City of Santa Clarita logoAt today’s Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors meeting, a motion by Supervisors Mitchell and Kuehl recommending Camp Scott in Santa Clarita and Campus Kilpatrick in the unincorporated area of Malibu Canyon as permanent facilities for juvenile males formerly under the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) authority, was passed by a vote of four to one. Supervisor Kathryn Barger was the one opposing vote.

“Today’s approval does a grave disservice to the DJJ population, putting them in extreme peril due to Camp Scott being in an extreme fire and flood hazard area,” said Santa Clarita Mayor Laurene Weste. “It would be extremely difficult to evacuate inmates in the quick timeframe necessary in an emergency situation. As required by law, you would need prison busses that allow for the separation of inmates by category for their own safety, which would add significant time to the evacuation process. We stand by the fact that CEQA review is absolutely necessary and mark my words, we will hold the line, whatever it takes. In addition, we have prepared to do a full forensic analysis of the entire process, which has been flawed from the beginning. This is not the end.”

Today’s vote means that the County will now move forward in developing plans to renovate the dilapidated Camp Scott in conjunction with Campus Kilpatrick. The approved motion indicates that the actions taken by the Board of Supervisors today are NOT subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and directs County staff to present the plan for renovations to the Board of Supervisors within 120 days. The City remains unwavering on the issue and stands firmly that CEQA laws do apply in the actions taken by the Board of Supervisors today, especially given the dangerous environmental factors affecting Camp Scott.