LOS ANGELES COUNTY : Supervisors Act to Keep Juvenile Camps Open

The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to keep open Los Angeles County’s 20 Probation Department camps for juvenile offenders while county officials seek state and federal funding for the program.

Adopting a motion by Supervisor Mike Antonovich, the board also called for a summit conference with representatives from the governor’s office and the presiding judges of the Superior and Juvenile courts to explore funding options.

The probation camps’ $55-million budget is paid for entirely with county funds. Last week, Probation Department Director Barry Nidorf said he would have to close the camps in March if more funding was not made available. If they close, most of the 4,200 youths in them would be released because state facilities are filled, officials said.