More than a month after the state ordered Los Angeles County’s sole juvenile hall shut down due to paltry staffing, a judge has once again spared the troubled facility from immediate closure.
Superior Court Judge Miguel Espinoza punted a decision on whether to order Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall closed, seemingly swayed by having no good alternatives for where the roughly 230 youths housed inside should go instead.
All youth at the Downey facility have cases pending, including some connected to murders and other violent offenses. The Public Defender’s Office had suggested moving the youth to the county’s “camps,” which are considered more stable than the beleaguered hall, but typically reserved for young people whose cases have been adjudicated…