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Federal Judge David Carter has modified his court order to “humanely relocate” people experiencing homelessness away from freeways across Los Angeles.
The order was refined to say that homeless people who live within 500 feet of a freeway bridge or ramp must be relocated by Sept.1.
Neither the distance from freeways or the compliance date was clear in the initial version of the order, which went into effect on Friday.
The ambiguity prompted lawyers for both the city and county of Los Angeles, and those representing advocates for the homeless, to raise objections and threaten to take the issue to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Elected officials in and out of court have said the case could result in a judicial consent decree. That’s a legal settlement where a court oversees progress towards fulfilling the settlement’s terms.
The new 500-foot stipulation will affect many more who live not just under freeways, but alongside and near them.
Judge Carter expects officials to submit a completed plan for relocating people living near freeways countywide by June 12.
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