LOS ANGELES—The City of Los Angeles began removing an encampment on March 17 from a Little Tokyo plaza before closing and fencing it off to the public—drawing protests from local homeless advocacy groups, but also an impassioned defense from City Councilman Kevin de León. De León, who represents the plaza area, said Toriumi Plaza, located at First and Judge John Aiso streets, is being closed for maintenance, electrical repairs, landscaping, permanent fencing, and other ancillary work. A timeline for when the plaza will reopen was not available. Since Feb. 16, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) has conducted outreach and brought 86 homeless people from the plaza into shelters, including 25 on March 17. About seven remained in the plaza as of the afternoon of March 17, according to de León’s office. Four of them are being evaluated by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. As of …