The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to eliminate the use of chemical spray in all county juvenile probation facilities by December 2019.
For the past two years, CDF-CA has been working with advocates across the state to implement both statewide and local prohibitions against the traumatic, harmful and inhumane use of chemical spray against our incarcerated young people. The February vote brings LA County in line with 35 other states and four other California counties who already ban chemical spray in their facilities. The harmful nature of chemical spray makes its use barbaric and counterproductive to the rehabilitative goals of the juvenile justice system.
Details on the degrading use of chemical spray in LA County (including the spraying of a youth engaged in self-harming behavior) can be found in a recent investigative report by the Los Angeles County Office of Inspector General. CDF-CA lauds the bold actions of the LA County Board of Supervisors and looks forward to working with the Los Angeles Probation Department and other stakeholders to implement the mandated ban in a way that protects the safety of both youth and staff.
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LBUSD misallocated millions in funds meant for high need students
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Key Statistics and Resources Child Poverty in California Based on New U.S. Census Data
U.S. Census Bureau data released today reveal that 1.78 million California children (19.9%) lived in poverty in 2016. Children remain the poorest age group. Children of color continue to be disproportionately poor: 26.6% (1,236,452) of Latino children and 29.6% (142,588) of Black children were poor in 2016, compared to 9.6% (221,622) of White children. Nearly 1 in 12 California children (723,923) lived in deep poverty in 2016, putting them at severe risk of hunger, homelessness, and toxic stress. The Census Bureau's official poverty measure defines poverty as an annual income below $24,563 for an average family of four, or less than $2,047 a month or $ 67.30 a day. Deep poverty is half of that level. An alternative Census measure, the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), suggests that these figures substantially understate how many children face economic hardship in California due to the [...]
Marching Forward to End Child Poverty
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Statement from Children’s Defense Fund–California on President Trump’s First Budget Proposal
In response to President Trump's budget proposal, Alison Buist, National Child Health Director for Children's Defense Fund–California, issued this statement: "The Trump budget recklessly turns its back on America's children, denying them basic supports that would enable them survive and thrive. It's hard to overstate the magnitude of harm the Trump budget would inflict on California children and families, especially the nearly 1 in 4 California children living in poverty. This budget slashes critical services including but not limited to health care, education, and SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) more deeply than any previous budget in modern times." Media Contact Cadonna Dory cdory@childrensdefense.org o: (213) 355-8790 // c: (323) 385-6342 ### Children's Defense Fund-California (CDF-CA) is a state office of the Children's Defense Fund, a national child advocacy organization that has worked relentlessly for [...]