Latest news with #AB218
29-04-2025
- Business
Some 55,000 Los Angeles County workers walk out in 2-day strike, pausing operations
Approximately 55,000 of Los Angeles County's workers have taken to the streets downtown in a massive, two-day protest -- affecting a range of industries, from public services and health care to libraries and park management. Members of the labor union SEIU Local 721 began the strike on Monday night, saying in a press release that failed contract negotiations and 44 alleged labor law violations sparked the walkout. The strike also comes nearly four months after the devastating spate of wildfires burned through parts of Los Angeles County in January, causing billions in damage and a strain on public workers, the union said. "This is the workforce that got LA County through emergency after emergency: the January wildfires, public health emergencies, mental health emergencies, social service emergencies and more," David Green, SEIU 721's executive director and president, who has worked as an L.A. County children's social worker for more than two decades said in the union's release. "From the San Fernando Valley to the San Gabriel Valley, from the foothills to the beaches, all across LA County, we get the job done. That's why we have had it with the labor law violations and demand respect for our workers," Green added. The union claims the alleged labor violations include refusal to bargain with union members in good faith, surveillance and retaliation against SEIU 721 members engaged in union activity, restricting union organizers' access to worksites and contracting out of SEIU 721-represented positions. Additionally, the union claims the county's proposal had a 0% increase for workers' cost of living while its board of supervisors financed a $205 million downtown skyscraper for new office space. "These are the very same people telling the workforce – and taxpayers – that there is no money for more services or frontline staff," the union said in the release. In a statement to ABC News on Tuesday, L.A. County's Chief Executive Office said it's "committed to negotiating in good faith with SEIU 721, and we are disappointed that the union is opting to stage a strike that will affect residents and impact service delivery at a time of great public need." The department added that it "disputes the union's assertion that the County has engaged in unfair labor practices." The county also cited "unprecedented stresses on our budget" including a $4 billion settlement of thousands of childhood sexual assault claims brought under AB 218, a projected $2 billion in impacts related to the January wildfires and recovery and the potentially catastrophic loss of hundreds of millions or more in federal funding, according to the statement. Speaking with ABC News' Los Angeles affiliate KABC, L.A. County's Chief Executive Officer Fesia Davenport said, "We have to monitor our revenues" and explained that the county's growth from property taxes is declining. "Our revenues are down because interest rates are up, and the number of houses that have been sold over the last couple of years have been declining. Our main source of revenue are local property taxes, so even though we get growth every year from property taxes, the amount of that growth is declining," Davenport said. The county is planning to meet with union workers Tuesday night, according to KABC. Marking the first strike of it kind for the union, SEIU 721 members include health, public health and mental health care professionals; social workers; parks and recreation staff; social services eligibility workers; public works personnel; clerical workers; custodians; coroner personnel; beaches and harbors staff; and traffic and lighting personnel, according to the release. The strike could impact non-urgent health clinics, libraries, wildfire debris removal, homeless encampment enforcement and trash pickup services, according to the union.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Some 55,000 Los Angeles County workers walk out in 2-day strike, pausing operations
Approximately 55,000 of Los Angeles County's workers have taken to the streets downtown in a massive, two-day protest -- affecting a range of industries, from public services and health care to libraries and park management. Members of the labor union SEIU Local 721 began the strike on Monday night, saying in a press release that failed contract negotiations and 44 alleged labor law violations sparked the walkout. The strike also comes nearly four months after the devastating spate of wildfires burned through parts of Los Angeles County in January, causing billions in damage and a strain on public workers, the union said. "This is the workforce that got LA County through emergency after emergency: the January wildfires, public health emergencies, mental health emergencies, social service emergencies and more," David Green, SEIU 721's executive director and president, who has worked as an L.A. County children's social worker for more than two decades said in the union's release. MORE: Arbor Day: How Los Angeles is replanting trees after devastating wildfires "From the San Fernando Valley to the San Gabriel Valley, from the foothills to the beaches, all across LA County, we get the job done. That's why we have had it with the labor law violations and demand respect for our workers," Green added. The union claims the alleged labor violations include refusal to bargain with union members in good faith, surveillance and retaliation against SEIU 721 members engaged in union activity, restricting union organizers' access to worksites and contracting out of SEIU 721-represented positions. Additionally, the union claims the county's proposal had a 0% increase for workers' cost of living while its board of supervisors financed a $205 million downtown skyscraper for new office space. "These are the very same people telling the workforce – and taxpayers – that there is no money for more services or frontline staff," the union said in the release. In a statement to ABC News on Tuesday, L.A. County's Chief Executive Office said it's "committed to negotiating in good faith with SEIU 721, and we are disappointed that the union is opting to stage a strike that will affect residents and impact service delivery at a time of great public need." The department added that it "disputes the union's assertion that the County has engaged in unfair labor practices." The county also cited "unprecedented stresses on our budget" including a $4 billion settlement of thousands of childhood sexual assault claims brought under AB 218, a projected $2 billion in impacts related to the January wildfires and recovery and the potentially catastrophic loss of hundreds of millions or more in federal funding, according to the statement. Speaking with ABC News' Los Angeles affiliate KABC, L.A. County's Chief Executive Officer Fesia Davenport said, "We have to monitor our revenues" and explained that the county's growth from property taxes is declining. "Our revenues are down because interest rates are up, and the number of houses that have been sold over the last couple of years have been declining. Our main source of revenue are local property taxes, so even though we get growth every year from property taxes, the amount of that growth is declining," Davenport said. The county is planning to meet with union workers Tuesday night, according to KABC. MORE: Several injured, including children, after minivan drives into crowd in Los Angeles Marking the first strike of it kind for the union, SEIU 721 members include health, public health and mental health care professionals; social workers; parks and recreation staff; social services eligibility workers; public works personnel; clerical workers; custodians; coroner personnel; beaches and harbors staff; and traffic and lighting personnel, according to the release. The strike could impact non-urgent health clinics, libraries, wildfire debris removal, homeless encampment enforcement and trash pickup services, according to the union. Further information on closures and service delays can be found out Some 55,000 Los Angeles County workers walk out in 2-day strike, pausing operations originally appeared on
CBS News
28-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
"Fed up" Los Angeles County workers set to hold two-day strike over contract negotiations
Several Los Angeles County services could experience temporary interruptions when workers represented by the Service Employees International Union go on strike starting Monday night. SEIU 721 members will begin their strike at 7 p.m. on Monday and continue through 6:59 p.m. on Wednesday. "We are closely monitoring the situation and are preparing our operations for the strike's potential impact on library services," said Sky Patrick, a librarian for Los Angeles County. "In the event we have to temporarily close our libraries, we recommend customers access our Digital Library, which is open 24/7. We encourage customers to stay informed by checking our website for regular updates as the events unfold." Union leaders say that the county has continually violated labor laws and failed to bargain in good faith on issues like the cost of living increase and health insurance. "Our members have reached the breaking point," said David Green, President of SEIU 721. "They're fed up. They're frustrated. They're tired of being disrespected at the table, and that's why they're ready to strike." SEIU has more 55,000 members across all public sectors of the county, including healthcare professionals, social workers and public works employees. Green says that they've been stuck at the bargaining table for six months and have yet to receive a real offer. "There hasn't been real bargaining, so we've unfortunately had to file unfair labor practices in the county of Los Angeles," he said. On top of libraries, trash collection and homeless response services, people may experience closed bathrooms at all county beaches and wildfire debris cleanup on beaches may also come to a temporary halt. Despite this, hospitals, emergency rooms and urgent care centers are expected to remain open. Other health clinics will stay open as long as there's enough staff. Mobile therapy units and mobile health services for children will be canceled for the duration of the strike. In response to the news of the strike, the county said that they're prepared for the potential impact. They also disputed the union's claims of unfair labor practices in a statement that read in part: "The County is facing unprecedented stresses on our budget, including a tentative $4 billion settlement of thousands of childhood sexual assault claims brought under AB 218, a projected $2 billion in impacts related to the January wildfires and recovery, and the potentially catastrophic loss of hundreds of millions or more in federal funding. ... We are committed to continuing constructive negotiations and to joining with labor on something we can all agree on—which is the County's absolutely essential role in serving." Union members say that the county is using its members as a scapegoat for a situation they didn't create. "Our folks are the safety net, whether you're an emergency room nurse or a children's social worker, or someone that works to serve mental health needs for the most vulnerable parts of our community. We're not going to be blamed for things that happen financially," Green said. The strike, Green says, is "wall to wall" meaning that every single member of the union voted for it to happen, the first in SEIU's history.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Yahoo
Reams of documents related to L.A. County sex abuse cases never turned over, lawyers say
Thousands of documents that could contain key details about rampant sexual abuse inside a defunct Santa Clarita detention camp — including so-called 'grooming drawings' — were left scattered inside the facility and never turned over to attorneys for those who alleged they had been abused as children, according to a firm suing L.A. County over the decades-old incidents. As part of the preparation for a looming June trial, attorneys with law firm Manly, Stewart & Finaldi had arranged April 15 to visit Camp Scott, a shuttered L.A. County probation camp where many of their clients say they were sexually abused as children. Inside the facility were reams of records that the county should have turned over to the firm more than a year ago through discovery, said attorney Courtney Thom, whose firm has about 150 civil cases alleging sexual abuse by county probation staff. 'You can understand my shock when I'm walking through where my clients got raped as children, and there are documents everywhere,' Thom said at a Monday superior court hearing in downtown Los Angeles. Thom said she discovered thousands of paper grievances, a locked file cabinet labeled 'Personnel Files CAMPS A – W,' and a drawing she believed was signed by Thomas Jackson — a probation deputy accused by at least 20 women of sexually assaulting them at the camp. The drawing, included in a court filing, was of the name 'TAMI' in big, block orange letters and appeared to be signed by a 'Jackson. T.' Attorney James Sargent, who is representing the county and accompanied Thom for the tour last week, called her claims 'inflammatory and incorrect.' 'They want to air what they deem as dirty laundry,' said Sargent, who told L.A. Superior Court Judge Lawrence Riff that the personnel files they discovered had nothing to do with the staff named in the lawsuits. Nor did the drawing, he said. Tami Wilson, a former supervisor at the camp, told him she recalled being given the hand-drawn card by a youth, he wrote in a court filing. The county announced earlier this month they planned to pay $4 billion to settle nearly 7,000 claims of alleged sexual abuse inside the county's juvenile facilities and foster homes. The settlement — believed to be the largest sex abuse settlement in U.S. history — arose from Assembly Bill 218, a 2020 state law that gave victims of childhood sexual abuse a new window to file civil suits against alleged predators and the agencies that employed them. A handful of prominent firms — including Manly, Stewart & Finaldi — declined to participate in the settlement and have ongoing litigation. In the aftermath of AB 218, state legislators have introduced several bills to attempt to make it easier for governments and school districts to deal with the financial fallout from the deluge of suits. One of these bills — SB 577 — is set for a hearing Tuesday. County lawyers claim one reason the state law change has had such a devastating financial toll is because many of the records they need to fight decades-old cases are long gone. Attorney John Manly argued the claim flew in the face of what his firm saw at Camp Scott. The county 'has been telling all of Sacramento that they don't have any documents,' said Manly, who urged the judge to allow his firm to publicize the footage they'd taken of the heaps of documents. 'We need to be able to share this with legislators.' Riff agreed with the county's request that the videos remain confidential for now due to security risks. Though Camp Scott hasn't been used to house youths for years, Sargent wrote in a filing that may soon change. L.A. County Superior Court Judge Miguel Espinoza ordered the county Friday to prepare to shut down Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall — the county's last remaining juvenile hall, where roughly 270 youths are held — due to problems stemming from chronic understaffing. 'The youth presently in Los Padrinos will need to go somewhere, and if some wind up at Camp Scott, the public release of photos and videos could be seriously detrimental,' Sargent wrote. Thom noted that both reporters and television crews have been allowed to broadcast footage taken inside the camp, including a 2001 documentary, "Camp Scott Lock-Up." 'The L.A. Times has been in there to photograph,' said Thom. 'MTV videoed more than we did." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
22-04-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Reams of documents related to L.A. County sex abuse cases never turned over, lawyers say
Thousands of documents that could contain key details about rampant sexual abuse inside a defunct Santa Clarita detention camp — including so-called 'grooming drawings' — were left scattered inside the facility and never turned over to attorneys for those who alleged they had been abused as children, according to a firm suing L.A. County over the decades-old incidents. As part of the preparation for a looming June trial, attorneys with law firm Manly, Stewart & Finaldi had arranged last Tuesday to visit Camp Scott, a shuttered L.A. County probation camp where many of their clients say they were sexually abused as children. Inside the facility were reams of records that the county should have turned over to the firm more than a year ago through discovery, said attorney Courtney Thom, whose firm has about 150 civil cases alleging sexual abuse by county probation staff. 'You can understand my shock when I'm walking through where my clients got raped as children, and there are documents everywhere,' Thom said at a Monday superior court hearing in downtown Los Angeles. Thom said she discovered thousands of paper grievances, a locked file cabinet labeled 'Personnel Files CAMPS A – W,' and a drawing she believed was signed by Thomas Jackson — a probation deputy accused by at least 20 women of sexually assaulting them at the camp. The drawing, included in a court filing, was of the name 'TAMI' in big, block orange letters and appeared to be signed by a 'Jackson. T.' Attorney James Sargent, who's representing the county and accompanied Thom for the tour last week, called her claims 'inflammatory and incorrect.' 'They want to air what they deem as dirty laundry,' said Sargent, who told L.A. Superior Court Judge Lawrence Riff that the personnel files they discovered had nothing to do with the staff named in the lawsuits. Nor did the drawing, he said. Tami Wilson, a former supervisor at the camp, told him she recalled being given the hand-drawn card by a youth, he wrote in a court filing. The county announced earlier this month they planned to pay $4 billion to settle nearly 7,000 claims of alleged sexual abuse inside the county's juvenile facilities and foster homes. The settlement — believed to be the largest sex abuse settlement in U.S. history — arose from Assembly Bill 218, a 2020 state law that gave victims of childhood sexual abuse a new window to file civil suits against alleged predators and the agencies that employed them. A handful of prominent firms — including Manly, Stewart & Finaldi — declined to participate in the settlement and have ongoing litigation. In the aftermath of AB 218, state legislators have introduced several bills to attempt to make it easier for governments and school districts to deal with the financial fallout from the deluge of suits. One of these bills — SB 577 — is set for a hearing Tuesday. County lawyers claim one reason the state law change has had such a devastating financial toll is because many of the records they need to fight decades-old cases are long gone. Attorney John Manly argued the claim flew in the face of what his firm saw at Camp Scott. The county 'has been telling all of Sacramento that they don't have any documents,' said Manly, who urged the judge to allow his firm to publicize the footage they'd taken of the heaps of documents. 'We need to be able to share this with legislators.' Riff agreed with the county's request that the videos remain confidential for now due to security risks. Though Camp Scott hasn't been used to house youth for years, Sargent wrote in a filing that may soon change. L.A. County Superior Court Judge Miguel Espinoza ordered the county Friday to prepare to shut down Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall — the county's last remaining juvenile hall where roughly 270 youth are held — due to problems stemming from chronic understaffing. 'The youth presently in Los Padrinos will need to go somewhere, and if some wind up at Camp Scott, the public release of photos and videos could be seriously detrimental,' Sargent wrote. Thom noted that both reporters and television crews have been allowed to broadcast footage taken inside the camp, including a 2001 documentary, 'Camp Scott Lock-Up.' 'The LA Times has been in there to photograph,' said Thom. 'MTV videoed more than we did.'
