With governor's blessing, Downey officials vow action on homeless encampments
Governor Gavin Newsom along with Caltrans clean up an encampment site near Paxton Street and Remick Avenue in Los Angeles on Aug. 8. Getty
DOWNEY — After Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent directive for cities to clean up their homeless encampments, members of Downey’s city council expressed eagerness to start the crackdown.
The July 15 mandate orders state agencies and departments to adopt clear policies that “urgently address homeless encampments while respecting the dignity and well-being of all Californians,” giving local governments the ability to deal with them and provide those who reside within them with the resources they need.
Days later, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors indicated that the homeless would not be criminalized, adding that county jails would not be used to hold homeless people arrested in the enforcement of anti-camping ordinances.
During her comments at the council meeting on Tuesday, Councilwoman Claudia Frometa addressed the mandate and the county’s response.
“We have never said that we want to criminalize our homeless…We obviously are in agreement that we are not to criminalize our homeless people,” said Frometa. ‘However, with that mandate from Governor Newsom, we will be taking a more proactive approach.”
She later added that if the unhoused would not accept the resources offered to them, then the city would “no longer allow them to sit and loiter around our parks or around our neighborhoods.”
Mayor Mario Trujillo also said he was “thankful to Governor Newsom,” requesting that the city reach out to the California Contract Cities Association to “engage in an analysis of expanding the 11550 laws,” which makes it a crime to be under the influence of a controlled substance without a valid prescription.
“It takes 18 times on average for law enforcement or government before an unhoused individual accepts services; 18 times is costing us a lot of money,” said Trujillo. “If we were to expand the 11550 laws, with Senator Susan Eggman’s inclusion of the word ‘disability’ into the 11550 laws, I think we can make an argument as to why we should be allowed to require individuals to get in a van that will take them to somewhere where they will get service.
“It shouldn’t be 18 times; our police officers have a lot of work to do.”
Councilman Horacio Ortiz posted a statement on social media saying there were “no more excuses” and that he would work with city staff to “reclaim our streets and continue to pursue the safety and beautification of our city.”
On Tuesday, he inquired to the status of the city’s attempt to hire a “homeless coordinator or manager” to specifically tackle the issue.
City Manager Roger Bradley said that it has been a “pretty difficult recruitment,” explaining that the city has “gone through the process four times to bring somebody on board,” but that those attempts have fallen through.
“We’ve found a couple of people that have been good, ready to hire them, but for different reasons they’ve decided to stay at their current place of employment,” said Bradley.