Barger ‘Disappointed’ with Sheriff’s Decision to Close Station in Altadena

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger told Pasadena Now she was “disappointed” in Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s decision to close the sheriff’s station in Altadena.

“The Chief Executive Office has provided the Sheriff’s Department with guidance and suggestions for appropriate budget cuts that would not impact public safety or community service, such as limited overtime and scaling back academy classes.  I am disappointed that instead of more sensible adjustments, he is responding by eliminating sheriff’s stations, including in Altadena, an unincorporated area that I represent.”

Villanueva announced his decision to shutter the station on Monday. The station will close on July 1.

The Crescenta Valley station will fill the gap and cover Altadena.

Villanueva has been grappling with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Last week the two sides traded insults as they sparred over the department’s $3.5 billion budget.

According to supervisors, the county’s jail population has decreased by 5,000 inmates, yet Villanueva has not decreased the staffing in the county’s jails.

Supervisors also want Villanueva to further cut overtime.

Villanueva wants the board to release $143.7 million in funding for his department that had been transferred out — or “confiscated” according to the sheriff — last October.

“Since last year, the Sheriff’s Department has run a substantial deficit that the County is unable to maintain. These considerable fiscal issues, led predominantly by overtime costs and legal settlements, have become even more pronounced given the financial challenges we are experiencing during COVID-19,” Barger told Pasadena Now on Monday.

LA County Counsel Mary Wickham suggested Villanueva could be criminally charged with a misdemeanor for not taking steps to balance the budget. Villanueva said he was aware of crimes by public officials.

“I could go on for a long, long time about the long list of felony crimes and the consequences of them and they’re done by public officials,” the sheriff said. “It would be inappropriate to make that inference in any forum, much less in a budgetary debate, and so good luck with that if you’re going to scare me with the thing about a misdemeanor crime.”

That statement prompted Supervisor Kathryn Barger, often one of the sheriff’s staunchest supporters, to say, “I don’t know if that was a veiled threat or what you were referring to … I didn’t appreciate that comment.”

The board held the funds in hopes of forcing the sheriff to address a budget deficit that reached $63.4 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019, and is projected to run to $86.5 million for this fiscal year.

The sheriff has publicly warned that withholding the funds could result in cuts to critical services and pointed to his department’s success in cutting overtime spending — a big driver of the department’s deficit.

On Monday, Villanueva began the cuts.

“I remain committed to resourcing the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to meet its core mission of ensuring public safety for our residents and I encourage the Sheriff to work with our CEO to identify more appropriate budget cuts that will not impact our communities,” Barger said.