L.A. County\u2019s watchdogs suddenly need to ask permission before barking to the press and public.<\/p>\n
County oversight officials and civil rights advocates are raising concerns about a new policy they say improperly limits their rights to communicate \u2014 including with other members of local government.<\/p>\n
The policy, enacted Sept. 11, requires oversight officials to send many types of communications to the Executive Office of the Board of Supervisors for approval.<\/p>\n
The policy says \u201cpress releases, advisories, public statements, social media content, and any direct outreach to the BOS or their staff\u201d must be \u201creviewed, approved and coordinated\u201d before being released publicly or sent to other county officials.<\/p>\n
The policy says the change \u201censures that messaging aligns with County priorities, protects sensitive relationships, and maintains a unified public voice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric Miller, a member of the Sybil Brand Commission, which conducts inspections and oversight of L.A. County jails, said the policy is the latest example of the county \u201cattempting to limit the oversight of the Sheriff\u2019s Department.\u201d He said he made the remarks as a private citizen because he was concerned the new communications policy barred him from speaking to the media in his role as an oversight official.<\/p>\n
Michael Kapp, communications manager for the Executive Office of the Board of Supervisors, said in an email that he personally drafted the policy shortly after he started in his position in July and discovered there \u201cwas no existing communications guidance whatsoever for commissions and oversight bodies.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout clear guidance,\u201d he said, \u201ccommissions and oversight bodies \u2013 most of which do not have any communications staff \u2013 were developing their own ad hoc practices, which led to inconsistent messaging, risks of misinformation, and deeply uneven engagement with the Board, the media, and the public.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although it is increasingly common for government agencies to tightly restrict how employees communicate with the press and public, L.A. County oversight officials had enjoyed broad latitude to speak their minds. The watchdogs have been vocal about a range of issues, including so-called deputy gangs in the Sheriff\u2019s Department and grim jail conditions.<\/p>\n
Some questioned the timing of the policy, which comes after a recent run of negative headlines, scandals and hefty legal payouts to victims of violence and discrimination by law enforcement.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Long-time Los Angeles Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission Chair Robert C. Bonner presides over the commission\u2018s meeting at St. Anne\u2019s Family Services in Los Angeles on June 26, 2025. Bonner says he has since been forced out of his position as chair. <\/p>\n
(Genaro Molina\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n
Longtime Los Angeles Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission chair Robert Bonner said he was ousted<\/a> this summer as he and his commission made a forceful push for more transparency. <\/p>\n In February, former commission Chair Sean Kennedy resigned<\/a> after a dispute with county lawyers, stating at the time that it was \u201cnot appropriate for the County Counsel to control the COC\u2019s independent oversight decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n