LA County probation chief submits resignation days before juvenile hall’s potential shutdown

On the eve of a showdown over the potential closure of trouble-plagued Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall, Los Angeles County’s chief probation officer has told county leaders he plans to retire by Dec. 31, but sources familiar with the matter say his exit has not been finalized.

Probation Chief Guillermo Viera Rosa is scheduled to meet with the Board of Supervisors at its Tuesday, Dec. 10, meeting to determine whether he will remain with the county. The board’s agenda lists two closed-door matters related to Viera Rosa: a performance evaluation and an item considering his possible replacement.

Both the Probation Department and the county’s Chief Executive Office declined to comment on Viera Rosa’s resignation letter. His decision to step down comes less than one week before the potential closure of the largest juvenile hall under Viera Rosa’s supervision and amid uncertainty about what will happen with the 300 youth in custody at that facility if it can not come back into compliance with state regulations by a Dec. 12 deadline.

Supervisors react

Two county supervisors differed on the future of Viera Rosa’s employment.

In a statement, Supervisor Janice Hahn thanked Viera Rosa for his service.

“We have a lot of challenges in the Probation Department and I thank him for taking on this job during some difficult times,” she stated. “I wish him the best.”

But Supervisor Kathryn Barger, the newly selected board chair, said she hoped her colleagues and Viera Rosa could find a different path forward.

“I want to explore if there’s an opportunity to have Probation Department Chief Viera Rosa continue his service to our County,” Barger stated. “I’m committed to doing whatever it takes to eliminate barriers that have hindered our Probation Department’s ability to perform its mission — and that includes having strong leadership at the top.”

The challenges faced by the Probation Department “are big — but not insurmountable,” she said.

“Effective leadership is critical to implementing reforms and ensuring that the department’s staff can perform the important work of rehabilitation and support for the youth in their care,” she said.

Supervisor Hilda Solis declined to comment, while Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Lindsey Horvath did not respond.

Hired during crisis

The Board of Supervisors originally hired Viera Rosa amid crisis in May 2023 and gave him the Herculean task of reforming the county’s long-troubled juvenile halls. Just days after his hiring, a state oversight board ordered the closure of two of Los Angeles County’s juvenile halls, kicking off a mad scramble to reopen a third facility to house the displaced populations.

In the time since then, Viera Rosa’s administration has been locked in a cycle of fighting constant fires and has struggled to stabilize staffing at the hastily reopened Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall enough to prevent conditions from deteriorating once again.

Viera Rosa’s efforts, which included reassigning hundreds of officers from the traditional adult probation side of the department, have made him unpopular among the rank-and-file, many of whom have been forced to work in the juvenile halls to cover for detention service officers refusing to come to work due to injuries or out of fear of violence, reprimand and excessively long shifts.

Resignation applauded

In a statement, Stacy Ford, the president of the L.A. County Probation Officers’ Union, applauded Viera Rosa’s resignation, describing the probation chief’s time with the county as “failure after failure.”

“Under his leadership, officers were forced into retirement, officers were forced home on medical leave, officers were forced to work in a toxic unsafe work environment and many officers quit because of the abuse,” Ford said in a statement. “It is our hope that the Board of Supervisors will hire a chief probation officer who cares about the clients and the officers who work for the department.”

The next chief should “bring officers together and not divide us and play us against each other,” he said.

The low staffing has led to three escape attempts at Los Padrinos — the most recent of which occurred this week — and contributed to violence and a growing sense of unease among both staff and youth. This week, three youth broke out of their unit and made their way into another building within the secured perimeter of the facility.

“They were found minutes later,” a department official said. “While we are continuing to review the incident, there is no indication at this time that the youth were attempting to leave the facility.”

Violence permeates

Violence and the continued use of pepper spray — ordered to be phased out by now — have become common daily occurrences in the juvenile hall.

During an inspection in June, members of the Probation Oversight Commission and its staff observed youth from various units with “obvious signs of injuries, including casts for broken and fractured hands and arms, swollen, bruised eyes and other facial bruising.” Those injuries were not seen during the prior year’s inspection, according to staff.

Youth attributed the violence to racial tension and overcrowding. The constant shuffling of both youth and staff in and out of the facility has made it difficult for either side to build trust, according to the report.

By July, nearly 20% of the shifts at Los Padrinos did not meet the staffing minimums.

The lack of improvements has put Los Padrinos into the crosshairs of both the state Department of Justice and the Board of State and Community Corrections, the oversight agency responsible for California’s juvenile halls.

Los Padrinos ordered closed

Following failed inspection after failed inspection, the BSCC in October ordered Los Padrinos to close for the second time this year. The state has agreed to reinspect the facility before the deadline, creating the potential for another last-minute reprieve, but county officials have otherwise refused to discuss their plans for the possible closure.

“We are confident that the initial improvements implemented will ensure compliance,” a department statement read. “Simultaneously, we remain committed to exploring additional strategies and fostering collaboration to address broader, long-standing challenges.”

BSCC board members have expressed frustration with Los Angeles County’s continued failures and could choose, regardless of the outcome of the inspection, not to lift the closure order. State law requires the BSCC to meet and take action, meaning that if the board does not convene again before Dec. 12, Los Angeles County will legally be required to remove youth from Los Padrinos on that date.

The board is not currently scheduled to meet until Dec. 18.