Barger: $2.71 billion still wouldn’t close Men’s Central Jail
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger (R-Palmdale, Lancaster, Santa Clarita, San Marino, Pasadena, La Cañada Flintridge, portions of the San Gabriel Valley) said a new report from the county’s Jail Closure Implementation Team (JCIT) confirms what she has argued for years: the county cannot divert its way to closing Men’s Central Jail.
The July 21 report found that 1,887 individuals — nearly half of the jail’s population — cannot be relocated elsewhere in the county’s current system because they require single-cell housing, specialized mental health monitoring, or protection from safety threats. Even with $2.71 billion invested across every action the report identifies, the county would not close Men’s Central Jail within five years, according to the analysis.
“Today’s report proves what I have said all along: you cannot divert your way out of a population that includes people with serious mental illness, complex medical needs, and safety risks our system was never built to accommodate,” said Barger. “This Board looks forward to further dialogue with the Department of Mental Health to collaboratively and urgently brainstorm solutions for our most acute and vulnerable residents.”
Barger thanked JCIT Executive Director Wilford Pinkney Jr. for the analysis and said she remains committed to reducing the jail population through diversion, treatment, and community-based care where safe and appropriate — but reiterated her call for what she describes as a “21st century model of secure rehabilitation” built for the population the jail actually houses.
“I look forward to JCIT’s September follow-up report and will keep pushing for a plan that is both compassionate and realistic,” she said.
Hahn lauds Metro board’s first voting seat for transit rider
Los Angeles County Supervisor and Metro Director Janice Hahn (D-Long Beach, San Pedro, Diamond Bar, Whittier, Cerritos, Downey, Torrance, Redondo Beach, Hacienda Heights) this week lauded the Los Angeles Metro Board of Directors’ vote to unanimously add a dedicated seat for a regular transit rider to the agency’s governing board.
Hahn, along with Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson and Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval, put forth a motion to add a voting transit rider to the Metro Board.
“Today we took a big step toward making Metro more representative of the people we serve,” said Hahn. “A dedicated rider would bring a different kind of expertise on what’s working, what’s frustrating, and how our policies affect the people who rely on this system every day. This isn’t about replacing anyone’s voice. It’s about adding a perspective we don’t currently have.”
The motion directs Metro staff to coordinate with the agency’s community advisory councils, community-based organizations, and other stakeholder groups, then report back with a process for selecting the rider representative. Because the Metro Board’s makeup is set in state law, the change will ultimately require state legislation before it can take effect.
Hahn, who became Metro Board chair in 2024, has pledged to ride Metro regularly, including to her own board meetings, and has said the experience has shaped her work as a director.
Metro is separately reviewing its board composition following the passage of Measure G, which will expand the county Board of Supervisors from five members to nine by 2032.
Friedman leads House letter against FCC’s ABC license order
U.S. Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Burbank, Glendale, West Hollywood, parts of Los Angeles, Pasadena) led 29 members of Congress in a letter condemning the Trump administration’s order forcing Disney’s ABC-owned television stations, including Glendale-based ABC7 (KABC-TV), into early license renewal.
The FCC ordered ABC’s eight owned stations into early renewal in April, years ahead of their normal 2028 schedule, as part of an investigation into the network’s DEI practices — a review that was fast-tracked after ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel made an on-air joke referencing First Lady Melania Trump last September. Disney filed the renewals in May “under protest,” and public comments in the FCC’s docket are due July 29.
“The timeline leading up to the FCC’s order of early license renewals for ABC stations paints a clear picture: this is an agency more interested in protecting the President’s feelings than it is in protecting a free press and free speech,” said Friedman. “My fellow Members of Congress have joined me to remind the FCC that their responsibility is to responsibly regulate according to the law, not do the personal bidding of the President. When House Democrats take back the majority, we will follow up this reminder with subpoenas, investigations, and hearings.”
Friedman has repeatedly opposed the administration’s actions against ABC, previously spearheading a rally against the early-renewal order in April and leading members of Congress, union leaders, and industry workers last fall in opposing Kimmel’s brief suspension from air.
Kamlager-Dove demands ICE medical care for injured constituent
U.S. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Culver City, Crenshaw, Leimert Park, Baldwin Hills, West Adams, Mid-City) took to the House floor this week to again demand that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) provide medical care to her constituent, Carlitos Ricardo Parias, who Kamlager-Dove said has been denied adequate treatment for a gunshot wound suffered during an immigration enforcement operation last October.
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to once again demand that ICE immediately provide my constituent, Carlitos Ricardo Parias, urgently needed medical care. Carlitos is a father. A husband. A volunteer in our community who was even recognized by City Council for his service,” said Kamlager-Dove.
“Last October, ICE shot Carlitos near his elbow. He received initial care at a hospital. But since being transferred to the Adelanto ICE facility in December, ICE has denied him proper care for the injury they caused,” she continued. “I visited Carlitos in late May. His hand was purple. His fingers were atrophied. He’s experiencing headaches and nerve pain. I’m worried that he may have a bone infection and that his arm could be amputated.”
Kamlager-Dove conducted an oversight visit at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in late May, where she met with Parias and obtained his medical records. Last week, following advocacy from Kamlager-Dove and others, a federal judge ordered sweeping changes to improve conditions for detainees at the facility.
“It’s time for ICE to comply with this judge’s orders and end this cruelty — at Adelanto and nationwide,” the lawmaker said.
