On Wednesday, March 30th, the City Council approved a revised version of LA Municipal Code 56.11, which was originally revised last summer to strictly criminalize the right to have property in public spaces, with the most severe impacts on homeless residents and street vendors throughout the City. Concerned that the new version would be cause for litigation for violations of the constitution, the Mayor issued an order to halt any enforcement of the law until it was revised again by Council. However, the Council did not substantially change the ordinance during the second revision process and passed a permanent version last week that still has criminal penalties for possessing property that is not causing any other hazard (i.e. blocking the sidewalk or causing a health and safety concern). It also limits total property in personal possession to the amount that can fit in a standard City trash bin, determined by the police officer or sanitation representative enforcing the law. The Council, despite many promises, did not create any additional voluntary storage facilities OR allocate any additional funding to permanent supportive housing during the 8 months it had to reconsider this law. The vote had only one dissenter, Councilmember Cedillo, who stated that the City cannot continue down the path of criminalization if it expects to be successful in addressing homelessness.

More Information: Daily News