FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, July 1, 2024
LA County Probation Announces Significant Management Overhaul
LOS ANGELES, CA-
The Probation Oversight Commission acknowledges L.A. County Probation Chief Guillermo Viera Rosa’s announcement last Friday of an unprecedented restructuring that eliminates an entire layer of management in the 6,600-person probation agency, the largest of its kind in the country, as a move forward toward reform efforts.
Viera Rosa said flattening the organization will make for quicker implementation of new policies, clearer lines of authority, better internal feedback, and greater transparency. It also pushes decision-making closer to personnel who interact with adult probationers, youth, their families, County partner agencies, and the public.
"This management restructuring represents a major step towards resizing and reorienting the Department under the County's 'Care First, Jails Last' initiative to enact criminal justice reform," Viera Rosa said.
"A streamlined organization will not only allow us to enact internal reforms more effectively, but it will also align us better with the new County Departments of Youth Development, and Justice Care and Opportunities," he added.
The restructuring has been met with positive reactions from various stakeholders, including Probation Oversight Commissioners.
Don Meredith, who has served on multiple probation oversight groups for decades, and is a current Probation Oversight Commissioner commented, "I have raised the issue of stagnant, failed or inept leadership within the ranks of Bureau Chiefs in each oversight role I’ve served. I believe the Chief’s actions to eliminate the Bureau Chief positions will prove to be visionary and productive for the department. Since the announcement of the elimination of Bureau Chiefs, I have received numerous calls text and email from line staff and subordinate management saying they are happy and relieved. They think there’s hope for the organization now."
Probation Oversight Commissioner Milinda Kakani noted, "Any effort to shrink the department and its billion-dollar budget is a welcome one. The hope is that by reducing one level in this massive bureaucracy, we can create some more accountability and transparency. Most importantly, reducing Probation's footprint is aligned with Youth Justice Reimagined, the vision for an alternative system of care dedicated to the healing of our young people and their communities."
Probation Oversight Commission Executive Director, Wendelyn Julien, expressed optimism about the changes, stating, "Chief Viera Rosa and his leadership team continue to take bold, necessary action toward reforming the Probation Department that are cause for optimism, including the recent unprecedented step of eliminating the Bureau Chief position. I am hopeful that this progress will continue. I appreciate the decades of services of many of the folks impacted by this change and wish them the best going forward."
Probation Oversight Commission Chair, Eduardo Mundo, highlighted the positive impact on oversight, saying, "I get the feeling that the middle managers were more obstructionists than helpful. You have these midlevel managers who have been there a long time and are preserving a system that stopped working a decade ago. This housecleaning had to happen and it’s great that it’s finally happening. It means Chief Viera Rosa is going to be able to do the things he has to do, that others couldn’t do.”
###
Media Contact:
Wendelyn Julien, Executive Director
County of Los Angeles, Probation Oversight Commission
Email: wjulien@poc.lacounty.gov
Phone: (213) 308-8373
Website: poc.lacounty.gov/
|
