LA City Council votes to expand anti-camping law in Woodland Hills
The Los Angeles City Council voted Wednesday to expand the city's anti-camping law to include two locations in Woodland Hills.
The city's anti-camping law, known as section 41.18, expands to 5400 Alhama Drive and 5416 Comercio Way.
Those designated areas will have notices posted regarding the no-camping rules, and enforcement will begin after the warning period posted expires. Sitting, lying, sleeping and storing, maintaining or placing personal property that obstructs the public right-of-way will not be allowed.
"There's really nowhere else to go right now," said homeless resident Gina Dussing. "Because every time we go to another place we get ran out."
The Woodland Hills encampments have grown along the backside of a Courtyard by Marriott hotel on Clarendon Street as well as along Comercio Way and Alhama Drive.
"Our hotel along with neighboring businesses are growing increasingly impacted by the homeless camps and their individuals. We have experienced loss of employees, guests, and business because of run-ins they have experienced with the camps and individuals," said Salvador Vazquez, director of sales for Courtyard by Marriott in Woodland Hills.
Those who oppose the anti-encampment ordinance spoke at Wednesday's city council meeting, saying the law criminalizes unhoused people.
"There are simply not enough housing resources for it to be realistic to assume that every person who's been displaced by one of these resolutions has been offered a housing solution that meets their needs," said Shayla Myers, attorney at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles.
Councilman Bob Blumenfield introduced the resolution because he said crime has been spiking. He also added that people living in the encampments have been offered service for the last six months.
"Even now, in the next couple of weeks, people will be going out to the site offering people the services that are available," said Blumenfield. Some of those services are things like shared housing."