Supervisor (D1): April Saucedo Hood

By Los Angeles Times staff

April 14, 2014

A Long Beach Unified School District police officer, April A. Saucedo Hood, 32, has more than 10 years experience in law enforcement.

Public safety

Two supervisors have proposed setting up a permanent citizen’s commission to oversee the Sheriff’s Department. Are you in favor of that?

I oppose the creation of an independent oversight commission. It would be difficult to create a true independent commission because members would be appointed and lack the necessary expertise to make meaningful recommendations. Without changes in the current law, all decisions would still be up to the elected sheriff. Any independent oversight commission would have little influence or decision making power. I do support the newly formed Inspector General. I believe the Sheriff’s Department is in need of a culture change. No amount of oversight can change the culture of an agency. Change starts at the top level management and trickles down to the line level employees. Furthermore, we need to re-evaluate how the Sheriff’s Department hires and trains deputies.

What role should the supervisors play in the management and operation of the Sheriff’s Department?

The Board of Supervisors needs to play a more active role in monitoring the Sheriff’s Department. Supervisors should work with the Sheriff and the Sheriff’s upper management to solve ongoing problems.

Former Sheriff Lee Baca has proposed replacing the Men’s Central Jail complex. What do you think should be done with the facility? If you believe it should be replaced, how large should it be?

I believe Men’s Central Jail should be replaced with a new jail utilizing modern design and technology to reduce inmate-deputy contact. I believe it is important to have a centralized jail in a large county like ours. The size of any new jail should be based on the future needs of our counties’ jail system and the success of alternative sentencing programs.

Some officials believe the Sheriff’s Department should use vacant jails outside the county to relieve crowding and reduce the need to release inmates early. Do you agree?

I agree that the county should do what it takes to deal with the influx of new inmates under AB109. I do not believe that these convicted felons/criminals should be released early. I am in favor of using other counties jails to deal with the influx over the short-term, but we need to look at long-term solutions to address this problem.

What would you do to improve the juvenile detention system, which is under federal review following the misuse of force against children?

Some steps have already been taken to improve the quality of employees being hired to work in these facilities (thorough background checks and stricter disciplinary actions for employee misconduct). I would make sure that the juvenile detention system is in compliance with all the issues addressed by the Federal government. I think that the detention centers need to be geared to rehabilitate juvenile offenders and provide better mental health services. Furthermore, we need to implement better education and job training skills that will reduce recidivism.

State prison realignment has shifted more felons to local law enforcement oversight. How well do you think it has worked? Would you do anything to alter it? Has the program had any impact on public safety?

Although violent crime has seen a dramatic decrease in recent years, AB109 has been linked to increases of crime (especially property crimes) in certain communities. Under AB109, several loopholes exist that allow offenders to get out of AB109 supervision. Criminals are aware of these loopholes and are taking advantage of them. The Los Angeles County Probation Department has struggled to deal with the influx of inmates and is ill-prepared to deal with persons who would have previously been supervised by parole agents.

As Supervisor, I would provide the necessary training to our county probation officers and give them the tools needed to handle their changing job.

Is the Sheriff’s Department doing enough to lower the cost and frequency of use-of-force, harassment and traffic-related lawsuits against the agency? If not, what should be changed?

I believe enough is not being done to reduce liability and litigation costs. We need to look into the policy and procedures currently in place and management has to take a lead in supervising its people. We need to make sure that policies and procedures are enforced within the department. The Sheriff’s Department needs to have a system in place to track deputies and identify “problem deputies.” LAPD as of late has been a model for large agencies in tracking misconduct.

Furthermore, I would propose adding video cameras in patrol cars and require deputies to audio record all initiated contacts (traffic stops and pedestrian stops).

Would you support state legislation that would give more authority to Sheriff’s Department civilian monitors? Would you support legislation that would make county sheriffs less autonomous and more accountable to county supervisors?

I oppose supporting state legislation giving more authority to Sheriff’s Department civilian monitors. I would oppose legislation that would make county sheriffs more accountable to the county supervisors. The county sheriff is elected and ultimately is accountable to the people. More bureaucratic oversight will not solve complex problems overnight.

Child Welfare

What would be your top priority in improving the county’s child welfare system and how would you accomplish it?

My top priority for the Department of Children and Family Services is to make sure the employees are properly trained to do their job and identify abuse. I would be in favor of expanding the academy training program. After the academy training program is completed new social workers should receive extensive field training with a seasoned social worker. I would be in favor of reducing caseloads by hiring experienced social workers from other counties.

The Los Angeles County child welfare system has been criticized for mishandling victims of abuse or neglect. Many experts say social workers are insufficiently trained to know when to separate a child from a parent. Do you agree, and if so what would you do to improve the system? Do you believe social workers should be required to hold a master’s degree in social service, as some others counties require?

I agree. Training and field experience is crucial to making the right decisions at the right time. Providing quality training and cross-training with other agencies can improve performance. I do value education, but I do not believe social workers need to hold a master’s degree to be effective at identifying abuse and/or neglect.

The Children’s Special Investigations Unit looks into problem cases and recommends ways to prevent the deaths of juveniles under the oversight of county workers. Because findings in each case have been declared confidential, the public and front-line case workers never learn what happened and how it might have been prevented. Would you support making the unit’s final reports public?

I would support making the Children’s Special Investigations Unit reports public. Confidential information can be redacted to protect the involved individuals. I believe the public does have a right to know what the department is doing right and what it is doing wrong. The department could learn from its mistakes and identify areas where more training is needed.

A special commission on child welfare is expected to recommend overhauling the child protection service and imposing greater oversight on private foster care providers. The group also wants to create a child welfare czar to coordinate services. Would you support such recommendations?

I support greater oversight on private foster care providers. I oppose a child welfare czar because I do not think we need another high paying figurehead, instead we need field personnel to inspect these foster care providers and protect children.

With more than 36,000 children under county supervision, social workers complain that they have too many cases to effectively handle. The special commission was recently told that 683 caseworkers oversee 31 or more children and that some even have more than 60. Do you believe more workers should be hired? What would you consider a proper caseload? And if more social workers are needed, how do propose to pay for them?

More workers have been approved to be hired and I support that action. Taking into account the fact that cases may differ from immediate danger to less severe cases, I would have to question how many of the cases are of immediate danger when the special commission received those figures. I believe 20 cases is a reasonable amount given the information I was provided by social workers I spoke with.

What is your view of the job being done by Department of Children and Family Services Director Philip Browning and would you support his retention?

Although the DCFS Director came to a department filled with problems that took years to compound, I would not expect him to be able to fix all the issues in such a short period of time. However, on his watch an innocent child named Gabriel Fernandez was tortured to death. Social Workers sloppy investigations did not protect this child, and the handling of those social workers being allowed to work “desk duty” instead of immediately being placed on administrative leave leads me to question how effective he can be. Although he came before that department was authorized to hire more social workers, the fact that he was not aware of what the current managers knew about these funds to hire more personnel is mind-boggling. What it reveals to me is the lack of communication involved in this department. An SEIU report I read, revealed social workers stated they are untrained and not equipped with the tools they need to handle their cases. I would recommend a county outsider who has experience in social work and has managed a large protection agency.

Homelessness

A $100 million plan to regionalize homeless services by placing a stabilization center in each supervisor’s district was shelved after community opposition arose in 2006. Should that plan be revived? How should the county deal with the homeless?

I do not believe a stabilization center should be revived. I believe the county should use public-private partnerships to maximize the services for the homeless.

The county periodically assigns the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to move people off the streets, offering assistance and shelter. Many who go in for treatment, however, quickly leave. How should the county close this revolving door while making sure money is not wasted?

It is difficult to get the homeless to stay for treatment. We need to incentivize these programs and utilize best practices from other large metropolitan areas to maximize the success of these programs.

About 60% of those on welfare are homeless. Some say they remain on the street because their monthly check of around $250 is far less than what it costs to rent. How would you address this issue? With federal housing vouchers frozen and rents continuing to go up, would you support raising the general relief amount? If so, how would you pay for it?

San Francisco has a homeless program called “Care not Cash” and data shows that it has been successful. This program provides the homeless with housing instead of giving them money. I think we should implement a pilot program incorporating the “Care not Cash” program to get people off the streets and provide the housing they cannot afford.

Healthcare

As the Affordable Care Act increases the number of people with health insurance, a once-captive client base for county hospitals and clinics will be free to seek care elsewhere—and to take their newfound insurance coverage with them. What can you do as a supervisor to insure that county facilities don’t lose these now-paying customers?

County hospitals need to improve the level and quality of service provided to insure they don’t lose patients. As the Affordable Care Act reaches its fruition, county hospitals will have to adapt and model itself as a leader in healthcare to retain patients. I believe competition is healthy and this would help bring the county hospitals improve its quality of care.

County health officials have said they will continue to care for people who remain uninsured, including immigrants without legal status. Do you agree with this policy? Should there be limits to this care?

I agree that if a person has a life threatening medical emergency that they should be treated.

The projected $237 million cost for rebuilding Martin Luther King hospital rose to $281 million last summer. Its reopening has also been delayed for months. Do you think the delays and increased costs are justified? Is there more county officials should be doing to get the project completed; and, if so, what?

I don’t think the delays and increased costs are justified. The project and original contracts should be audited. The original contract should have been written to penalize the contractors for any delays.

Studies suggest emergency room use is likely to increase at least initially as newly-insured people drop their reluctance to seek care because of cost. Given that most county emergency rooms are already overcrowded, what would you do to manage this growth?

I would be in favor of hiring more physician assistants to free up doctors in emergency rooms. I would propose implementing a dial-a-doctor service where persons could speak to a doctor, physician assistant, or nurse via telephone to determine if they need go to the emergency room (many people go to the emergency room for non-emergencies).

Finance/Labor

Do you have any concern about the amount of influence business or organized labor groups exert in county politics and this race specifically?

I am very concerned about the large sums of money donated by unions and other special interest groups in this race. The problem is some politicians have been supported by these organizations for so long that they are no longer a representative of the people, but representatives for the groups that have paid for their campaigns over their political careers. I don’t think this is how our forefathers envisioned a representative government.

Supervisors boast of having maintained the county’s fiscal health by keeping purse strings tight during the recession. In that same period, the jails have been overcrowded and fallen under federal investigation; the child welfare system has been accused of failing abused kids due to heavy caseloads; public hospital emergency rooms have overflowed with patients, and programs to move tens of thousands of people off on the streets have seen limited success. What would you do as supervisor to raise new revenue or free up existing resources to address these budget challenges?

I believe to free up existing resources to address budget challenges we need to follow the money. An audit of all departments needs to occur to see exactly where the money is going and if it is being used appropriately. Furthermore, county departments are spending money on programs that are ineffective. We need to implement a balanced scorecard approach to measure the effectiveness of the money we are spending.

The county currently requires many contractors to pay a “living wage” that amounts to $11.84 an hour. Given the current national and local movements to raise the minimum wage to a much as $15.37, do you believe the county’s required living wage should be increased; and if so, to what amount?

I oppose increasing the “living wage” for many reasons. I believe the higher costs will place a burden on lower and middle class families. The minimum wage throughout the state will increase in 2016 to $10 per hour. Furthermore, businesses who already struggle to do business in Los Angeles County will be further strained by large increases in the minimum wage.

Los Angeles County government has the largest workforce in Southern California, with about 101,000 employees. Many went without pay raises during the recession. Would you vote to give county workers higher pay at this point in the economic recovery?

At this time, most county worker unions have finished their contract negotiations and have already received pay raises. I oppose any new raises for county workers at this time. Many county workers don’t pay anything for medical coverage and most will receive a defined pension benefit upon retirement.

Los Angeles County is one of the few remaining jurisdictions that does not offer peace officers “3% at 50,” which would mean sheriff’s deputies can retire at age 50 and receive 3% of their highest year’s pay for every year of service. Do you believe the county should move to that standard?

No, many local police agencies and state agencies have moved away from the 3 at 50% retirement formula due to the costs of such a plan and the increasing life expectancy of retirees.

Current civil service protections prevent the county from moving some veteran employees to posts where their experience may be most needed; for example, social workers who have already spent time in a difficult region of the county cannot be sent back without their permission. Would you do anything to change that civil service rule?

I would approach this problem in contract negotiations and not through a civil service rule change. Forcing employees to work somewhere they don’t want to work is counterproductive. I would be in favor of offering incentives to experienced employees to stay working in difficult regions. This could be something proposed during contract negotiations.

Environment/Development

Oil extraction is on the rise in parts of the county and residents fear that some techniques might pollute the air and water. Do you believe it is acceptable to extract oil and gas in urban settings? Do you believe hydraulic fracturing is safe?

No, I do not favor extracting oil and gas in urban settings. There are many uncertainties and little conclusive data that has been made public on whether these practices are safe.

What is your position on the proposal to develop a 14,000-square-foot San Gabriel River Discovery Center in the Whittier Narrows wildlife sanctuary, which would be equipped with interactive exhibits and a 7,000-square-foot model of the San Gabriel River featuring flowing water?

I oppose the development of a San Gabriel River Discovery Center in the Whittier Narrows Wildlife Sanctuary. I believe the cost of $22 million is high, and I would not be in favor of cutting down all the old trees. I have read information on those in favor and those who oppose this project and portions of the final environmental impact report as they relate to earthquakes and other natural disasters. I think there are more pressing issues in my district at this time.

Should the county make another attempt to ask voters to approve a storm water cleanup fee? If not, how should the county address the cost of cleaning up storm water?

No, I oppose a storm water cleanup fee. I think it would be burdensome to Public School Districts who have a lot of land and would be required to pay a fee that can run into the millions. I believe the county can address the cost of cleanup by utilizing work program/restitution program. I also believe law enforcement can play a vital role by enforcing the littering laws.

Given the statewide drought, should the county be doing more to conserve water; and if so, what? Would you limit new residential or commercial development?

The county should be utilizing water saving practices in all county buildings and designing all new county buildings with drought resistant landscaping. I would not limit residential or commercial development, but be in favor of offering incentives for developers to implement sustainable urban development practices. As the population grows, people will need places to live and I encourage the expansion of businesses to provide jobs to our growing population.

Open Government

The supervisors have been chastised for violating the state’s open meetings law, as they did in 2011 when they met in private with Gov. Brown to discuss state prison realignment. What will you do to improve government transparency and avoid violating the open meetings law and public records act?

I would be in favor of posting public records requests online and the status of those request. If an elected official such as the Governor wants to meet with the supervisors to discuss public business, a call for a public special meeting would need to take place that is open to the public. I would also be in favor of holding public meetings throughout the county instead of only downtown.

Unlike a standard practice at Los Angeles City Hall, people paid to lobby county officials are not required to disclose the issues they work on, and they sometimes violate existing reporting standards without punishment. Would you do anything to change the county’s lobbying rules?

Yes, I would be in favor of restricting hiring lobbyist immediately after they have left their position for one year. It would concern me if they were lobbying for a cause that would be proposed in the upcoming years and try to hire on as a county employee to push for that cause. I would work to create more stringent rules for county officials and their dealings with lobbyists.

Each supervisor has a pool of money that can be spent at their discretion and without full board approval. What would you do to insure that the public easily sees how you spend your share?

I would be in favor of proposing that all Board of Supervisors disclose how and where the people’s money is being spent. The Supervisors should be required to disclose a comprehensive annual financial report on their websites to show how they spent taxpayers money. I think this is extremely important to show how the taxpayers money is being spent, and that campaign donations prior to upcoming elections from directors/CEO’s of these organizations are not being paid back indirectly with taxpayers funds to support their organization.

The county’s current campaign finance law is designed to reward candidates who stick to a voluntary spending limit for elections. But critics say the current limit of $1.4 million is too low. Do you believe the campaign finance law should be changed; and if so, how?

No, I believe $1.4 Million dollars is a lot of money for a campaign and even if this campaign finance law were to be changed, PACs would still be able to pour millions of dollars to independently campaign for the candidate who they believe will best serve their interests. We have read about and seen what politicians will do for campaign donations. In fact, the high costs associated with running a campaign excludes a majority of the population from ever running.

Should the supervisors create or seek voter approval of a regulatory body similar to Los Angeles’ City Ethics Commission, which attempts to shape, administer and enforce laws regarding governmental ethics, conflicts of interests, campaign financing and lobbying?

Yes, no one is above the law.

Each supervisor has a pool of money that can be spent at their discretion and without full board approval. What would you do to insure that the public easily sees how you spend your share?

Yes, no one is above the law.

Transportation

Supervisors also serve as members of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board, overseeing billions of dollars in subway, light rail and bus transit services. Do you use public transportation? If so, how often and what routes?

I do not use public transportation.

Should Metro’s rail system be extended all the way to LAX; and if so, how?

I oppose the Metro rail system being extended to LAX because I think it would be costly, and communication interference with the air traffic control may pose a hazard. Currently, there are ways to get to LAX that reduce congestion (bus companies, shuttle services, public buses)

What do you believe is the most pressing transportation issue that county residents face right now and how would you address it?

I think the most pressing transportation issue is roadway congestion. As more vehicles continue to be added to our roadways, the roadways will continue to become more congested. Many people commute to work and I believe more carpool lanes on all freeways could help alleviate this issue. I would support businesses who hire locally, because this would reduce some commuter traffic. I would push for incentives to encourage the use of public transit. I also would support county employees being able to telecommute if their job can be performed from home.

A sales tax for transportation projects (a new Measure R) will likely be on the 2016 ballot. Do you support a tax increase for transit? If so, what specific projects do you think such a tax should fund?

Yes, I believe this will create more jobs and the specific projects I support would be more carpool lanes, bike lanes and expanding the parking lots of those areas where people park and take public transportation on the metro.

A year ago, Metro and Caltrans converted the carpool lanes on the 110 and 10 freeways into experimental toll lanes that solo drivers are allowed to use. Would you support a similar conversion to toll lanes on other county freeways, like the 405 or the 5?

No, I have heard many complaints from drivers not wanting to pay the cost of the device and the fees associated with riding on the toll lanes. Also, some have said traffic has worsened for those who cannot drive on the toll lanes.