Santa Clarita sues LA County over juvenile camp
The city of Santa Clarita announced Monday that it has filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles County in an effort to block the creation of a camp for juvenile offenders.
Last month, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted by a 4-1 margin to create juvenile camps in Malibu, Commerce and Santa Clarita. This is the result of the state of California closing its youth prisons next year and designating individual counties as responsible for their housing.
Camp Joseph Scott, located in the 28700 block of Bouquet Canyon Road in Santa Clarita, would be used to house juvenile male offenders. The camp has been closed since May of 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a news conference Monday announcing the lawsuit, Santa Clarita Mayor Laurene Weste alleged that under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the county must perform an environmental review before reopening Camp Scott.
She claimed that the camp faces significant risks, including wildfires and flooding. The camp is located downstream from Bouquet Canyon Dam.
"Camp Scott is completely unsuitable for this use," Weste said. "You just have to look around and see the dry brush and hillsides which have burned in the past, and they will burn again."
Camp Kilpatrick in Malibu will also be used to house male offenders, while Camp Kirby in Commerce will be used to house female offenders.