by Joe Piasecki
Pasadena Sun
A bill that would authorize the state to regulate military-style boot camps for teens is moving one step closer to becoming law.
State Sen.Carol Liu (D-La Cañada Flintridge) and Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) proposed the legislation after controversy flared around Pasadena boot camp operator Kelvin “Sgt. Mac” McFarland. McFarland was arrested on child abuse, child endangerment, kidnapping and other charges related to work he did for his Family First Growth Camp in Pasadena in 2011.
Subsequently, McFarland was charged with sexually assaulting two teenage girls in 2004.
The bill, SB 1089, calls on the California Department of Social Services to regulate and license boot camps as it does group homes, drug recovery centers and other facilities that attempt to treat troubled youth. A hearing on the bill was set for Tuesday in the state Senate’s Human Services Committee, which is chaired by Liu.
