Property owners and residents of shelters on skid row are going to court to block a contentious legal settlement that restricts Los Angeles’ ability to clear homeless encampments in the heavily blighted downtown district.
In a petition to intervene in the case, property owners and residents argue the settlement “will only extend and worsen the [homelessness] crisis we are facing in this city.” They also say the city prevented them from jumping into the case sooner by negotiating in secret and withholding the terms of the deal, even after the City Council voted in March to reach an agreement with civil rights lawyers.
A spokesman for City Atty. Mike Feuer said the city had no comment. A hearing is set for Aug. 12.
The petition blames the buildup of tents and belongings on the sidewalks of skid row on a series of court orders by a federal judge that limited the enforcement of camps by the city. That, residents and property owners say, has brought rats and disease into skid row and surrounding neighborhoods.
Read the full story on LATimes.com.