State should probe L.A. County’s $4 billion sex abuse settlement

LA County last year agreed to pay a record $4 billion to settle thousands of claimsof sexual abuse in county-run juvenile facilities and foster homes. Recently, nine people told the Los Angeles Times they were paid to sue, and one man said a false abuse claimwas filed without his consent. There are many perspectives on the controversy. This is from unions representing workers. One from a child advocate is here.

A recent report by The Los Angeles Times raised concerns about potentially false claims tied to Los Angeles County’s $4 billion sexual abuse settlement. It should serve as a wake-up call for state leaders.

This is not simply a local issue. 

Los Angeles County is a political subdivision of the state of California and receives substantial state funding to operate its juvenile and adult justice systems. When failures of this magnitude occur, the state not only has the authority to act, it has the responsibility.

AFSCME Local 685 and Teamsters Local 986 represent the probation officers and supervisors who carry out this work every day. These workers supervise youth, protect communities and operate in increasingly difficult conditions. 

They are also now dealing with the fallout of a settlement process that denied them the most basic element of fairness — the ability to defend themselves.

The county approved a $4 billion settlement without depositions, without evidentiary hearings and without a meaningful independent review. Thousands of claims were resolved in bulk, and the employees implicated were never given the opportunity to respond.

Now, with questions emerging about the legitimacy of some claims, the consequences of that approach are becoming clear.

Accountability matters. Survivors deserve justice. 

But justice requires a process that distinguishes between substantiated claims and those that are unverified or false. When that distinction is lost, public trust erodes and the state’s justice system is weakened.

The state cannot look away from this.

For years, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has mismanaged the probation department through hiring freezes, chronic understaffing and policy decisions that weakened the workforce. Today, the department faces roughly 700 vacancies and a staffing shortage approaching 30%.

Even more troubling, the county has failed to build a sustainable workforce pipeline. In a recent hiring cycle, just 88 candidates were hired out of more than 8,500 applicants. Entry-level officers can wait up to a decade for promotion. 

At the same time, more than half the field workforce is nearing retirement age, and the county has refused to grant safety retirement, forcing officers to work longer than peers in other jurisdictions.

These are not isolated management issues. They are policy choices that directly impact the state’s ability to ensure safe and effective juvenile and community supervision systems.

The consequences are already evident. A court is now considering whether to place Los Angeles County’s juvenile division into receivership. That alone should trigger immediate concern in Sacramento.

The state has the tools and the obligation to act.

First, the California State Auditor should conduct a full forensic audit of the settlement process. Billions in taxpayer dollars, including funds that intersect with state-supported systems, were committed without sufficient transparency or verification.

Second, the Legislature should hold oversight hearings to examine how this settlement was negotiated and approved, and whether state funding streams are being used in a manner consistent with accountability and public safety.

Third, the state should condition future funding on measurable improvements in staffing, hiring, retention and operational stability. If the county cannot maintain a functional probation system, the state must require corrective action.

Finally, safeguards must be established to ensure that future large-scale claims processes include independent verification and basic due process protections. No public employee should be placed in this position again.

This is about more than one settlement. It is about whether California will ensure that its local partners operate systems that are fair, accountable and capable of delivering justice.

Los Angeles County’s failures are now affecting not only its workforce and its residents, but the integrity of the broader state system. The warning signs are clear.