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This week, my office took an extraordinary but necessary step to address an urgent crisis unfolding inside Los Angeles County’s juvenile halls. For the first time in California Department of Justice history, we are asking a court to place a public institution into receivership.
Receivership means handing control of Los Angeles County’s juvenile hall system to a court-appointed official. This will give someone else the full operational authority to make critical decisions and implement reforms the County has been unable to carry out.
We didn’t come to this decision lightly. Since 2021, my office has obtained a civil judgment, obtained three orders enforcing and strengthening that civil judgment, and filed criminal charges against probation officers. We gave Los Angeles County every chance to fix this. Still, conditions remain dangerous and unlawful — including violence, overdoses, lack of medical care, and retaliation against youth who speak up.
 These young people deserve more than our concern, they deserve action. As your Attorney General, I’m committed to doing everything in my power to ensure our juvenile justice system upholds the safety, dignity, and rights of young people in California.
Sincerely,
Rob Bonta
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Challenging Unlawful New Restrictions on Head Start, Other Public Benefit Programs
 I joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general this week in suing the Trump Administration over its abrupt reversal of nearly three decades of federal practice that allowed access, regardless of immigration status, to certain public benefit programs that have historically been determined to protect life or safety and contribute to the overall welfare of communities. These programs include Head Start, childcare services for low-income people, adult education, mental health and substance use disorder programs, and shelters for at-risk youth and domestic violence survivors, among others. Later in the week, our coalition secured an agreement temporarily preventing the Trump Administration from implementing these new restrictions before September 3, 2025. With this agreement, these critical programs — and the families who rely on them — can breathe a little easier. California will not back down in the fight to protect access to these programs that help ensure that our communities thrive.
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Protecting Nurses from Illegal Employment Contracts
 All too often, employer-driven debt forces workers to remain in jobs that they would otherwise leave. That’s not just wrong; it’s illegal under state and federal law. Workers must be able to pursue better pay and better working conditions — not be trapped by debt that their employer makes them take out. This week, I announced a settlement with HCA Healthcare resolving allegations that HCA unlawfully required entry-level nurse employees to repay the cost of a mandatory training program if they did not remain employed with the company for two years. With this settlement, we are taking a stand for workers in our states by holding HCA Healthcare accountable — ensuring that all affected nurses are made whole financially, that the company pays a penalty for its wrongdoing, and that the company is subject to strong injunctive terms to deter future misconduct.
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Challenging the Withholding of AmeriCorps Funding
 This week, we expanded our ongoing legal challenge against the Trump Administration's attempt to gut AmeriCorps. AmeriCorps represents the best of who we are and what we can be as a nation, providing opportunities for more than 200,000 Americans to serve their communities every year. In June, we secured a court order that reinstated hundreds of AmeriCorps programs that were unlawfully cancelled and barred AmeriCorps from making similar cuts without formal rulemaking. Despite this order, the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is withholding vast sums intended for outstanding service programs, threatening their survival and the wellbeing of those who depend on their services. We’re going back to court to block this latest maneuver – adding OMB as a defendant and bringing new legal claims against the agency.
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Ensuring Hospitals Follow Emergency Reproductive Healthcare Laws
 My office announced the launch of a statewide survey this week to assess how hospital emergency departments are complying with reproductive healthcare laws, particularly when abortion care is the medically necessary emergency treatment. The survey is part of my office's ongoing effort to identify and address gaps in emergency care across the state. The findings will help determine whether hospitals are meeting their legal obligations under California’s Emergency Services Law (ESL) and will ensure patients are receiving the care they are entitled to without delay or denial. No patient should need to wonder whether they will receive the care they need in a medical emergency. We’re letting the facts and data lead the way to ensure every hospital in California is fulfilling its responsibility to protect patients’ health and dignity.
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Making Your Life Affordable
 From groceries to gas, costs seem to be rising and rising ... and rising. California DOJ has your back and is committed to protecting California families grappling with the high cost of living and the struggle to keep costs down. In this segment, find some of the ways California DOJ is protecting Californians — and their wallets.
Hot Tip: The weather is hot, but have you thought about freezing? Did you know, you can freeze your child's credit?
What We Did: California DOJ has easy to follow instructions on freezing your child's credit here.
What This Means to You: Children make attractive targets for identity thieves — their "clean" social security numbers are particularly appealing. These crimes are often not discovered until children become adults, giving thieves years to use stolen identities and damage the credit histories of unsuspecting children. By freezing their credit, you can give your children a fraud-free start!
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Keeping You Safe: Combating Human Trafficking
 Human trafficking is among the world's fastest growing criminal enterprises and is estimated to be a $150 billion per year global industry. Human trafficking is not only a crime, but a violation of a person's human rights and dignity. This week, I partnered with Comic-Con International to raise awareness of human trafficking and provide resources for the public to assist in the fight to combat human trafficking. Events like Comic-Con, which bring thousands of people together, are a perfect opportunity to raise awareness of human trafficking, a crime that comes in many forms, including sex trafficking, forced labor, and domestic servitude resulting from force, fraud, or coercion. Everyone can play a role in stopping this unlawful activity by being aware of the signs and reporting any suspicious activity, whether you’re living or staying in San Diego, attending Comic-Con, or participating in festivities during Comic-Con weekend.
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Make a Difference at California DOJ
 Apply today to help the California DOJ protect the health, well-being, and public safety of Californians. Check out our featured jobs below and visit oag.ca.gov/careers for a full listing of available positions:
Deputy Attorney General IV, Business Litigation Section
Deputy Attorney General Supervisor, Land Use & Conservation
Deputy Attorney General III, Correctional Law
Deputy Attorney General IV, Civil Rights Enforcement Section
Deputy Attorney General IV, Health Education & Welfare Section
Research Data Supervisor I, Office of Information Security & Research Services
Hiring and Compensation Consultant, Office of Human Resources
Investigative Auditor IV Supervisor, Charitable Trusts
Information Technology Specialist II, Enterprise Services Bureau
Administrative Support Analyst, DLE Office of the Chief
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Post of the Week
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FLASH BRIEFING
Attorney General Bonta Announces Nearly $2 Million Settlement with Janitorial Franchising Companies Barring Use of Franchising to Misclassify Workers
Attorney General Bonta Secures District Court Decision Reaffirming Nationwide Injunction in Birthright Citizenship Lawsuit
Amidst Increased ICE Activity in California, Attorney General Issues Alert: Housing Discrimination Against Immigrant Communities is Illegal
Attorney General Bonta Slams USDA Proposal to Share Sensitive Data of SNAP Participants
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Video of the Week
 These young people deserve more than our outrage.
They deserve meaningful action and real accountability.
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CARE Corner
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The Office of Community Awareness, Response and Engagement (CARE) invites you to join our virtual CARE Community Briefing on California DOJ's annual Hate Crime in California report. This briefing will highlight the latest hate crime data, trends, and findings in California from 2024 as reported by local law enforcement agencies to California DOJ, including the most common types of hate crimes broken down by county and protected class. The briefing will also share information and resources to support ongoing efforts across the state to combat hate.
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