Lindsey Horvath’s ‘reckless’ plan to release inmates from jail stalled after backlash

County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath’s big, bold plan to free incarcerated convicts and keep suspected criminals on the street has been put on ice for now.

Supervisor Hilda Solis, who co-authored the proposal that would have declared the state of mental health services and overcrowding in county jails a humanitarian crisis and prioritized decreasing the number of individuals entering the jails, abruptly yanked the item from the board’s agenda Monday after national media picked up the story and withering criticisms began rolling in. The Board of Supervisors was set to review the proposal at their meeting tomorrow.

“I introduced the motion as a way to strike a balance with both justice-involved advocates and public safety representatives. Additionally, with the federal consent decrees and settlement agreements, including a potential receivership from the State, I felt this move was necessary,” Solis said in a statement. “Since the motion was published, my office has received concerns from a variety of stakeholders — those who feel the motion is not doing enough and those who feel it is doing too much. To that end, I will be referring the motion back to my office so that I can continue to gather input from all stakeholders.”

The measure would have released “individuals committed and/or sentenced to the County jails for misdemeanors and/or felonies who can be safely released back into the community,” amended from an earlier version which would have freed those suspected of a crime with a bail of $50,000 or less, which would include illegally carrying a firearm, domestic violence, possession of child pornography, residential burglary and armed robbery/assault, according to the Los Angeles Association of Deputy District Attorneys, who called the plan “dangerous and reckless.”

The board is facing immense pressure from prison reform groups like Justice LA, who protested at the Men’s Central Jail last week, demanding its closure in the wake of several inmate deaths. The group wanted the Board to commit to shuttering the facility by 2025.

‘Because the jails are operating 20 percent over capacity, we’re going to continue to see people dying,’ Melissa Camacho, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU of Southern California told the Daily Mail.

As word of the proposal spread, even organizations allied with Horvath like the California Contract Cities Association (CCCA) turned their guns on the idea. CCCA sent an email to news media Tuesday “expressing concern that this action has the potential to adversely impact public safety in Los Angeles County. CCCA encourages the Board of Supervisors to engage with impacted stakeholders prior to taking any significant actions without first establishing alternatives to address mental health and substance abuse.”

Horvath has not released a statement on the matter.

It’s the first real public pushback felt by the longtime West Hollywood City Councilmember in her new role as County Supervisor. Just last month, Horvath celebrated her plan — which might sound familiar to WeHoans — that began replacing law enforcement agents on the LA Metro with unarmed security ambassadors.