Last Chance on Child Support

Dist. Atty. Gil Garcetti surely realizes that this is his last chance to put some muscle behind child support enforcement in Los Angeles County. The spotlight is squarely on him now, as it should be.

The agonies endured by custodial parents in the county are well known: Too many are trying to raise children on their own without the support payments they are owed.

Also well known are the problems that Garcetti must solve. The Bureau of Family Support Operations fails to collect support in nine of 10 cases. Meanwhile, the office knowingly bills men who are not related to the children who are owed support and takes its own slow time in passing on the payments that it has received.

But no smoke screens are left now. Garcetti’s refrain of unfair press coverage is an old dog that doesn’t hunt anymore and ought to be retired. The D.A. can’t plead poverty or point to hiring freezes. The county supervisors support the programs proposed last Tuesday to boost oversight, collections and more, at an additional cost of $3 million.

Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke has said she wants “real change in the next three months.” Mike Antonovich added a call for soliciting proposals from private companies on what they would do to improve performance, giving a hint of things to come.

While the supervisors entertain new ideas, they might consider a few from nearby jurisdictions. In San Diego, for example, Municipal Court Judge Larry Stirling has proposed treating support cases as civil cases, letting collection agencies compete to track down deadbeats and bring in money. This has worked in other areas.

Under criminal court enforcement, misdemeanor arrest warrants are issued for those identified as being in arrears on support. But the warrants are unlikely to be served, given the weight of a huge number of felony warrants, including some for murder.

Garcetti holds what is arguably the most powerful post in the county. He sets the tone for his prosecutors and for law enforcement priorities. With serious crime still on the wane, Garcetti can rightly focus on a matter that would help several hundred thousand children live more comfortable lives. This matter ought to rise to the top of his agenda and remain there until it’s fixed.