Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, 4th District, discussed potential improvements to the county probation system with 18-year-old Blacc Johnson during a press conference about the new Youth Commission. (photo courtesy of Supervisor Janice Hahn’s office)

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recently voted to approve a proposal by Supervisors Janice Hahn, 4th District, and Sheila Kuehl, 3rd District, to create the first Youth Commission. The commission aims to give young people a voice in reforming policies that govern the foster care and juvenile justice systems.

“L.A. County’s most serious responsibility is the one we have to the tens of thousands of children in our care in both our foster care system and our juvenile justice system,” Hahn said. “Our success, and too often our failure to serve these children, can shape their futures. If we are going to learn from our mistakes and improve the system for the next generation, we need to engage with the young people who grew up in these systems and know what it takes to make them better.”

The Youth Commission will be comprised of 15 commissioners, all 18-26, with lived experience in L.A. County’s foster care or probation system. Not only will the Youth Commissioners have the power to make recommendations about the system’s current policies, they will be encouraged to propose new ones that they believe would better serve the children and young people they are championing.

The Youth Commission will also have the ability to monitor outcomes and the quality of services the county is providing by conducting site visits at county facilities and interviewing youth.

“My experiences and our experiences have to be part of the county government,” said Blacc Johnson, an 18-year-old who told his story about being involved with the L.A. County Probation Department as a teen. “There are more than 200 commissions in L.A. County, but none of them require youth representatives. It’s time that we finally have a voice in planning our future.”