Not long ago, homelessness could only be found in certain areas of a city or community that locals called skid row. That no longer is true, especially for the city of Los Angeles, where homeless encampments line nearly every major street.
During the Covid pandemic, homeless numbers in Los Angeles grew, but were basically ignored as thousands built permanent tent cities along the streets of the City of Angels, while city leaders instead focused on the government instituted Covid-19 state of emergency. That state of emergency gave emergency powers to city officials that affected many aspects of everyday life.
The city closed businesses they deemed nonessential, along with parks, beaches, and even churches. Family gatherings were banned, including weddings, funerals, and the like. However, liquor stores somehow were allowed to stay open, and city officials turned a blind eye to homeless people willfully obstructing city streets and public rights of way as their encampments grew unimpeded.
On March 31, after three years, the Covid state of emergency expired, though it left numerous permanent, emergency-mandated measures in place. The Epoch Times shared that “leftists used the mandates to implement policies which would never have been possible otherwise, like universal mail-in balloting, eviction moratoriums, expanded health and welfare benefits, and even student loan debt forgiveness.”
Recognizing that the Covid emergency had run its course, leftist city leaders would need a new crisis to continue their control over the city’s citizens. That crisis was easy to find: Newly elected Mayor Karen Bass declared a state of emergency on homelessness in December, finally recognizing the severity of the homeless situation in the city.
“My mandate is to move Los Angeles in a new direction, with an urgent and strategic approach to solving our city’s toughest challenges and creating a brighter future for every Angeleno,” said Bass in a press release. “Today, on my first day in office, we hit the ground running, with a sea change in how the city tackles homelessness.”
The release continued:
The order immediately gives Mayor Bass the power to lift rules and regulations that slow or prevent the building of permanent and temporary housing for the unhoused; to expedite contracts that prioritize bringing unhoused Angelenos inside; and that allow the city to acquire rooms, properties and land for housing for Angelenos in need. Moving forward, Mayor Bass will issue executive directives to advance these critical reforms.
It appears that the homelessness crisis will be used by the Left to continue to impose the ugly force of government upon the city residents to deal with an issue that the city could have very well resolved or controlled during the pandemic. The powers given the mayor in the declaration could lead to draconian measures requiring residents and businesses to care for homeless people, and most likely at their expense.
Los Angeles leads the nation in homelessness, with an estimated 65,000 people living unlawfully along the city’s streets. According to the city’s emergency declaration, homelessness has grown by “238 percent since 2007,” and “Los Angeles represents 9.6 percent of the State of California’s population but 25 percent of the State’s unsheltered population.” And those reported numbers of homeless are quite visible to all who live in or visit the city.
The Epoch Times reported:
Huge tent encampments are all over the city, including L.A.’s beaches, parks, and sidewalks. It is a humanitarian crisis for those living on the streets, and a quality-of-life crisis for ordinary Angelenos trying to live a normal, safe, and healthy life.
Residents encounter the homeless, most with mental health or addiction issues, on a daily basis. They cannot take their family to their local park or beach without being prepared for uncomfortable encounters. Crime is way up in the city due in part to the homeless explosion.
Had the city enforced its own encampment ordinance that has been on the books for more than two years, the homeless situation may have never become a crisis. The ordinance clearly states, “No person shall obstruct a street, sidewalk, or other public right-of-way, by sitting, lying, or sleeping, or by storing, using, maintaining, or placing personal property, in a manner that impedes passage, as provided by the Americans with Disabilities Act….”
The bottom line here is that, with the Covid emergency in the rearview mirror, Mayor Bass has traded one emergency for another — not to solve a problem, but instead to continue enforcement and implementation of socialist programs and mandates.
Though Los Angeles should act to help protect the health and safety of its citizens, under leftist leadership, it will most likely only continue the perpetual cycle of declared emergencies and destructive progressive policies.
