Public occupies City Council, disrupting vote on 41.18 expansion

Housing Rights

• Pete White of Los Angeles Community Action Network (LACAN) talks about the numerous shortcomings of Project Roomkey, the COVID-related emergency program to use hotel rooms as temporary shelter for unhoused people. It ends in September, despite the fact that very few project participants have been able to take the next step into permanent housing, and many are unsure if they’ll have a place to go.
  
• Los Angeles City Council held another vote on the proposed escalation of 41.18 anti-sit/lie/sleep enforcement. After Councilmembers Mike Bonin and Nithya Raman spoke against the motion, the public in attendance, essentially unanimous in opposition, chanted over Councilmember Joe Buscaino, one of the motion’s authors. In response, the council called recess. With chambers to themselves, those remaining, including many unhoused people and advocates, held an extended “public comment” session for people who had not had a chance to speak during the original public comment lottery. After an hour the space was ceded back to the council, who voted on their motion before a largely empty house. It passed 11–3 with Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson joining the opposition. “I don’t think it’s constitutional,” he said of the blanket ban. This was expected to be the last of several votes on this measure, but a last-minute amendment means it will need another vote, scheduled for Tuesday. Entire session live-tweeted here