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Los Angeles leaders are considering a plan to expand the city's anti-camping law to automatically include any area within 500 feet of a school or day care.
L.A. Unified Superintendent Alberto Carvalho told L.A. City Council members that students at some schools are seeing and hearing things that no parent would find acceptable for kids.
“There is a fair balance that needs to be achieved in terms of long-term development of strategies and plans to deal with homelessness in our community,” Carvalho said. “But until then, we have a moral, a professional, a personal responsibility to protect our children.”
Critics contend the proposal is being rushed.
Councilmember Nithya Raman, who voted against expanding the restrictions, raised concerns about the lack of shelter beds and outreach workers.
“None of the other structures that we need to have in place in order to make this city's response to homelessness an effective response to homelessness are currently in place right now.,” Raman said. “The results of that are sadly too visible on our streets.”
Councilmember Mike Bonin cast the other opposing vote on the measure. He contended that the additional restrictions wouldn’t solve the issue.
“So instead of [an encampment] being in front of the school, it’s going to be a block from the school, or two blocks from the school,” Bonin said.
The remaining council members, including mayoral candidate Kevin de León, and Paul Koretz, who’s running for city controller, voted to approve the anti-encampment restrictions.
An amended version of the anti-camping law will be presented to the City Council for a vote later on.
The measure builds upon L.A.’s existing anti-camping ordinance, municipal code 41.18, which the Council approved in July last year.
The wide-ranging code makes it illegal to camp in hundreds of areas across the city.
Among the restrictions, unhoused people aren’t allowed to “sit, lie or sleep” on any street, sidewalk or other public walkway covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
