Westside councilmember working to ID encampments for state to clear out
LOS ANGELES - A Los Angeles City Council member is identifying homeless encampments in her district, located on state property, for California workers to remove.
The move comes less than two weeks after California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced an executive order directing officials to remove encampments.
"Since you indicated you want to clear them off state land, here are two locations I could use your help with," said Traci Park, council member for LA's 11th District.
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Park said her office plans to send a letter to the state identifying two locations in District 11 where encampments are on state property.
"We’re sending a letter that includes the locations that are on state-owned properties where we have an encampment problem," said Park. "Since he’s looking for things to do, I’ve got a couple of things to get him started."
One of the locations identified by Park is a long row of stagnant RVs parked for weeks along Pacific Coast Highway near Pacific Palisades. The second location is an encampment close to Lincoln and Culver Boulevards.
"There are individuals there who are burrowing into the hillsides and frankly I have concerns about the integrity of our public infrastructure," said Park.
Park says there are noticeably fewer people living in tents within her district, compared to recent years. However, there are still many people living in vehicles.
"We’ve got to be able to deal with the people who choose to remain encamped on the streets even when they’ve been offered an alternative," said Park. "We can’t continue to allow that as a practice. We can’t continue to leave people sick and suffering on the side of the road."
The District 11 council member told FOX 11 she welcomes the state’s help on the issue.
"I can’t do this all frankly on my own," said Park. "If the governor’s approach to this now is that [they’re] going to actively get involved and make a difference, I welcome his help right here on the west side."