Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva Monday announced plans to close two patrol stations, the parks bureau and reduce homeless outreach services to help shrink his department’s budget deficit.
The Marina del Rey and Altadena stations will be closed and consolidated into the South L.A. and Crescenta Valley stations, respectively. Deputies will be reassigned, but a couple dozen administrative positions, including captain and field training officer positions, will be eliminated and those staff members assigned to fill vacancies elsewhere.
“Of course, the only issue is then from the local communities, if you live in those, is it a reduction in service? Well the deputies in patrol will remain the same, they’ll still be out there. However, it’s the administrative staff that will be encumbered to basically tighten the belts on this,” Villanueva said during a news briefing.
Villanueva told reporters that the station closures, which will take effect July 1, will save more than $12 million annually. Meanwhile, losing the county parks and community partnership bureaus will save more than $62 million a year, he said. County parks will now be patrolled by the nearest sheriff’s station.
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