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LA City Council sets new rules for dismantling homeless camps
Pieces of artificial turf and rugs surround a tent in the Arroyo Seco riverbed along the 110 Freeway on Tuesday morning, May 5, 2015.
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File photo by Maya Sugarman/KPCC
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The Los Angeles City Council has set new rules for breaking up homeless encampments and removing personal property left on sidewalks and in city parks.
The city currently gives 72 hours' notice before removing personal items. The new measures will cut that to 24 hours, and the belongings will be stored for 90 days.
Gil Cedillo, a member of the council’s new homelessness committee, gave the lone opposition in Tuesday’s 14-1 vote.
“Why put our energies on strategies that we know don't work? We've received a report from our [City Administrative Officer] that says we've spent over $100 million addressing the homeless issue in our city,” Cedillo said. “Eighty-five percent of that money was spent on law enforcement, yet we know over the last year the homeless count has increased… We're on the wrong track.”
The councilman said that the city doesn’t have the capacity to implement changes that will triple the amount of properties taken to storage facilities without more staff and additional lockers.
Cedillo added, "None of us want the city to be a city of encampments, but I think there's other ways to address that."
The new rules will be on the agenda at an L.A. City Council meeting on Thursday.
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