May 28, 2025 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

LA City Council Votes to Ban Homeless Encampment Within 500 Feet of Schools

Final vote expected next week

By Dolores Quintana and Sam Catanzaro

Los Angeles City Council this week took steps to ban homeless encampments within 500 feet of schools and day-care centers, among other locations. 

At a meeting Tuesday, Council voted 11-3 to expand the areas in which camping is prohibited  to include within 2 feet of any fire hydrant, within 5 feet of any operational entrance or exit and within 10 feet of a loading dock or driveway. The ordinance also allows the Council to include, by resolution, areas within 500 feet of a range of locations, including overpasses, underpasses, freeway ramps, tunnels, bridges, pedestrian bridges, subways, washes or spreading grounds, railroad tracks, schools, daycare facilities, parks and libraries, and any placed deemed to be a threat to public health or safety. 

In addition, Council can pass resolutions to prohibit sleeping within 1000 feet of any homeless shelter opened since 2018. 

A second and final vote will be required next week since there were three “no” votes: Mike Bonin, Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Nithya Raman.

Martha Alvarez, the head of government relations for the Los Angeles Unified School District, told the council that the District had found 120 campuses with encampments nearby over the last year.

“These conditions are a public health hazard,” she said during the meeting. “They are unsafe and traumatic for students, families and staff as they enter school campuses.”

“Homelessness is getting worse – and the City Council is poised to vote on a new law that will move encampments from block to block, instead of housing the people living in them. I’m a NO vote on this law. We need to focus relentlessly on ending homelessness, not waste money on failed strategies that criminalize it,” Bonin said prior to the Council vote in a social media post. 

During the meeting, Bonin spoke and noted that Project Roomkey was coming to an end and that “thousands of people are at risk for being put back on the streets,” and that the city of Los Angeles is letting federal housing vouchers expire rather than distributing them to the people in need. Bonin stated that people are being evicted despite the eviction moratorium in Los Angeles and rents are being illegally raised which will result in more people being pushed out into the streets.” 

Councilmember Joe Buscaino–the author of the motion to expand the prohibited camping areas–said during the meeting he has been working to create more beds for homeless people.

“I’ve supported Bridge Home shelters. I’ve supported tiny homes, Project Roomkey, Project Homekey, permanent supportive housing,” Buscaino said. “But what I don’t support are drug dens near our schools, parks or anywhere children congregate.”

The meeting Tuesday was a fiery one with opponents of the expansion in the gallery forcing the City Council to shut down the session and wait until the room was cleared after Buscaino was shouted down by the crowd when he attempted to speak. 

After almost an hour, the City Council chambers were cleared and Buscaino and other city councilmembers returned to speak. 

PATH, People Assisting The Homeless, the operator of many homeless shelters in Los Angeles including A Bridge Home in Venice, is among those opposed to the expansion of 41.18. 

“Broadening the scope and scale of enforcement only wastes valuable time and resources that would be better spent on outreach and housing,” PATH said in a statement. “As participants in those more successful efforts, and as one of LA’s largest service providers for decades, we reiterate that people begin their journey out of homelessness only when we meet them with trauma-informed outreach and adequate housing and services. The safety and well-being of everyone, housed and unhoused, is of the utmost importance. We remind the Council that our unhoused neighbors are far more likely to be victims of violence than they are to be perpetrators. Enforcement of anti-camping ordinances, then, only displaces people and makes it harder for trained outreach staff to establish trust again.”

in News
Related Posts

Film Review: Bring Her Back

May 28, 2025

May 28, 2025

By Dolores Quintana Grief is the price of love.  Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou’s second feature film, Bring Her Back,...

County Assessor Stresses Need For Fire-Affected Households to Update Addresses to Receive Relief Checks

May 28, 2025

May 28, 2025

Assessor’s Office Offers Automatic Tax Relief for Fire-Affected Homeowners Following the destruction caused by wildfires earlier this year, the Los...

Caltrans Schedules Public Meeting for $143.7 Million I-405 Rehabilitation Project

May 28, 2025

May 28, 2025

Virtual Forum Set to Brief Residents on Upcoming Construction The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will hold a virtual public...

Crustacean Launches ‘Little C’ Vietnamese Pop-Up to Celebrate Chef Helene An’s Legacy

May 28, 2025

May 28, 2025

Three-Day Lunch Series Honors AAPI Heritage Month With Chef’s Personal Recipes Crustacean Beverly Hills will host a limited-run pop-up dining...

Academy Award Winning Director Sean Baker to Attend Anora Screening in Support of Theater Preservation

May 28, 2025

May 28, 2025

Acclaimed Director Joins Special Event on May 30 to Help Keep Historic South Bay Cinema Open The independent studio Neon,...

Motorcyclist Killed in Westchester Collision with Vehicle Near Centinela

May 28, 2025

May 28, 2025

Crash Prompts Hours-Long Investigation of Crash Site of Violent Accident One person was killed Monday evening when a motorcycle collided...

Metro LA to Host Public Meetings This Week on Westside to Valley Transit Alternatives

May 26, 2025

May 26, 2025

Community Input Needed as Release Draft Environmental Impact Report Approaches Metro LA is inviting the public to a series of...

Over 100,000 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks Seized in Los Angeles County Before July 4th

May 26, 2025

May 26, 2025

Cal Fire, ATF Uncover Massive Stockpile, Urge Residents to Report Incidents More than 100,000 pounds of illegal fireworks were confiscated...

Missing West Hollywood Woman Found Safe, According to the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Department

May 26, 2025

May 26, 2025

Woman Who Was Last Seen on May 19 near Hayworth Avenue Reunited with Family The West Hollywood Sheriff’s Department confirmed...

Brentwood Estate Once Owned by Hollywood A-Listers Finds Buyer in One Week

May 26, 2025

May 26, 2025

The 1929 Mediterranean-Style Home Went Under Contract in Seven Days Celebrity pedigree and classic design helped a 1929 Mediterranean-style estate...

Hollywood Man Sentenced for $65M COVID Tax Scam Tied to Fake Beverly Hills Farm

May 26, 2025

May 26, 2025

IRS Scam Featuring Fictional Beverly Hills Farm Ends in Prison Term  The Hollywood resident who fabricated a Beverly Hills-based farming...

Toxic Metal Recycler Shuttered After Felony Waste Disposal Conviction

May 26, 2025

May 26, 2025

Company Permanently Closes Following Hazardous Waste Charges Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman has announced that a longtime...

West Hollywood Releases Transit and Parking Details Ahead of WeHo Pride 2025

May 22, 2025

May 22, 2025

Santa Monica Boulevard to Close for Weekend-Long Celebration May 30–June 1 The City of West Hollywood has released transportation and...

Man Accused of Stalking Jennifer Aniston Ruled Incompetent to Stand Trial

May 22, 2025

May 22, 2025

Stalking Suspect Says He’s Fit for Trial After Initial Psychiatric Evaluation Jimmy Wayne Carwyle, a Mississippi man accused of stalking...

The Grove to Host Patriotic Tribute for 250th Anniversary of U.S. Navy and Marine Corps During LA Fleet Week

May 22, 2025

May 22, 2025

Friday’s Celebration Will Feature Flyovers, Live Music, Military Displays, and Family-Friendly Activities The Grove will welcome the United States Navy...