Three years ago, Los Angeles passed temporary regulations to limit where people living out of cars could park their cars to sleep. The City Council extended those restrictions in a heated hearing this week.
"Sleeping overnight in cars, vans and RVs will be prohibited again in many parts of Los Angeles, after the City Council voted Tuesday to reinstate rules that limit where people can live in their vehicles," reports Emily Alpert Reyes.
"The decision extends the L.A. regulations, which had expired at the beginning of July, until January. Under the rules [pdf], people cannot spend the night in their cars on residential streets, or live in their vehicles at any time within a block of a park, school, preschool or day care facility."
The City Council hearing to approve the extension of the rule was heated: activists chanted "shame on you" after the vote and at least one person had to be removed from the council chambers in handcuffs. Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson spoke to reporters after saying it was "totally unacceptable" to allow people to live in cars in neighborhoods.
"More than 9,500 people live in cars, vans or RVs throughout the city of Los Angeles, according to the last annual count [pdf]," according to Reyes, and the city only has the operating capacity of safe parking sites around the city currently totals fewer than 200 parking spaces. That number is expected to rise above 300 in the fall.
The article includes more of the politics and history of the decision, which has encountered controversy every time the city has revisited the rules.
FULL STORY: L.A. City Council votes to reimpose limits on living in vehicles
Late Action, Local Opposition Frustrate Emergency Homeless Shelter Plans
Some progress, but not nearly enough, has been reported as California and its cities scramble to procure temporary shelters to house homeless people during the pandemic.
Cities Still Sweeping Away Homeless Camps, Despite Legal Challenges
Denver and Los Angeles kicked the new year off by committing to the enforcement of a sleeping ban and sweeping away a large homeless encampment, respectively.
Massive Discrepancies Identified in Official Homeless Counts
The Los Angeles Times crunched data from the 2019 point-in-time count of homelessness in Los Angeles County. What they found diverged profoundly from official findings.
A New Transit Equity Dashboard
New data technology has made it possible to measure transit equity in ways that were impossible before. TransitCenter is making good use of the new capabilities.
Mapping Environmental Justice Hotspots
A new map of Virginia illustrates the stark contrasts in pollution burdens depending on location.
The Big Taboo of the Senate's Bipartisan Infrastructure Proposal
Ten bipartisan senators have proposed a nearly $1 trillion infrastructure deal with no new taxes, but it does include indexing the current gas tax of 18.4 cents per gallon, unchanged in 28 years, to inflation, thus potentially increasing gas prices.
Camiros
County of San Diego
Urban Insight
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Blakelyglobal
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Brownsville, Texas
City of Dallas
Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
