Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Judge Tells LA County To Come Up With Better Settlement In Homelessness Case
Keith Jones holds the door open for a disabled woman who just used the facilities provided by Shower of Hope, a program that provides mobile showers to homeless people.
(
Raquel Natalicchio
/
for CalMatters
)
Topline:
Despite a proposed settlement reached with L.A. County in September, negotiations to resolve a long-running federal lawsuit over L.A.’s systemic failures to confront homelessness will continue after U.S. District Judge David Carter said Monday that the terms of the deal fall short of addressing the crisis.
Why it matters: Judge Carter has played a pivotal role in forcing local governments to step up homelessness efforts. He now says L.A. County’s $236 million proposal, including 300 new mental health and drug treatment beds for people experiencing homelessness, falls far short of the actual need on the streets. The county’s own Department of Mental Health has estimated that 3,000 additional mental health beds are needed. "I'm not prepared to endorse this agreement today," Carter said, according to Courthouse News Service. "I believe we can do better."
The backstory: The lawsuit — brought by a group including business owners and unhoused L.A. residents called the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights — was filed over two years ago. So far, it has led to the city and county of Los Angeles pledging a combined $3 billion over the next five years for new shelter resources, as well as addiction and mental health services.
Support for LAist comes from
The reaction: L.A. Alliance attorney Matthew Umhofer told LAist, “It's understandable why the judge would say, ‘Wait a minute, I want to see more on this front.’ Because mental health and substance use disorder are two of the major issues driving the biggest challenges in the homelessness population.”
What's next: Carter told both sides of the case to come back to court in January, after new elected leaders have taken office, with a better settlement proposal on the table.
Go deeper:
LA County To Commit $236M Toward Services For Unhoused Angelenos To Settle Long-Running Lawsuit
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The critical findings are part of long-awaited after-action report was released Thursday. It contains recommendations for increasing emergency staffing and updating old systems. -
Diving has changed, mountain biking has been added. Here's where to watch the Olympics in person in 2028. -
'A Great Day in the Stoke' is a free, daylong event in Orange County billed as 'the largest gathering of Black surfers in history.' The fourth annual festival is set for Saturday in Huntington Beach. -
Kimmel returned less than a week after ABC suspended his show over comments he made about the assassination of right wing activist Charlie Kirk. -
Southern California might see some light rain tonight into Wednesday morning. After that, cooler weather is on the way, but expect the humidity to remain. -
A gate tax at Disney? It's a possibility.
Best of LAist