis has grown in scope and scale across the 88 cities and unincorporated areas that make up LA County. Our geography, history of racial discrimination and diverse jurisdictions further complicate this issue. Solving it requires aligned policies across all jurisdictions that will:

1) Increase capacity to build the diverse housing needs such as board and care and permanent affordable housing,

2) Intentionally address systemic racial and economic inequities that lead to poverty and becoming unhoused and

3) Provide consistent long-term funding to meet the challenge of scope and scale of wrap around services to keep residents housed.

I will continue to emphatically support the Housing First model and policies which center the creation and preservation of housing along with wrap around services. I am not alone in seeing the value of Housing First and want to thank my co-author Supervisor Solis and my colleagues Supervisors Hahn, Kuehl for supporting my motion declaring LA County a Housing First County. I am proud to have also supported Supervisors Hahn and Barger’s motion accepting the County’s Measure H Strategy Reassessment and Homelessness Framework, which provides actions for improving the system of care for our unhoused residents.

I voted yes on the two motions listed above that keep us focused on real solutions for the most impacted residents, allow us to significantly close the disparity of Black people and communities of color experiencing homelessness and tackle the challenge of stopping the rising numbers of young people, seniors, and justice system involved residents from re-entry into homelessness.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — During Sheriff Villanueva’s livestream on Tuesday, April 26, he attacked and insulted political opponents including the Inspector General, and threatened to investigate LA Times reporter Alene Tchekmedyian for allegedly leaking a video that revealed a Sheriff Deputy kneeling on a handcuffed individual’s head. Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Holly J. Mitchell provided the following statement in response to the Sheriff’s remarks:

“Sheriff Villanueva’s actions are dangerous and erode community trust which is essential for true public safety. I am calling on Sheriff Villanueva to issue an apology to reporter Alene Tchekmedyian for threatening to allocate valuable County resources towards investigating her for upholding her journalistic responsibility to the public to report the truth. Disrespect and threats to journalists or anyone will not be tolerated and is incompatible with the Sheriff’s responsibility to protect the safety of all residents. I will continue to work with the Board to pursue structural changes that will ensure appropriate oversight over the Sheriff’s Department and I am calling on Attorney General Bonta to investigate any potential violations of the law.”

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to ensure independent oversight of the activities of the Sheriff and his department as it relates to the Joint Regional Intelligence Center (JRIC). The motion passed 4-to-1 to remove delegated authority from the Sheriff and require the Office of the Inspector General to review and approve items related to the execution of the JRIC’s Homeland Security Grant.

The JRIC is a collaborative effort between law enforcement and public safety agencies to centralize and share intelligence on criminal activities impacting six counties throughout Southern California. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department’s (LASD) ability to leverage the JRIC’s power and authority to collect records, data, and information from the public and LASD’s repeated refusal to allow the Office of Inspector General to provide legal oversight has led to the need to protect the civil liberties of residents from the potential abuse of power.

“It is unfortunate that, after many other attempts to ensure proper oversight, this Board must take this step to ensure that the Office of Inspector General has the tools it needs to perform its basic duties,” said Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Holly J. Mitchell. “The Sheriff’s continued refusal to allow this legally required oversight undermines transparency and erodes public trust. Until that changes, this Board must take steps to ensure the Sheriff’s cooperation with independent monitors.”

The motion will allow the OIG to monitor LASD’s activities as it relates to the JRIC on an on-going basis and calls for a 45-day report back of the Sheriff’s usage of JRIC grant funding. The report will include an audit of information and data on County resources dedicated by the Sheriff’s Department to the JRIC.

To read the full motion click here.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Today the Senate confirmed President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson. Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair, Holly J. Mitchell, provided the following statement on the historic confirmation of Judge Jackson as the first Black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court:

“This moment is long overdue. The confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is a testament to the continued need to dismantle systemic barriers that cause for historic firsts like this to be two centuries in the making. Not only will Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson be the first the Black woman to serve on the highest court in the nation – Judge Jackson will also be the first judge to have served as a Federal Public Defender. Her extensive judicial experience grappling with the inequities of our criminal justice system and lived truth as the daughter of public servants is needed on the bench. I am proud of the critical step forward our country has taken today in making the Supreme Court more reflective of the diversity of the United States, our work here is far from done. When I see Judge Jackson, I see a dream of my ancestors realized. Today she becomes the first, but she will not be the last.”

LOS ANGELES, Calif. —

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Holly J. Mitchell provided the following statement on the LA Alliance Lawsuit:

“While we acknowledge that the City of Los Angeles and the LA Alliance have reached a tentative settlement agreement, we ​are concerned about the details of their plan and eagerly await their ​final agreement. I want to be clear that this does not stop the County’s on-going efforts to deliver wrap-around services in an efficient and compassionate manner ​to individuals and families experiencing homelessness. The homelessness crisis requires equitable treatment of all those experiencing this trauma first​-hand. The County will continue to pursue a resolution to this litigation that we have been deeply engaged in for over two years. I trust that it is possible to come to a consensus that distributes resources equitably, doesn’t criminalize poverty, and meets the urgent needs of the homeless population during this crisis. We will not relent and are hopeful that the County will have an effective resolution to this matter that strengthens our on-going work.”

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion authored by Chair Holly J. Mitchell and co-authored by Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, that builds on the County’s commitment to Care First, Jails Last by exploring permanent facilities that are most effective for the healing and rehabilitation of youth in the County’s custody as an immediate replacement for the incarceration of youth at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall. The motion directs the Chief Probation Officer to explore the use of Campus Kilpatrick, Camp Scott, and Dorothy Kirby Center as Secure Youth Treatment Facilities to further facilitate the County’s shift from a punitive to a restorative model for justice system-involved youth.

“After almost one year of delays, the County has reaffirmed its commitment to shifting the paradigm of youth justice away from a failed punitive approach and towards a developmentally appropriate, rehabilitative model,” said Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell. “This decision allows the County and its community partners to finally move forward with the transformational work that’s needed to enhance the well-being of our young people and make communities safer.”

“Today’s decision takes another major step in working to help our young offenders to rehabilitate and thrive by requiring them to be placed in settings that are conducive to therapeutic and positive programs,” said Supervisor Sheila Kuehl. “The approach of this motion was guided by contemporary brain science, best practices in juvenile justice, and an expert advisory board, and I feel confident that, of the County’s current locations, Campus Kilpatrick, and Camps Scott and Kirby, are the locations where we can best support and help these young people, while, at the same time, protecting the long-term health and safety of all of LA’s communities.”

The County’s Juvenile Justice Realignment Block Grant Subcommittee, which is chaired by the Probation Department and tasked with creating a plan for meeting the developmental needs of young people in the County’s care submitted recommendations last year, recommending Camp Scott located in Santa Clarita for boys and Dorothy Kirby Center located in the City of Commerce for girls. In addition, this motion supports further exploration of the juvenile halls – often criticized for their carceral design which harms the development of youth – as a location for youth awaiting trial or transfer to a different facility only. This decision is based on scientific research and best practices that center the well-being and safety of youth and our communities and move away from treating kids as irredeemable. In addition, the Probation Oversight Commission voted to support the recommendation to explore Camp Kilpatrick in Malibu as another location for boys, which is the County’s newest juvenile facility, and its design and programs are informed by scientific research and best practices for ensuring youth avoid adult prison and positively change the trajectory of their lives.

“Some of these young people have waited for 8 months to see something other than the Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall compound, a place we all know is unsuitable for the incarceration of anyone, let alone children. They’ve waited 8 months for an opportunity to heal, to grow and to reimagine their futures” said Milinda Kakani, Director of Youth Justice, Children’s Defense Fund- CA. “Supervisors Mitchell and Kuehl have repeatedly tried to do right by them and we are thrilled that they continue to support Care First, Jails Last not just in their motions, but in their actions, their power as Supervisors and as champions of Youth Justice Reimagined.”

In addition to shifting to a justice model that incorporates proven strategies for the development of youth, the motion also calls for the launch of the Credible Messengers pilot, which employs individuals with lived experience to mentor young people living in these facilities and help them navigate their experience with the justice system. The motion also directs existing juvenile hall for housing pre-disposition youth only and instructs the Probation Department to develop renovation plans for these facilities and report back with an environmental analysis. In addition, the Probation Oversight Commission is tasked with notifying the Board of any issues that could delay the process.

To read the full motion click here.