Category: Los Angeles homeless

Karen Bass: Encampments in LA Should Be ‘Significantly Down’ in 4 Years

LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Dec. 18 that she believes 95 percent of the approximately 40,000 homeless people in the city would accept housing if it’s offered to them, and said she hopes that encampments will be “significantly down, if not eliminated” in four years. Appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Bass, who…


LA Council Bans Homeless Encampments Near Schools After Another Disruption

LOS ANGELES—Splatters of blood and fake $100 bills were visible on the left aisle of the Los Angeles City Council chamber Aug. 9 afternoon, remnants from another raucous meeting that started with protesters voicing displeasure at an ordinance to ban homeless encampments within 500 feet of schools and daycare centers and ended with one arrest,…


LA Council Votes to Ban Homeless Encampments Near Schools

LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles City Council voted Aug. 2 to ban homeless encampments within 500 feet of schools and daycare centers, following an hour-long disruption by opponents who interrupted the meeting with chants and shouts in the council chamber. But due to a technicality, the council will have to vote on the matter again next…


Tourism in Los Angeles Results in Increased LAPD Presence in Venice Beach

VENICE BEACH, Calif.—Amid an uptick in both citywide and countywide crime, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Pacific Division is increasing its presence temporarily in Venice Beach as tourists are expected to flock to the beach during the summer months. Residents in the area say the uptick in crime is largely due to homeless people…


LA County 2022 Homeless Count Postponed to Feb. 22–24

LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) announced on Jan. 14 that its annual homeless count will be postponed for one month due to the surge in COVID-19 cases, now taking place Feb. 22–24. The effort, known as the point-in-time count or Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, is essential to understanding how large the region’s…


Relocation of Homeless in ‘Veterans Row’ Begins

LOS ANGELES—Sheriff’s deputies joined outreach crews and federal officials on Nov. 1 in relocating homeless individuals in the ‘Veterans Row’, in hopes of clearing up this longtime homeless encampment near Brentwood. Besides decrying the encampment as an eyesore in the upscale neighborhoods for long, some Brentwood residents were also dismayed that many veterans were forced to live in ramshackle tents…


Los Angeles Officially Restores Ban on Homeless Encampments

The Los Angeles City Council voted 13-2 to approve an ordinance restricting homeless encampments from public areas Aug. 3 after Mayor Eric Garcetti signed the code on July 29. Councilmembers Mike Bonin and Nithya Raman were the two dissenting votes.  The ordinance bans the homeless from “sitting, lying, or sleeping or storing, using, maintaining, or placing personal property” in the public right-of-way; this includes spaces within 500…