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View Winners → Altadena Sheriff’s Station to Close
News May 07, 2020
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During a press conference Monday, Sheriff Alex Villanueva announcedthat the 2020-21 budget proposed by the Board of Supervisors leaves a $400million gap for the sheriff’s department. To shrink the department’s deficits,Villanueva proposed cuts to academy classes, patrol divisions and homelessoutreach services.
As a result, the Altadena and Marina del Rey Sheriff’s Stations will beclosed July 1 to garner a combined savings of $12.2 million for the department.Altadena will be patrolled by the Crescenta Valley Patrol Station. According toVillanueva, the shutter will mostly impact administrative personnel.
Other cuts include the elimination of the Parks Bureau, revertingpatrol duties for the county’s parks to the nearest sheriff’s station, and theCommunity Partnership Bureau (COPS). COPS teams provide supplemental servicesto residences in unincorporated areas.
L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger responded to Villanueva’sdecisions in a letter to Altadena residents. In it she expresses disappointmentin Villanueva’s decision, “Especially considering that there are more sensibleadjustments that he can make such as reducing overtime expenses and scalingback training academy classes.”
Barger specifically pointed to the fact that the department has “run asubstantial deficit that the County is unable to maintain”— a deficit made moreunsustainable by expected revenue loss for the County caused by COVID-19.
The supervisor concluded by encouraging Villanueva to “find appropriatesolutions that will help resolve the financial issues in his department, whilestill maintaining his commitment to protect and serve our residents.”