LA councilmembers invoke rarely-used rule to force vote on stricter anti-camping ordinance
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Two Los Angeles City councilmembers are forcing a vote on a homeless ordinance during the upcoming city council meeting.
Councilmembers Joe Buscaino and John Lee on Wednesday involved a seldom-used rule to have the full council take action on the measure on Tuesday. The ordinance has been sitting in the Homelessness and Poverty Committee for over a year and a half.
It would severely restrict people from lying, sleeping, sitting, or placing tents or belonging on public streets and sidewalks:
"It is unconscionable for this City Council to adjourn for a month-long recess without considering this important ordinance that will restore rules and order to our shared public spaces,'' Buscaino said Wednesday.
"Public Safety is the core responsibility of local government, and we are failing to protect both the unhoused and the housed. Allowing unmitigated encampments on our streets and sidewalks is not compassionate, it's reckless," he added.
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The city's current anti-camping ordinance, which prohibits tents during daytime hours, has not been enforced during the pandemic.
On June 9, Buscaino, who is running for mayor in the 2022 election, requested the City Council amend the mayor's Declaration of Local Emergency and resume enforcement of the current anti-camping ordinance.
City News Service contributed to this report.
