CA prisons handle complaints against employees poorly, audit finds

A state audit examining how California prisons handle complaints about its staff members found flaws with how the majority of cases were handled, and some facilities were slow to deal with sex assault cases filed against officers.

As CalMatters’ Nigel Duara explains, the state prisons’ inspector general released its latest audit last week, scrutinizing the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s disciplinary and criminal caseload involving prison staff. The report found that:

• At least 279 women have sued the department, and at least 83 prison employees have been accused of sexual misconduct.
• 86% of the prison system’s caseload was considered “inadequate” or “needs improvement,” with “inadequate” to mean that there were significant problems with the investigation, which compromised its final outcome.
• The corrections department’s legal staff took an average of nine months to send cases to internal investigators.

Delayed investigations for sexual assault cases, the audit argued, “significantly impairs the integrity and effectiveness of the investigative process.” In one case involving a dozen women who accused a lieutenant of sexual assault, internal investigators took so long to review the allegations that the lieutenant was able to retire before facing discipline.

The audit, which is released twice a year, rounds out a year that began with the high-profile conviction of a former guard at a Chowchilla women’s facility. In January Gregory Rodriguez was found guilty of 64 counts of sexual abuse. He worked at the prison until 2022 but the earliest report against him dated as early as 2014. Rodriguez was sentenced to 224 years in prison.

Read more here.

Assemblymember Mark González, a Los Angeles Democrat, introduced a bill Tuesday that would create a pilot program restoring the 988 suicide and crisis hotline for LGBTQ+ callers in L.A. County.

In July the federal administration under President Donald Trump ended specialized LGBTQ+ counseling for the hotline, which was accessible to callers after dialing 988 and pressing 3. This prompted the state to partner with The Trevor Project to train counselors at California’s 988 call centers to better address LGBTQ+ youth.

If González’s bill passes, the pilot program would enable callers in L.A. County to access a “988 press 3” option, serving as the initial de facto rollout to establish the option across the state. 

• González, in a statement: “Before this reckless (federal) cut, 1.5 million contacts were made to Press 3. That doesn’t happen by accident — that happens because LGBTQ+ youth trust this lifeline and rely on it in their darkest moments.”

The proposal comes at a time when California’s own peer-run phone service — which provides free 24/7 non-emergency, mental health support to California residents — faced layoffs and limited services due to state budget cuts. 

From CalMatters politics reporter Maya C. Miller:

A Democratic political action committee is accusing U.S. Rep. Young Kim, an Orange County Republican, of failing to disclose nearly $50,000 of privately funded travel in violation of federal financial reporting requirements. 

The group, End Citizens United, has asked the Office of Congressional Conduct, an independent and nonpartisan entity, to launch a formal investigation into why the congressmember didn’t include several privately funded trips — some of which were international and cost five figures — in mandatory federal financial filings.

Members of Congress and staff are allowed to accept trips if they receive approval from the House Ethics Committee. But they must also report any of those trips that cost more than $480. 

Kim’s team has described the discrepancy as an administrative error and said the congresswoman corrected it as soon as it was brought to her attention. They also noted she had approval from the House Ethics Committee to go on the trips.

Kim is currently locked in a tight race against fellow incumbent Rep. Ken Calvert, the state’s longest serving Republican, for the chance to represent one of California’s last remaining safe GOP seats. 

The Office of Congressional Conduct, created in 2008, reviews allegations of misconduct against members and staff and can choose to refer any investigations to the ethics committee for additional review. 

A new state law requires online web browsers to add an opt-out signal that tells sites not to sell or share user data. CalMatters’ Colin Lecher and video strategy director Robert Meeks have a video segment on the law and why proponents say it could become a nationwide standard, as part of our partnership with PBS SoCal. Watch it here.

SoCalMatters airs at 5:58 p.m. weekdays on PBS SoCal.