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Los Angeles Times
09-07-2025
- Los Angeles Times
L.A. vowed to remove 9,800 encampments. But are homeless people getting housed?
Musician Dennis Henriquez woke up in a doorway in East Hollywood last month, hidden behind cardboard and sheltered by a tarp. When he peered outside, half a dozen sanitation workers were standing nearby, waiting to carry out one of the more than 30 homeless encampment cleanups planned that day by the city of Los Angeles. Henriquez eventually emerged, carried out a bicycle and deposited it on a grassy area 20 feet away. He also dragged over a backpack, a scooter, two guitars, a piece of luggage and a beach chair. The city sanitation crew grabbed the tarp and the cardboard, tossing them into a trash truck. Then, the contingent of city workers, including two police officers, climbed into their vehicles and drove away, leaving behind Henriquez and his pile of belongings. This type of operation, known as a CARE-plus cleanup, plays out hundreds of times each week in the city, with sanitation crews seizing and destroying tents, tarps, pallets, shopping carts and many other objects. The cleanups have emerged as a huge source of conflict in a five-year-old legal dispute over the city's handling of the homelessness crisis. Depending on how the cleanup issue is resolved, the city could face legal sanctions, millions of dollars in penalties or increased outside oversight of its homeless programs. In 2022, city leaders reached a legal settlement with the nonprofit L.A. Alliance for Human Rights, promising to create 12,915 homeless beds or other housing opportunities by June 2027. Eventually, they also agreed to remove 9,800 homeless encampments by June 2026 — with an encampment defined as an individual tent, makeshift structure, car or recreational vehicle. To reach the latter goal, city leaders have been counting each encampment removed from streets, sidewalks and alleys during the Bureau of Sanitation's CARE-plus cleanups — even in cases where the resident did not obtain housing or a shelter bed. The alliance has strongly objected to the city's methodology, arguing that destroying a tent, without housing its occupants, runs afoul of the 2022 settlement agreement. Any 'encampment resolution' tallied by the city must be more permanent — and address the larger goal of reducing homelessness, said Elizabeth Mitchell, an attorney for the alliance. 'If the person insists on staying where they are and nothing else has happened, that's not a resolution,' she said. 'They can't count that.' City leaders have carried out CARE-plus cleanups for years, saying they are needed to protect public safety and restore sidewalk access for wheelchair users, the elderly and others. Some encampments are strewn with debris that spills across an entire walkway or out into the street, while others carry the smell of urine, fecal matter or decaying food waste. The cleanups have a Sisyphean quality. Many seasoned residents drag their tents across the street, wait out the cleanup, then return to their original spots in the afternoon. The process frequently restarts a week or two later. The alliance's legal team, alarmed by the inclusion of CARE-plus cleanups in the encampment reduction count, recently spent several days trying to persuade a federal judge to seize control of the city's homelessness initiatives from Mayor Karen Bass and the City Council and turn them over to a third-party receiver. U.S. Dist. Judge David O. Carter, who presides over the case, declined to take that step, saying it went too far. But he has made clear that he, too, objects to the city's approach to eliminating the 9,800 encampments. In March, Carter issued a court order saying the city may not count CARE-plus cleanups toward its goal because, as the alliance had argued, they are 'not permanent in nature.' Last month, in a 62-page ruling, he found the city had 'willfully disobeyed' that order — and had improperly reported its encampment reductions. Clarifying his position somewhat, the judge also said that the city cannot count an encampment reduction unless it is 'accompanied by an offer of shelter or housing.' 'Individuals need not accept the offer, but an offer of available shelter or housing must be made,' he wrote. Attorney Shayla Myers, who represents homeless advocacy groups that have intervened in the case, has opposed the 9,800 goal from the beginning, saying it creates a quota system that increases the likelihood that city workers will violate the property rights of unhoused residents. 'Throwing away tents doesn't help the homelessness crisis,' she said. 'Building housing does.' City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo, who helped negotiate the settlement, told the court last month that his office does not count the tents that homeless people move temporarily — around the corner or across the street — during city cleanups. However, the city does include those that are permanently removed because they block the sidewalk or pose a public health or safety threat, he said. Szabo, during his testimony, said that when he negotiated the promise to remove 9,800 encampments, he did not expect that every tent removal would lead to someone moving inside. The city is already working to fulfill the alliance agreement's requirement of creating 12,915 homeless beds or other housing opportunities. On top of that, Szabo said, encampment residents have 'free will' to refuse an offer of housing. 'I wouldn't ever agree that the city would be obligated to somehow force people to accept [housing] if they did not want to accept it,' he said. 'We never would have agreed to that. We didn't agree to that.' For an outside observer, it might be difficult to discern what the different types of city encampment operations are designed to accomplish. Bass' Inside Safe initiative moves homeless people into hotel and motel rooms, and at least in some cases, permanent housing. By contrast, CARE cleanups — shorthand for Cleanup and Rapid Engagement — are largely focused on trash removal, with crews hauling away debris from curbs and surrounding areas. CARE-plus cleanups are more comprehensive. Every tent must be moved so workers can haul away debris and, in some instances, powerwash sidewalks. Sanitation crews are supposed to give residents advance warning of a scheduled CARE-plus cleanup, posting notices on utility poles. If residents don't relocate their tents and other belongings, they run the risk of having them taken away. In some cases, cleanup crews take the possessions to a downtown storage facility. In many others, they are tossed. One of the largest CARE-plus cleanups in recent weeks took place in the Westlake district, where nearly three dozen tents and structures lined a stretch of Wilshire Boulevard. A construction loader drove back and forth on the sidewalk, scooping up tents and depositing them in a trash truck. Ryan Cranford, 42, said he didn't know the cleanup was scheduled until minutes beforehand. He wound up losing his tent, a bed and a canopy, but managed to keep his backpack, saying it contained 'all that matters.' Sitting on a nearby retaining wall, Cranford said he would have accepted a motel room had someone offered one. 'Hell, I'd even take a bus to get all the way back to Oklahoma if I could,' he said. On the opposite side of the street, Tyson Lewis Angeles wheeled his belongings down the street in a shopping cart before sanitation workers descended on his spot. He said an outreach worker had given him a referral for a shelter bed the day before. Angeles, 30, said he was not interested, in part because he deals with panic attacks, PTSD and other mental health issues. He also does not want a roommate, or the rules imposed by homeless shelters. 'Basically, it's like volunteer jail,' he said. While Angeles managed to safeguard his possessions, others are frequently less successful. Nicholas Johnson, who is living in a box truck in Silver Lake, said city crews took the vast majority of his belongings during a CARE-plus cleanup in mid-June. Some were destroyed, while others were transported by sanitation workers to a downtown storage facility, he said. Johnson, 56, said he does not know whether some of his most prized possessions, including letters written by his grandmother, went into that facility or were tossed. City crews also took books, tools, his Buddhist prayer bowls and a huge amount of clothes. 'All of my clothing — all of my clothing — the wearables and the sellables, all mixed in. Hats, scarves, socks, ties, a lot of accessories that I wear — you know, double breasted suits from the '30s, the suit pants,' he said. Johnson said the city's cleanup process is a 'harassment ceremony' that only makes life more stressful for people on the street. 'They hit you in the kneecaps when they know you're already down,' he said. Earlier this year, city officials informed the court that they had removed about 6,100 tents, makeshift shelters and vehicles — nearly two-thirds of what the agreement with the alliance requires. Whether the city will challenge any portion of the judge's ruling is still unclear. In a statement, a lawyer for the city contends that the ruling 'misconstrues the city's obligations.' 'We are keeping open our options for next steps,' said the lawyer, Theane Evangelis.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trash fees set to increase in Los Angeles
The Brief In an attempt to address a $1 billion budget shortfall, the LA City Council approved a plan to increase trash collection fees. This is the first rate adjustment in 17 years. City officials aim to begin the fee increase on Jan. 1, 2026. LOS ANGELES - The City Council approved a plan to increase trash collection fees, the first rate adjustment in 17 years, as part of an attempt to close a nearly $1 billion budget shortfall. In a 10-1 vote, the City Council on Friday authorized the Bureau of Sanitation to begin the process under Proposition 218, with the goal of updating fees for its trash collection service, formally known as the Solid Resources Program. City officials still need to adopt an ordinance in order to effectuate the rate adjustment, among other requirements. Council members John Lee, Imelda Padilla, Traci Park and Monica Rodriguez were absent during the vote. What they're saying "I know this is a tough thing to do for the city of Los Angeles," Councilwoman Nithya Raman said. "But, I think all of us can take pride in at least knowing that we are willing to take tough decisions when they need to be taken unlike what happened in the past." Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson acknowledged that he was a member of City Council when they decided to "kick the can" the last time on this proposal. He added, "And every time we kick the can, it gets hard to do. We now have our backs up against the wall as a city and as a council." By the numbers The Bureau of Sanitation requested to raise the monthly fee for single-family homes and duplex buildings from $36.32 to $55.94, a 54% increase. The rate for apartments with three to four units would go from $24.33 per month to $55.94, a 130% increase. Customers' bi-monthly bill from the Department of Water and Power could jump to $111.90 if the rate adjustment moves forward. City officials aim to begin the fee increase on Jan. 1, 2026. DWP only provides billing services while sanitation establishes fees for trash collection and sewage services. The rate adjustment would add another 18% increase over the next four fiscal years, reaching $65.93 a month by the 2029-30 fiscal year for single- family homes, duplex buildings and small apartment buildings. Rate adjustments would impact approximately 743,000 households, and another 474,000 residencies that receive bulky item collection services. The bureau would also increase fees for extra bins in 2026 to the following, which would increase further each subsequent year: -- Refuse containers (60 gallons) would increase from $10 to $15.65; -- Recycling containers (90 gallons) would increase from $0 to $11.24; -- Organics containers (90 gallons) would increase from $7.50 to $16.28; and -- Manure containers (60 gallons) would increase from $10 to 23.81 Currently, apartment buildings with five or more units pay full price. Barbara Romero, general manager of the Bureau of Sanitation, also known as LA Sanitation and Environment or LASAN, said the program has operated at a loss that requires a subsidy from the general fund. She also cited inflation, expenditures such as staff salaries, maintaining vehicles and equipment, as well as overhead costs for the rate adjustment. It's also necessary to reduce and ultimately end a general fund subsidy for the program, which is expected to cost $555 million in FY 2025-26. "The $36.32 fee has sustained the program until fiscal year 2020-21, when it was first subsidized by the general fund by $3.9 million. That subsidy has grown to over $200 million in five years," Romero said. The backstory In 2024, the subsidy was $134.4 million, an increase of $89 million to nearly $230 million in 2025. It would also help the city comply with SB 1383, which requires that 75% of organic waste be diverted from landfills. In 2023, the city began its Organics Recycling Program to divert organic food scrapes and food-soiled paper products from landfills by placing such waste into green containers. The program collected a daily average of 720 tons of recyclables, 1,610 tons of organic waste, 15 tons of manure and 3,910 tons of residual waste in the 2023-24 fiscal year. In 2008, organics cost $40/ton, which jumped to $122/ton in 2025. The annual cost of organics recycling is approximately $66 million. Recycling went from producing $6 million in revenue to costing $19 million in 2025, sanitation officials reported. New trucks cost $246K in 2008, and now cost $500K, a 103% increase in cost per truck. LASAN has a fleet of 720 heavy-duty vehicles to drive around collecting trash from the San Fernando Valley, West Los Angeles, North Central, South Los Angeles and Harbor Area. The city contracted HF&H Consultants for a fee study. The rate adjustments were a result of their findings. Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez, chair of the Public Works Committee, said the issue was about equity. "In order to pay for this program these past several years, the city has relied on the general fund to cover the gap and keep the program afloat," Hernandez said. "That means every taxpayer has been subsidizing a program that primarily serves just a portion of Angelenos." Councilman Adrin Nazarian, who cast the lone "no" vote, criticized the speed at which the proposal advanced. The councilman also noted he will be working on reforming the process for such rate hikes. "This should have required more work and, at the very least, had better data," Nazarian said. "I look forward to working with all of you to make sure that we get it right for the future and not be rushed into doing something because of our failure in not taking steps before." The new rates would put the city in line with neighboring cities such as Burbank, Culver City, Long Beach, and Santa Monica -- but still be on the lower end. The Bureau of Sanitation would be expected to start an expansive outreach campaign with webinars, advertisements and pop-up events. Ballots would also be mailed to impacted residents later in the process. Jack Humphreville, a member of the Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates, a watchdog organization, in an interview with City News Service criticized the city's plan, adding "It's just one thing after another." "The problem is that they haven't given us any of the background information," Humphreville told CNS. "So, for example, why did the subsidy from the general fund to the Solid Resources Program go from $75 million to $225 million over a two-year period? That's a three-time increase. We don't have any financial information. We don't have any income statements. We don't have any balance sheets. How much debt do they have? There's nothing about the efficiency of their operations." The rate adjustment is subject to Proposition 218, requiring two public hearings for impacted property owners. Proposition 218 is a constitutional amendment that limits the methods by which local governments can levy taxes, fees and charges without taxpayer consent. According to Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association, which sponsored Prop 218 in 1996, the law has a "cost of service" requirement which restricts both the use of the funds as well as the amount of the fee for each property owner or fee payer. Local governments must also mail information regarding the proposed fee to every property owner, have a hearing at least 45 days after the mailing and reject the proposed fee if written protests are presented by a majority of the affected property owners. "We will be watching the city to ensure compliance with both the substantive and procedural mandates of Prop 218," Coupal added. The city's plan to raise trash fees comes at a time when they face a nearly $1 billion deficit and are contemplating thousands of layoffs. Mayor Karen Bass is scheduled to release her proposed budget on April 21. "L.A.'s mayor and City Council have mismanaged the city into a nearly $1 billion budget deficit through overspending, including recklessly agreeing to unaffordable labor contracts and through policies that have driven businesses out of the city, resulting in lower business tax and sales tax revenue," the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association said in a statement. "The mayor and City Council may want taxpayers to bail out Los Angeles, but it's more likely that taxpayers will bail out of Los Angeles."
