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.
Sheriff Villanueva Says No Venice Boardwalk Homeless Arrests for July 4
Sheriff Alex Villanueva during his June 7 visit to the Venice Beach Boardwalk.
(
Alex Villanueva Twitter
)
L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva on Wednesday backed away from his earlier threat to arrest homeless people who refuse to leave the Venice Boardwalk by July 4.
“Our July 4th date has always been a goal,” the sheriff said on Facebook Live. “Obviously it’s not a deadline because I am not going to impose a deadline artificially.”
Villanueva sent deputies with his Homeless Services Outreach Team to Venice earlier this month, even though the area is patrolled by the LAPD.
The move sent shockwaves through political circles. City council member Mike Bonin and others accused the sheriff of political grandstanding, saying he was complicating ongoing efforts to help the unhoused in Venice.
Support for LAist comes from
Villanueva has not hesitated to fire back at his detractors. Using his strongest language to date, the sheriff Wednesday lashed out at local elected leaders, saying their “political wokeness” has blocked their ability to act. He suggested his foray into Venice provided politicians with a wake-up call.
“Sometimes they just need to be taken to the shed, and they need to be beat down so they start doing their job,” Villanueva said.
On Monday, Bonin launched a new effort to provide a “path to permanent housing” for homeless people on the boardwalk and promised to clear the area by early August — without arrests. Bonin said the plan was in the works well before the sheriff arrived.
The deputies Villanueva dispatched to Venice mostly escort people experiencing homelessness to social workers who are on the boardwalk, according to the lieutenant who heads the team. He said it’s all voluntary.
Villanueva: Compassion Can Be A 'Fool's Errand'
The question of how to deal with the unhoused population in Venice has become a contentious political issue there.
The city imposed a moratorium on removing tents during the pandemic, fearing that doing so would spread the virus. In part because of that, the number of people living along the boardwalk ballooned to about 250 in more than 130 tents.
Support for LAist comes from
The sheriff said Wednesday anyone living in public spaces who refuses shelter should be forcibly moved into designated camping areas. He argued those who are from out of town and those who cannot afford to live in L.A. should leave the county.
Saying compassion can be a “fool’s errand” and “people are in charge of their own destiny,” Villanueva added, “we need to [raise] the level of expectation we place on the homeless populations. Let’s stop enabling dependency.”
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
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity. -
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?
Best of LAist