L.A. County’s top elected leaders are pushing back on calls by Gov. Gavin Newsom and others to clear homeless encampments, even when shelter is not available, after the U.S. Supreme Court recently legalized the practice.
In a unanimous vote Tuesday, the five county supervisors drew a line in the sand. They said they’re not changing the county’s longstanding approach in the jurisdiction they control: unincorporated areas outside of cities, home to about 1 million people.
The county approach emphasizes offering shelter and not allowing county jails to be used to hold people arrested solely for camping in public.
“We’re not going to go to a race to the bottom,” said Supervisor Hilda Solis.
“We’re not going to use our jails to somehow incarcerate, criminalize people who are just on the street because they’re sick, because they have mental illness or substance abuse issues” or are “a domestic violence victim, who knows she may be threatened with her life if she returns to her home, or so-called home,” she added.
Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who chairs the Board of Supervisors this year, agreed.
“We don’t want encampments on our sidewalks,” she said. “But we cannot, nor are we legally allowed to, make jails our de facto housing and shelter.”
Concerns that cities could push people elsewhere
The supervisors said they’re worried some cities could now feel emboldened to push people into other cities or unincorporated areas.
“It is unacceptable for us to play whack-a-mole, and go from city to city,” Sheriff Robert Luna told supervisors. “It is not helpful to any of us.”
“In my district alone, I am very concerned that…
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