The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors faced pushback from dozens of residents after it decided to postpone a planned study session on the county’s juvenile detention facility that is facing accusations of misconduct and poor conditions.
“The current conditions at the hall are harsh and a poor reflection on our county’s values,” said Beth von Emster, a Belmont resident and co-chair of the San Mateo County chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, during the Tuesday meeting. “I hope you will immediately reschedule the juvenile hall study session.”
The idea of a study session on the Youth Services Center, the county’s detention facility for juvenile offenders, came about late last year when concerns about inadequate food were brought to the board by Johanna Rasmussen, the chair of the county’s Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission, which aims to prevent youth entry in the justice system.
“The kids are always saying that they’re hungry,” Rasmussen told the board at a meeting about the food on Dec. 9, 2025. “It’s everything. It’s texture, it’s taste, it’s the way it looks. It sometimes is cold. The ovens don’t heat it right. Sometimes it’s burned.”
There have also been recent accusations of sexual misconduct. In November 2025, the commission held a meeting where Rasmussen shared that there were multiple reports of sexual contact between a certain staff member and youth at the juvenile hall.
At that meeting, Chief Probation Officer John Keene said that his office was investigating the allegations. The county Probation Department did not respond to a request for comment on the status of the investigation.
The county has faced several lawsuits with formerly incarcerated youth accusing an ex-probation officer of sexual abuse in juvenile detention, mostly between 1994 and 2002. At the time, the center was called Hillcrest Juvenile Hall.
A ‘shameful history’
“The hall has a well-documented and shameful history of sexual abuse that compels us as a community to do everything possible to prevent future assaults,” said Bill Newell, member of Fixin’ San Mateo County, an organization that pushes for civilian oversight in the county’s Sheriff’s Office.
“Hillcrest has a harsh, prison-like atmosphere characterized by lock cells, metal beds, toilets, the mattresses, concrete floors, filthy carpets, and no personal storage,” Newell said.
Supervisor Ray Mueller said that the juvenile hall study session was postponed because the board is too busy with another, “more urgent,” study session this week on Thursday.
That session will discuss the county’s ongoing battle with the state over Vehicle License Fee funding, an issue that could lead to significant budget constraints and a projected loss of $226 million.
Supervisor Ray Mueller said that the juvenile hall study session was postponed because the board is too busy with another, “more urgent,” study session this week.
“What happened was that about three weeks ago, we received the calculation that our vehicle license fee shortfall for next year is going to be close to a quarter of a billion dollars, $230 million, potentially unfunded by the state, which has devastating consequences for county services and for all of our cities,” Mueller said. “It is imminent and could not be more urgent.”
Supervisor Jackie Speier acknowledged the concerns from the public over the allegations at the juvenile hall. But she also appeared less concerned than in December about the conditions at the center after paying a visit.
“When we schedule a study session, we should do everything in our power to retain it,” Speier said. “It is an impressive facility. Now, I haven’t met with the juveniles yet, but I do think that there’s lots of positive elements to the program there.”
Food for thought
Board President Noelia Corzo also shared her perspective on the concerns raised at the December meeting after visiting the facility.
“I’m not saying that the food is perfect, but I don’t think that the assertions that it’s inedible are fully true,” Corzo said. “All of the food that young people get in the juvenile hall is planned and approved by a dietitian for every single young person, and they are given extra food when they want it.”
Keene also addressed the board, saying that members of the public “are being misled” regarding the conditions at the detention center.
“I want to be clear that a large percentage of what’s been said is either flat out untrue or has been misrepresented,” Keene said. “I look forward to the opportunity to speak to all these issues in detail, because frankly, many of them are completely false.”
Rasmussen urged the board to keep the study session at top of mind.
“We understand that there are pressing issues happening at the state that are outside of your control that must be dealt with, but we did receive word in June that the board was losing interest in this topic,” she said. “Please let us know how we move forward and how we can do this together.”
The Board of Supervisors is expected to hold the study session at its next meeting on Aug. 25.
“There are two sides to the story,” Speier said. “We want to hear both sides.”
