One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
Contempt hearing continues in federal case over LA's homelessness response
A pedestrian walks past Los Angeles City Hall. L.A. authorities are expected to appear at a federal court hearing Tuesday.
(
Allen J. Schaben
/
Getty Images
)
Los Angeles authorities appeared Tuesday at a federal court hearing where a judge is considering whether to hold the city in contempt.
It’s the latest step in a long-running legal saga focused on the city's response to the region’s homelessness crisis.
The hearing was ordered by U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, who has been overseeing a settlement in a lawsuit brought against the city by the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights, a group of downtown business and property owners.
L.A. Alliance sued the city and county in 2020, accusing both of failing to adequately address homelessness by providing enough shelter and housing for thousands of unhoused people.
-
The spadefoot's presence here more than 1 million years ago is helping researchers understand how the Ice Age changed our region. -
A new report says arcing from electrical equipment owned by the utility sparked the January 2025 fire that killed 19 people and destroyed thousands of homes. -
The latest numbers were a blow to an incumbent mayor who put homelessness at the top of her agenda.
The contempt-of-court hearing started nearly two weeks ago but was paused until Tuesday, after the Thanksgiving holiday and when more witnesses could appear in person.
Two witnesses testified during Tuesday’s hours-long hearing: a deputy chief with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and a former policy advisor for the L.A. Alliance. They largely fielded detailed questions about the settlement, their respective responsibilities in each organization, data reporting and the definitions of relevant terms such as "encampment" and "offer of shelter."
Sponsored message
Other witnesses are expected to testify throughout the hearing, including Matt Szabo, the L.A. city administrative officer, who may be called to the stand Thursday.
How we got here
The contempt hearing is expected to cover whether the city has complied with court orders and provided regular updates to the court under the settlement agreement reached in 2022.
Carter said in a Nov. 14 order that he’s concerned “the city has demonstrated a continuous pattern of delay” in meeting its obligations under court orders. He said he’s concerned the “delay continues to this day.”
Attorneys for the city have pushed back against the hearing, filing objections with the judge and making an unsuccessful emergency request with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals last month to block it from happening. City authorities also asked the appeals court to press pause on the judge’s order to appoint a monitor in the case to make sure the city stays on track with the settlement.
The appeals court allowed the contempt-of-court hearing to move forward Nov. 19 but agreed to pause the appointment of Daniel Garrie as monitor.
What's next
The hearing is expected to resume Thursday, according to court documents. Another date is set for Dec. 15, when Garrie is expected to testify.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
