November 26 – December 23, 2021
Over 50 Homeless Veterans Transitioned Into Housing, Treatment From San Vicente Encampment Encampment now clear alongside West Los Angeles VA By Sam Catanzaro Over 50 homeless veterans who were living at an encampment on San Vicente Boulevard have been transitioned into housing, treatment and other programs. On November 1, deputies from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, outreach workers and other officials–including L.A. Public Works Department– began the process of relocating the homeless outside the West Los Angeles VA. According to the Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority, most of the veterans are being moved into motels, with some moving into tents on VA property or directly into permanent housing. “The VA, they’re committed to offering services around the clock,” Sheriff Alex Villanueva told reporters at the site. “They’re
trying to get the staffing, which is a huge improvement … so that is a big help. So now, someone shows up here at 10 o’clock at night, odds are they’re going to be able to find a place to lie down, and it’s not going to be on the sidewalk.” According to Villanueva, every Veteran living at the encampment has been connected to shelter placement, both on the VA itself and other locations in the area. LASD Homeless Outreach Service Team (HOST) is leading the clean-up, following a similar effort over the summer the agency carried out on the Venice Beach Boardwalk. According to the Brentwood Community Council (BCC), HOST “transitioned 50+ Homeless Veterans into housing, treatment and transitional programs or arranged for family reunifications within two months.” “Although 1 tent owner tried to return this afternoon, see below, the resident was met with offers of immediate homeless services and the tent has been removed. This process
Veterans Row on San Vicente Boulevard in Brentwood.
will continue when a new tent arises. One person
is
currently
receiving
intensive
outreach and LAPD follow up after she moved to the bus stop on San Vicente, across from the encampment.” the BCC added.
Photo: Juliet Lemar
Outreach workers, some of whom are formerly homeless Veterans, have been engaging with the Veterans living on San
Over 50 Homeless, see page 11
Bonin Recall Petitioners Say They Have More Than Enough Signatures to Trigger Special Election Petition to recall councilmember files signatures with City Clerk By Sam Catanzaro A group petitioning to recall Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin has says it has more than the 27,317 signatures needed to trigger a special election. LA City Clerk Holly L. Wolcott announced last week that the petition to recall Los Angeles District 11 City Councilmember Mike Bonin had been filed with the Office of the City Clerk and a conditional receipt was issued to the proponents. According to the petitioners, the Committee to Recall LA Councilman Mike Bonin, 39,188 signatures were filed with the City Clerk, 11,847 more than required, reflecting around 21 percent of the district’s eligible voter base. The 27,317 signatures needed under city code are 15 percent of the registered voters in the district.
“We are so grateful to the entire community and especially our amazing volunteers who have driven this effort. To deliver more than 39,000 signatures to the Clerk yesterday – more signatures than Mr. Bonin has ever received votes in an election – sends a strong message about what we, the residents of CD11, want for our district,” said Katrina Schmitt, the cohead of the recall committee, in a statement. The City Clerk will now conduct an initial review of the signatures to determine whether the petition meets all requirements needed to move forward to the signature verification phase. The Clerk will then have 30 business days to conduct petition signature verification. If the signatures are verified and a special election triggered, the timing would be unusual. Bonin is already running for a third (and final) term in an election set for June. According to City Clerk Wolcott, a recall election would likely occur in May. A special election ballot would include not just a question about whether the voter supports the recall but also a list of replacement candidates. This is the second time Bonin has faced a recall effort. In 2017-2018, constituents launched an unsuccessful recall effort in response to increased congestion resulting from lane reductions championed by Bonin.
This initial effort, however, was localized to the Playa Del Rey and Mar Vista areas. This latest effort, however, has drawn support from across the district from voters frustrated by Bonin’s handling of the homelessness crisis. “Mr. Bonin has ignored the calls of the community for help, particularly with the humanitarian crisis in our streets, as his solutions for the seven and half years he has been in office have proven ineffective and dangerous for everyone, including and especially for the homeless community he purports to champion,” Schmitt said. “We have a lot of work ahead of us still and we are looking forward to removing Mr. Bonin on the soonest possible timeline and replacing him with someone who will provide real solutions that include drug rehab services, mental health support, in addition to immediate shelter and housing at scale – and someone who will respond to their constituents’ feedback and calls for help.” Bonin’s office has not immediately issued a statement regarding the recall but the councilmember took to Twitter Wednesday to speak out against the effort. “If the recall succeeds, it will empower those who think homelessness can be solved with handcuffs, something our city has tried
Photo: Sam Catanzaro
and failed at for decades. We risk giving up on an evidence-based approach of housing and services, which began in earnest in just the past few years,” Bonin wrote. “The leaders of the recall are people who oppose homeless housing in their neighborhood, and people who are angry that I refuse to criminalize homelessness. They’re exploiting legitimate frustration about our crisis, and misleading people about what causes it and what ends it.” A recall election has not been successful in the City of Los Angeles in 75 years. The last successful effort occurred when Councilman Meade McClanahan was recalled by voters surrounding his support for a controversial preacher and political organizer Gerald L.K. Smith.