If the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors moves forward with a cost-cutting program, the supervisory authority that has documented and exposed the condition of a non-qualified prison for decades will no longer exist.
Los Angeles County can save about $40,000 a year, according to an August report prepared by the board’s executive office for supervisors.
Ten members of the Sybil Brand Commission take on key supervisory roles, regularly conducting announced inspections of county jails and lockdowns.
Named after philanthropists and activists who have been working to improve prison conditions for women in Los Angeles since the 1940s, recently citing the findings of the committee in its investigation. State litigation More than anything. General Rob Bonta calls it a “humanitarian crisis” in the county jail.
“In June 2024, Sybil Brand Commission reported that several dormitories in the center of men were broken by toilets … and paintings to cover the ceiling of molds,” Bonta’s office wrote in the complaint.
The committee’s “Sunset” recommendation is a surge in deaths suffered in the 38 deaths so far this year, bringing what Bonta’s office says the county to expectations and will mark at least a 20-year high.
The Executive Office of the Commission on Supervisory Committee answered the New York Times questions in a statement Friday that said the purpose of its report was not to eliminate oversight or input, but to demonstrate “where burdens overlap and where efficiency can strengthen oversight and support.”
The report said the report found that issues with “specialist availability” led to cancellations and “limited their ability to conduct inspections.”
The Sybil Brands Committee took the possibility of phase-out at its meeting earlier this month, when commissioners and advocates opposed the proposal, a short-sighted way to cut costs that would make county prisoners more vulnerable to abuse and neglect.
According to Huntsman, the executive office of the supervisory committee is redistributeing or eliminating one-third of Inspector General Max Huntsman employees to cut funds to regulators, which investigates misconduct by county employees and sheriff’s department.
“All of this is a fundamental question of whether the board wants to oversee,” Sybil brand specialist Eric Miller said in an interview.
Miller added, “The Sybil brand sunset appears to be part of an ongoing attempt to control and limit surveillance over the sanctions department.”
The Executive Office of the Commission for Administration said it recommended the removal of the prison supervision agency after review of the county-funded “225 committees, committees, boards, boards, authorities and task forces.” The proposal will “sunset” six committees, including Sybil Brand, and “possibly merge” 40 committees.
The report notes that “prison and detention inspection duties are also under surveillance by the Sheriff’s Civilian Oversight Committee.”
However, the commission, established less than a decade ago, raised broader issues within the sheriff’s department, from deputy conduct to so-called deputy gangs. Unlike the Sybil brand, its members do not visit prisons frequently and publish detailed reports of the conditions recorded.
“Unpublic inspections of prisons will continue through the COC subcommittee or coordinated oversight structure,” the Executive Office statement said.
Peter Eliasberg, chief adviser for the American Civil Liberties Union in Southern California, said the proposal to get rid of the committee is the latest blow to law enforcement responsibility.
The list includes Evicted Earlier this year Need a supervisory agency Many correspondences were submitted to the county for approval.
Eliasberg said the loss of the Sybil brand committee would be a major setback.
“The very demanding focus on some of the horrible things that happened in prison is very effective,” he said. “I think the Sybil brand does some very important work.”
Inspector General Hunsman said at a probation oversight committee meeting on Monday that his office hopes to lose one-third of its staff. “The current plan proposes the cancellation of 14 positions, including vacancies,” the Executive Office statement said.
Huntsman told the committee that the Executive Office of the Supervisory Board informed him on September 11: “Many positions in my office will be taken away from me and moved to the Executive Office and will no longer be used for independent oversight.”
The Inspector General added: “There is a group of employees that have been clearly identified and taken away by the administrative office and then cut positions. So the end result is that we have reduced third place, which will affect our business.”
The Executive Office statement said the changes would “save more than $3.95 million” and avoid “deeper cuts” elsewhere.
“We remain confident that the remaining staffing level of OIG will enable OIG to perform its essential responsibilities and perform its tasks,” the statement said.
On Friday afternoon, Edward Yen, executive of the Supervisory Board, sent an email to “withdraw” New County Policy This requires a lot of communication from the supervisory authority to obtain prior approval.
“While the purpose of this policy is to provide long-term demanding structure and support to the Commission and supervisory bodies, we recognize the confusing and unexpected consequences of its introduction,” Yen wrote.
