The Hug Act in juvenile facilities, a review of the fire report, and jail force

The meeting opened with a moment of silence, led by Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District), for three people killed in a medical helicopter crash off Catalina Island the previous Wednesday: the pilot, a flight nurse and an Avalon resident. Two survivors, including the Avalon resident's son and a flight medic, were in the hospital. The chair noted that Holly Mitchell (Supervisor, Second District; Chair Pro Tem) was absent and that a quorum was present; four supervisors sat for the meeting. 00:00:00

• Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair) noted that Holly Mitchell (Supervisor, Second District; Chair Pro Tem) would be absent and that a quorum was present. 00:00:00
• Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District) asked the room to remember the three people killed in the helicopter crash off Catalina Island, and to keep the two survivors in mind. 00:00:44

The Governance Reform Task Force's recommendations set up the new county government structure: an elected County Executive (under Measure G), a Director of Budget and Management, and a County Legislative Analyst. The agenda proposals included dropping the title "Mayor" for the Board Chair, a public education campaign before the first election for County Executive, transition reports due within 120 days, and having the Legislative Analyst's office running by October 1, 2027. At Holly Mitchell (Supervisor, Second District; Chair Pro Tem)'s request, the item was continued to October 20. 00:15:07

• Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District) moved, seconded by Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District), to approve the continuances and referral read by the executive officer, including continuing item 20 to October 20, 2026. Result: continued. 00:18:14

• The clerk announced that Holly Mitchell (Supervisor, Second District; Chair Pro Tem) asked for the item to be continued two weeks, to October 20, 2026. 00:15:07
• A supervisor backed the continuance so that all five members could be present for discussion of the task force's recommendations. 00:17:32
• A supervisor asked that questions raised at cluster be answered so the board can act on October 20, noting the task force is working on a set timeline. 00:17:32

Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair)'s motion would have had Regional Planning draft a Title 22 zoning amendment, with an environmental (CEQA) analysis. The amendment would define data centers by acreage, square footage, energy use and water use, and would ban large-scale data centers, such as hyperscale and AI facilities, in all zones. The motion also asked for a review of noise rules covering low-frequency noise and for a moratorium to be ready if a threatening data center is proposed in an unincorporated area. At Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair)'s request, the item was referred back to her office. No reason was given on the record. 00:15:07

• Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District) moved, seconded by Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District), to approve the continuances and referral read by the executive officer, including sending item 14 back to Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair)'s office (no vote on the motion itself). Result: no action. 00:18:14

• The clerk announced that Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair) asked for the item to be referred back to her office. 00:15:07

About 70 items passed together in one vote. Among them: a $40.3 million purchase of fire engines, four lawsuit settlements totaling about $9.6 million, the sale of surplus county land in La Habra Heights to the city and the Puente Hills Habitat Preservation Authority, a Beaches and Harbors security contract worth up to about $10.9 million, election services for 16 local jurisdictions on November 3, and nearly $83 million in supplemental housing funds for the Development Authority. Item 26's vote requirement was lowered from four votes to three by the supplemental agenda. The full list is under the consent calendar. 00:24:01

• Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) moved, seconded by Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District), to approve the consent items, with the exceptions noted by the executive officer. Result: passed, 4-0. 00:44:03

• The clerk listed the items before the board for the consent vote, with item 72 to get its own vote. 00:43:19

A motion by Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) and Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) directs County Counsel, working with the Fire Department, the Office of Emergency Management, the CEO, the Sheriff's Department and Public Works, to analyze the UL Research Institutes' Fire Safety Research Institute report on the Southern California fires. The analysis is to show where the report overlaps with the McChrystal Group after-action reports and the Citygate investigation, which recommendations are new, and what near-term actions can be taken. As posted, the report was due in seven days. After Eaton fire survivors objected that seven days was too short, Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) said from the dais that she would change it to 30 days and that departments could ask for extensions. The item then passed on consent. 00:40:48

• Approved as part of the consent calendar (Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) moved, Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) seconded), with the report-back deadline changed from seven days to 30 days as Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) stated from the dais. Result: passed, 4-0. 00:44:03

• Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) said the seven-day deadline was set on purpose to signal urgency, but that thoroughness matters. 00:40:48
• Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) said departments that need more time for a full analysis would get an extension. 00:40:48
• Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) said County Counsel is not the only evaluator and is only coordinating the departments involved in the earlier reviews. 00:40:48
• Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) said county staff were interviewed for the report but the county did not see it until it was released the week before. 00:41:51
• Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) said she and Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) had already directed the CEO to name a point person to track implementation of all after-action recommendations and report regularly, including to the community. 00:41:51
• Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) offered to change the seven-day deadline to 30 days, with departments allowed to ask for extensions. 00:42:51

A separate vote on a resolution authorizing the issuance and sale of Los Angeles Unified School District general obligation bonds, Series Q, RR and US (2026), in an aggregate principal amount of up to $1,400,000,000. The recommendation came from the Treasurer and Tax Collector. 00:44:03

• Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District) moved, seconded by Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District), to adopt the resolution. Result: passed, 4-0. 00:44:34

AB 1646, the Hug Act, is a new state law that takes effect January 1, 2027. It gives incarcerated youth a right to physical contact with visitors. Under the law as described on the dais, contact cannot be restricted as discipline, and any restriction for a specific and significant safety concern must be documented. The motion by Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District) and Holly Mitchell (Supervisor, Second District; Chair Pro Tem), continued from September 15, directs Probation to drop its requirement that contact visits get prior department-head approval, publish materials telling youth and parents their rights, increase contact visits through the rest of 2026, report back in 60 days with a compliance plan, and file reports by July 1, 2027 and January 1, 2028 on participation, family feedback and every restriction. Speakers said youth at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall helped write the bill. 00:44:38

• Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District) moved, seconded by Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District), to approve the motion by Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District) and Holly Mitchell (Supervisor, Second District; Chair Pro Tem). Result: passed, 4-0. 01:40:38

• A supervisor said she has had dinner monthly for two years with incarcerated youth at Los Padrinos who pushed for the right to hug their families. 00:45:11
• A supervisor said Probation does not currently let all youth at every facility hug their visitors on every visiting day. 00:45:11
• A supervisor said she raised the issue with Probation first and met resistance, so the effort went to state legislation instead. 00:46:14
• A supervisor said the bill was signed a little over a week earlier and takes effect January 1, 2027. 00:46:14
• A supervisor said Probation sometimes uses visitation as a reward or punishment. 00:47:15
• A supervisor said the law bars restricting contact visits as discipline and requires every restriction to be documented, and that she expects the report back to spell this out. 00:48:17
• A supervisor said the motion has Probation allow more contact visits for the rest of this year, before the law takes effect. 00:48:17
• A speaker recounted that youth at Los Padrinos told him during a visit that they wished they could hug their mothers, and that this led to the bill. 00:52:08
• A speaker said the law makes California the first state to give incarcerated youth a right to physical contact with loved ones. 00:53:11
• A speaker noted that the county has already started a pilot allowing contact, and said it can do better. 00:53:11
• County staff said Probation already allows hugs on designated holidays, with prior approval from the head of the department. 00:58:34
• County staff said the revised visitation policy will drop the prior-approval requirement and make contact visits a regular form of visitation by January 1, 2027. 00:58:34
• County staff said most remaining visits in 2026 will be allowed as contact visits, as part of a gradual expansion. 01:00:36
• County staff said contact visits will not be restricted or denied as discipline. 01:00:36
• County staff said youth may decline contact at any point without affecting their future visits. 01:00:36
• Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District) praised the Probation presentation, saying she had never heard the department talk this way in her time as a supervisor. 01:03:50
• Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) called the law an example of policy built around the people most affected. 01:04:33
• A supervisor noted that the board had earlier made the bill one of its legislative priorities. 01:06:23
• Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair) recalled visiting a juvenile facility early in her tenure where girls lacked basic toiletries and properly fitting clothing, and said such reforms take too long. 01:08:09
• Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) said these youth will be released, and that family contact, especially with mothers, gives them stability. 01:10:18

Rosas is a federal settlement that grew out of allegations of excessive force in the downtown jails (Men's Central Jail, the Inmate Reception Center and Twin Towers). An assistant sheriff presented the department's progress, and the outside monitors took questions. The department reported about 78% compliance across the settlement's provisions, and said the figure fell because 19 provisions it had met for years were taken off monitoring by court order. It also reported meeting the 90% threshold on head strikes for the first time and said head strikes are down 65% since 2021. Supervisors pressed on a case in which a handcuffed man who refused insulin was thrown into a window frame, broke his neck, and later died. The department found that use of force within policy and the monitors found it out of compliance. Supervisors also pressed on slow force reviews and discipline. The report was received and filed. 01:41:00

• Receive and file the report, without objection. Result: passed. 03:02:11

• A speaker said the settlement has 105 provisions and 402 compliance measures. 01:43:26
• A speaker gave compliance of 80% in the 15th report, 82% in the 16th and 78% in the latest. 01:44:27
• A speaker said compliance would have been about 83% if the 19 provisions taken off monitoring were still counted. 01:44:27
• A speaker said the department met the 90% threshold on the head-strike provision for the first time in the settlement's history. 01:45:28
• A speaker said about 70% of custody facilities have body-worn cameras, with all to be equipped by year's end. 01:48:33
• A speaker said head strikes fell 65% since 2021, from 82 to 29. 01:55:15
• A speaker said the department and the panel disagreed on three of the 13 personal-weapon cases among the 50 the panel reviewed. 01:57:38
• A speaker said a phone contract that includes tablets for people in custody will come to the board within two months, for use starting in 2027. 01:59:54
• A speaker said the department will keep pushing for a correctional care center. 02:05:39
• Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) asked how compliance can be kept up, given rising acuity among people in custody, the old buildings and staff turnover. 02:07:40
• A Rosas monitor said many uses of force arise from the conditions of confinement. 02:09:30
• A Rosas monitor said it would be worth investing to improve Men's Central Jail's physical plant, even though it is slated for demolition. 02:09:30
• A Rosas monitor described a culture change: deputies now readily call in sergeants for help with uncooperative inmates. 02:12:03
• A speaker explained that the monitors asked for head strikes to be tracked separately so they can be sure they review every head-strike case. 02:14:29
• A speaker said inmates the monitors interview credit cameras with one of the biggest effects on use of force. 02:16:27
• A speaker noted that the monitors reviewed fewer head-strike cases this period than in the last. 02:16:27
• Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District) described the case in which deputies threw a handcuffed man into a window frame after he refused insulin, leaving him paralyzed. He later died. 02:20:27
• Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District) pointed out that the department found the force within policy while the monitors found it out of compliance. 02:20:27
• Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District) said the department's force review committee did not address false statements in the deputies' reports that the video contradicted. 02:21:29
• A speaker said two supervisors were formally disciplined in that case, and that he is limited in what he can say because it is in litigation. 02:22:23
• A speaker said nearly all patients in the jails have the right to refuse medication, and staff respond by trying to educate them. 02:25:19
• A speaker said refusing medication is a medical or mental health matter, not a reason for discipline. 02:26:52
• A speaker answered Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District)'s question by saying that having the ACLU present alongside the department would blur public hearings with the litigation, since the ACLU is class counsel. 02:29:40
• Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District) asked that the ACLU's letters be part of the material in front of the board for these reports. 02:30:18
• A supervisor raised the ACLU's concern that overall force review and discipline timelines have not improved. 02:31:50
• A speaker said a web-based case tracker launched in October 2025 is meant to find and clear bottlenecks. 02:32:43
• A speaker said the monitors are behind in their reviews because case packages reach them late, and they have not yet seen results from the new system. 02:34:46
• A speaker said the monitors and the department now agree more, through joint reviews of video and findings. 02:37:12
• A speaker agreed that a lower population would likely mean less force, and said future reports will look at population. 02:38:42
• A speaker pointed to tablets as a useful investment for grievances, since inmates often complain they cannot get the forms. 02:40:17
• A Rosas monitor said finding ways to keep inmates occupied would improve their interactions with deputies. 02:41:11
• A supervisor called overcrowding at Men's Central Jail unacceptable and urged lowering the population. 02:43:34
• A speaker said frequent bed moves break patients' continuity of medical care. 02:46:53
• A speaker said the step-down mental health program has 17 modules at Twin Towers and five at CRDF, but not enough participants to fill them. 02:49:16
• Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair) said discipline averages about 15 months after the department learns of an incident. 02:52:14
• A speaker said there were 29 head strikes in 2025 and 14 so far this year. 02:53:16
• Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair) asked whether only two of more than 300 retaliation grievances have been investigated. 02:54:28
• A speaker disputed that the grievance figures reflect current practice, while acknowledging that the grievance process needs rebuilding. 02:54:42
• Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair) said policy calls for watch commander review within 21 days, yet reviews take up to 567 days and discipline averages 471 days, and asked for timeline targets. 02:55:17
• A speaker responded to an ACLU speaker by saying discipline was imposed in the insulin case. 03:01:15
• Janice Hahn (Supervisor, Fourth District) said she had understood the department was investigating the case further, but that it now appeared it was not. 03:02:01

Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District), with Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District), introduced a motion for October 20 on the federally funded disaster case management program for Eaton and Palisades fire survivors, which may end early because federal money has not arrived. The motion asks the CEO and several departments to report back on who is at risk, what bridge funding exists, a central point of contact, and whether community providers can take on the cases. It also asks for an evaluation of reprioritizing part of $2 million given to DCBA for legal services and of repurposing $1.5 million in other funds, for the Development Authority to consider matching that amount, and for a five-signature letter urging FEMA and the state to release approved funds. 03:02:44

• Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) and Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) introduced the motion for the October 20, 2026 agenda; no vote was taken. Result: no action. 03:02:35

• Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) said the state told providers in early September that the program would end September 30 because federal funding had not arrived. 03:03:45
• Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) said California requested $26 million, FEMA approved $13 million and only about $3 million has been paid out. 03:03:45
• Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) said the state has extended the deadline to October 31. 03:03:45
• Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) said the program could end more than 14 months before its planned close in January 2028, putting more than 100 positions at five organizations at risk. 03:04:53
• Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) said recovery groups estimate 400 to 500 households will still need an assigned case manager even after triage. 03:05:55
• Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) said the motion asks whether part of $2 million in DCBA legal services funding could be shifted to bridge programming. 03:06:58
• Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) said the motion asks for a study of repurposing $1.5 million for case management, and for a letter to FEMA and state leaders. 03:06:58
• Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) said she had recently spoken with FEMA's administrator about the funding, and that the motion should cover all unincorporated fire-affected communities. 03:08:14

Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District), with Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair) as co-author, read in a motion for the October 28 cluster meeting and the November 10 board meeting. It would make gender-based and intimate partner violence a board-directed priority and seek $5.1 million a year, starting in fiscal 2027-28, to fully fund DCBA's self-help legal access centers, which help people apply for restraining orders. It would also require several reports on county spending and on emergency beds for survivors, ask the Sheriff's Department to present by November 24 on serving restraining orders, study a peer navigator model, approve a sole-source contract with the Downtown Women's Center of up to $462,300 for the shelter-referral part of the Community Information Exchange, and post restraining-order information in county restrooms. 03:08:14

• Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) and Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair) introduced the motion for cluster on October 28 and the board on November 10, 2026; no vote was taken. Result: no action. 03:10:25

• Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) cited an LA Times analysis: at least 63 women in the county were killed in 2024 and 2025 by suspected partners or family members. 03:09:17
• Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) said county courts received almost 15,000 restraining order petitions in 2025 and dismissed almost 60% of them because of procedural delays by the person asking. 03:09:17
• Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) said that dismissal rate is nearly double the statewide rate. 03:10:25
• Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) said the motion goes to cluster on October 28 and to the board on November 10. 03:10:25
• Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) said the motion seeks $5.1 million a year, starting in fiscal 2027-28, to fully fund the self-help legal access centers. 03:11:31
• Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) said the Sheriff's Department would present by November 24 on how it serves restraining orders. 03:11:31
• Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) described a sole-source contract with the Downtown Women's Center, up to $462,300, to improve shelter referrals. 03:13:42
• Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) said Homeless Services and Housing would assess the emergency beds and funding available for people fleeing intimate partner violence. 03:14:44
• Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair) thanked Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) for adding her as a co-author. 03:16:11

Supervisors adjourned in memory of a number of people. They included the wife of a retired assistant county counsel, a former county commissioner on older adults and workforce, a Claremont chemistry professor and air-quality advocate, a former county employee from Glendale, a former Dodgers general manager, a retired sheriff's sergeant, a Santa Clarita Valley newspaper publisher, 15 indigent veterans buried at Riverside National Cemetery, a retired DA child support employee from Baldwin Park, a Palisades fire survivor who pushed for fire-resistant rebuilding, a Beverly Hills civic leader, a 27-year-old model from Malibu, and a 17-year-old Franklin High School student whose death the chair linked to bullying. 03:29:13

• Adjourn in memory of the people named, by unanimous consent. Result: passed, unanimous. 03:52:04

The board met in closed session on CS-3, a conference with labor negotiators about the county's represented employee unions. CS-1, CS-2 and CS-4 were continued to October 20. Afterward, the clerk reported no reportable action. 03:52:58

• Closed session conference with labor negotiators (CS-3). Result: no action. 04:01:46

• Item 69-D (UL fire report): six speakers, several of them Eaton fire survivors or members of an Altadena accountability group; most said a seven-day review was far too short, one asked for at least 60 days, and several asked that the community be part of the review. Several criticized the county fire response in west Altadena, one objected to County Counsel leading the review, and one called for the Fire Department's leadership to be removed and for a citizen oversight board.
• Item 30 (La Habra Heights land sale): three speakers supported it, a city representative and two from the Puente Hills Habitat Preservation Authority. They cited affordable housing sites, a firebreak and a two-acre habitat buffer. The city representative also praised the county's air operations during a September brush fire.
• Item 40: the applicant's representative supported vacating the Canyon View Estates approvals, saying the project had been abandoned.
• Item 18: an affordable housing developers' association, noting its members work on tight margins, asked to be included in shaping any changes to construction requirements.
• Item 69-B: an aging advocate said about 2,300 low-income older and disabled residents could lose their assisted living housing on January 1 when Health Net stops covering those services.
• Item 14 (data centers): two callers supported restricting data centers.
• Item 44: a law school anti-trafficking program asked that the child trafficking protocol cover labor trafficking and forced criminality, rely less on law enforcement as the first contact, and that the Sheriff's Department report its costs within 30 days.
• One caller made hostile remarks about the board on items 6, 15, 21 and 69-B.
• Item 10 (Hug Act): about 27 in-person speakers supported the motion. They included formerly incarcerated youth who said they helped write the bill, parents of incarcerated youth, Probation Oversight Commission members, youth advocacy groups, and a UCLA researcher who cited research on the health benefits of touch. Two remote callers spoke: one questioned what the board had done over past decades, and one asked for an audit comparing contraband and overdoses before and after contact visits.
• Item 42 (Rosas): two ACLU representatives said no one was disciplined for the force or the false reports in the insulin case, that the department does not count throwing someone into a wall as a head strike, and that the ACLU should be allowed to present. One caller criticized the past cancellation of a new jail.
• General public comment (about 11 speakers): four school nutrition directors (from LAUSD, Glendale USD, Lawndale ESD and a Santa Clarita Valley school food agency) opposed the Public Health environmental health permit fee increases for school cafeterias that are expected in November, citing increases of roughly 200% to 500%. LAUSD's representative said the change from $197 per inspection to an $870 permit per site would cost over $600,000 across 688 sites. They asked for phasing, delay or county funding. Three Altadena speakers, two of them Eaton fire survivors, spoke on community involvement in the fire report review, criticism of the Fire Department, and building-and-safety problems with retaining walls next to new ADUs. Other speakers raised license plate reader cameras, a Rowland Heights sign repair, cashless and email-only food sales at a business expo, and a proposal to redevelop the Hawthorne Mall.

• October 13 meeting canceled; next regular meeting October 20, 2026 at 9:30 a.m.
• Item 20 (Governance Reform Task Force recommendations) continued to October 20, 2026.
• Closed session items CS-1, CS-2 and CS-4 continued to October 20, 2026.
• Item 21 (Men's Central Jail closure progress report) continued to October 27, 2026.
• Item 22 (proposed county artificial intelligence policy) continued to November 10, 2026.
• Item 69-B: departments to present on October 20 on the end of Health Net's assisted living benefit.
• Item 69-D: County Counsel-coordinated analysis of the UL fire report due in 30 days (amended from seven), with extensions allowed.
• Kathryn Barger (Supervisor, Fifth District) and Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District)'s disaster case management motion to be on the October 20 agenda; the state's deadline for the program is October 31.
• Lindsey Horvath (Supervisor, Third District) and Hilda Solis (Supervisor, First District; Chair)'s gender-based violence motion goes to cluster October 28 and to the board November 10; it calls for a Sheriff's Department presentation by November 24, 2026.
• Hug Act: state law effective January 1, 2027; Probation report back due in 60 days; status reports due by July 1, 2027 and January 1, 2028 (agenda).
• The Sheriff's Department said a phone contract including tablets for people in custody will come to the board within about two months.
• The Sheriff's Department expects body-worn cameras in all custody facilities by the end of 2026.
• Public Health's proposed school cafeteria permit fees are expected before the board in November (one speaker said November 10).
• Item 34: public hearing on La Mirada lighting district annexation and assessments set for November 24, 2026 (agenda).