Special Guest Editorial by Assemblyman Paul Cook

Once again, San Bernardino and Riverside counties are left dealing with imported problems.  San Francisco has long refused to turn over illegal immigrants to federal immigration authorities, but the extent to which this self-declared "sanctuary city" is willing to go to undermine federal law is truly appalling.  In an effort to shield eight Honduran crack dealers from immigration officials, San Francisco attempted to hide them in long-term youth rehabilitation centers located in San Bernardino County, hundreds of miles away.  Within ten days of their arrival, all eight had run away from the group homes, unleashing eight criminals into the Inland Empire.

While this latest situation is particularly atrocious, it is not unusual.  A number of California counties see San Bernardino and Riverside County group homes as dumping grounds for their problem youths.  While not all of these individuals are criminals, a significant portion of them are, and when they are transferred across county lines, it can place them far from the probation officers that are assigned to oversee them.  Furthermore, group homes are not locked down, as the easy escape of the Honduran crack dealers proved.  Local police agencies are stuck spending an inordinate amount of their resources to track down and monitor these imported offenders.  Additionally, local schools face a significant financial burden when educating troubled youth.  Youths living in group homes often require costly special education programs, draining money from local schools' already tight budgets.

Recordkeeping is another significant issue.  Virtually all of those sent to group homes have some sort of problem that leaves them unable to cope with their current life.  While for some this may be a result of criminal troubles, for many others the problem may involve learning disabilities or even psychological issues.  The practical result is that the records often do not follow these youths when they cross county lines.  This places a particularly significant burden on local schools that receive new students with little or no records detailing their problems or how the school can serve them best. 

For example, less than two years ago, one high school in Riverside County received a student from another county who had been placed in a local group home.  The school did not have the student's full records, and it placed him into the general school population.  Within days of the student's arrival, he was involved in a riot that led to a full lockdown of the school.  Had the school received the young man's complete records, it would have been able to place him into special education programs that might have prevented the riot from occurring altogether.

It is time for the State of California to bring order to the group home issue.  It is unacceptable that San Francisco or other jurisdictions can export their criminals elsewhere--in this case, San Bernardino or Riverside County.  While San Francisco may feel that it can disregard federal law, California no longer has the luxury of ignoring the escalating group home problem.  I am working on legislation with my Inland Empire legislative colleagues for a remedy to address the serious problems with group homes. 

Assemblyman Paul Cook represents the Inland Empire, including portions of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.