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As homelessness lawsuit moves toward trial, LA County board creates regional homeless oversight committee By City News Service
H
oping to foster more regional oversight of homelessness programs, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to create an Executive Committee of elected officials from across the Southland to coordinate county and local efforts to tackle the problem. The move comes as a lawsuit against the county over officials' alleged mishandling of the homelessness crisis appears to be headed to trial in the fall. Creating the Executive Committee "has been a long time in the making, and in order for it to work, we all have to work together," according to Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who introduced the motion with Supervisor Hilda Solis. The creation of a regional oversight body was one of the recommendations offered two years ago by a county Blue Ribbon Commission on Homelessness, which called for an "executive-level action team" encompassing leaders from the county and its 88 cities, along with state input, to better coordinate homeless programs regionally.
Under the board's action Tuesday, the new Executive Committee will include two members of the Board of Supervisors, the mayor of Los Angeles, a member of the Los Angeles City Council, four mayors or city council members from cities in the county, and a representative chosen by the governor. That committee will in turn oversee a "Leadership Table," which will act as an "advisory body" to the committee. The Leadership Table will also leverage private funding sources for homelessness programs. That group will include Los Angeles city and county department heads, business leaders, service providers, educators and representatives of sectors including labor, public housing, veterans, the faith community and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Also included in the Leadership Table will be the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, which has long served as a quasi city-county entity designed to oversee regional homeless-prevention efforts. The authority has
Los Angeles City Hall looms over a homeless encampment. | Photo courtesy of Ron Reiring/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
been under fire in recent years over the region's continued struggles with homelessness. Barger stressed that the Executive Committee is not envisioned as a replacement for LAHSA, but will work in coordination with that organization. Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who sits on the
LAHSA commission, said the new committee will "complement" the work of that body. But the motion also calls for the county to work with the city to discuss changes to the authority's governance structure and analyze its funding sources. Solis said the new panel
— by expanding beyond of coordinating, working LAHSA's representation of together," Hahn said. Los Angeles city and county She ultimately voted in — will better incorporate favor of the effort, which was efforts in all other cities and approved on a 4-0 vote, with communities in the county. Supervisor Holly Mitchell "Unfortunately, our absent. existing homelessness goverMercedes Marquez, the nance structure does not give city of Los Angeles' chief of local cities a voice in how we housing and homelessness address this emergency," Solis solutions, attended Tuesday's said in a statement after the meeting on behalf of Mayor vote. "That is why we need to Karen Bass, and expressed move forward with the Exec- her support for the effort. utive Committee this motion "The mayor believes if proposes, as it will bring all we all work together, we 88 cities together with the will have a clearer voice and county of Los Angeles to sturdier platform from which break long-existing silos. to launch our homelessness Through this effort, we can solutions," Marquez said in come up with strategies, set a statement after the vote. tangible goals, and hold the "We will have a clearer voice system accountable to getting that we can use to speak results for our residents. This to the federal government, Executive Committee has the state government and others. potential to bring the region Unity of effort is needed as together and chart a new path we seek to solve the most forward." difficult problem of our Supervisor Janice Hahn generation." initially hesitated about The most recent homemoving forward with the lessness count coordinated idea, lamenting the idea of by LAHSA found a 9% yearcreating yet another commit- over-year increase in hometee to discuss homelessness. lessness in the county, and a "I don't want the public to 10% jump in the city. Accordthink that we haven't made huge strides, in my opinion, See Homelessness Page 27
City employees across LA head back to work after 1-day strike By Jose Herrera, City News Service
M
ore than 11,000 unionized Los Angeles city workers are expected to return to the job Wednesday, one day after staging a 24-hour strike that delayed trash pickups, snarled traffic at LAX and caused all manner of other
disruptions that the city was able to weather in the short term. The walkout by members of Service Employees International Union Local 721 — representing sanitation workers, heavy-duty mechanics, traffic officers and engi-
neers, among others — was prompted by what the union says has been a lack of goodfaith labor negotiations, a charge city officials dispute. Meanwhile, the union and the city will resume negotiations next Monday, SEIU officials confirmed Tuesday.
Striking workers showed up in the wee hours Tuesday at City Hall, prompting a closure of some streets surrounding the iconic seat of municipal government. Later Tuesday morning, more workers began picketing at LAX, where some shuttle bus
drivers were among those walking off the job, complicating travel for many people looking to catch flights. The picketing disrupted some traffic in the always-crowded LAX horseshoe and clogged entrances to some terminals. Thousands more union
members convened outside City Hall with picket signs Tuesday afternoon. Ahead of a planned rally at City Hall at 11 a.m. Tuesday, union members also addressed City Council See Strike Page 28