SB 357 Update: Betrayed in Committee – But the Fight Is Far from Over

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

In a long and heated hearing last night, the Assembly Public Safety Committee – led by Chair Assemblymember Nick Schultz – voted to pass Senate Bill 357 (Menjivar) out of committee and send it to the Assembly floor for a future vote.

Although several amendments were made, the heart of the bill is unchanged: If signed into law, SB 357 would strip leadership of the juvenile halls and camps from Probation and hand it to the Department of Youth Development (DYD). According to Senator Menjivar, sworn probation officers would be left providing only "security."

Equally concerning, the bill would allow access to confidential juvenile criminal records by civilian County staff with minimal background checks. Further, private contractors – some of whom employ individuals with gang ties and/or prior felony convictions would also have access to sensitive files involving victims, witnesses, and youth.

A Backroom Deal, and a Broken Promise

In exchange for voting the bill out of committee, Assembly Member Schultz cut a deal with Senator Menjivar to delay a full Assembly vote until 2026. We have agreed to meet again with the Senator. But the truth is this: Menjivar is not budging. She’s holding firm on DYD taking over. We’re holding firm that Probation must lead.

While we continue those discussions, we are now preparing to fight for a veto from the Governor.

The County Stood Against Us

Let’s be very clear: The LA County Board of Supervisors supports this bill. They have been working in lockstep with Senator Menjivar to push it forward. Their agenda is to take power away from sworn probation officers, supervisors, and managers, weaken unions, and turn our work over to civilians and private contractors.

We weren’t alone in opposing this bill. Our union coalition stood with:

• Victims’ rights advocates

• Judges and prosecutors

• Law enforcement groups locally and statewide

• The LA County Federation of Labor

• AFSCME and SEIU

• A majority of counties across California

In fact, we had secured commitments from every committee member – Democrat and Republican – to vote NO. But when the moment came, the members from LA County flipped their votes. Taking the lead of the bill’s author, Senator Caroline Menjivar (click here to see if you live in her district), the following members from Los Angeles voted to privatize probation and bust our unions:

• Assembly Member Mark González (click here to see if you live in his district)

• Assembly Member John Harabedian (click here to see if you live in his district)

• Assembly Member Nick Schultz (click here to see if you live in his district)

They turned their backs on probation. They turned their backs on public safety. They turned their backs on the victims and their families. And they turned their backs on organized labor.

Assembly Member Stephanie Nguyen (D-Sacramento) tried to keep the bill in committee until our amendments could be considered, but her efforts were rejected by the Assembly Members from Los Angeles. The deal had been cut and no one was budging.

During the hearing, Senator Menjivar launched an all-out attack on probation, referencing lawsuits, overdoses, and callouts to justify dismantling our department. And our so-called "allies" on the committee? They joined in. They echoed her attacks. Not a single one of them mentioned the victims we protect every day.

Let’s call this what it is: a coordinated effort to privatize our work and bust our unions. And if we don’t fight back, they will succeed.

What’s Next

All politics is local and NOW is the time to get organized. The Coalition of L.A. Probation Unions is putting together a detailed action plan. In the coming days, we will be calling on every single member of our three unions to take action in your home district.

The Bottom Line

This was a bad day for LA County Probation – but the fight is not over. The threat is real. The agenda is clear. And we must stand together like never before.

Get ready. Stay ready. Let’s fight back.

In unity,

AFSCME Local 685 Executive Board and BU 702 – SEIU 721 Joint Council Executive Board