LA County Does Something About Homelessness for a Change, People Still Mad

Sometimes, you just can’t win, can you? Seems like no matter how hard you try, people are still going to complain.

Some decisions should be no brainers. Things like seat belt laws, public indecency ordinances, discharging a weapon in city limits; you know, just common-sense regulations.

Of course, when talking about common sense, Los Angeles isn’t exactly the first place that comes to mind, is it?

I’ve only been to LA once, but not going to lie, I loved it. I didn’t want to, but the climate, the mountains, the canyons, Sunset Strip, I just loved it.

What I didn’t love, yet found fascinating, was “skid row”. Yep, that’s a real place. Tents, shanty’s, old Windstream campers, sometimes cardboard boxes; it’s unsettling.

I suppose if you are going to choose to be homeless, as many do, California is a great place for it. Perfect climate, no law enforcement, and a couple years ago failed Governor Gavin Newsome even doled out free sleeping bags. Yep, a hobo’s paradise!

Well, recently Los Angeles County actually enacted some commonsense regulation in regard to the homeless and where they are permitted to sleep, poop, do drugs and camp.

Let’s check with Fox News for details:

The Los Angeles City Council approved an ordinance Tuesday prohibiting homeless encampments within 500 feet of schools and day care centers.

The ordinance amends a city law regulating where homeless encampments can be. Municipal Code 41.18 bans sitting, sleeping, lying or otherwise obstructing the public right of way in multiple areas.

ForksTalk Newswatch: Los Angeles bans homeless camps from schools and daycares, despite outrage from activists: ‘It is death! It is death at your hands!’: The Los Angeles City Council voted on Tuesday to ban homeless encampments outside schools and… https://t.co/xqAXlLS8r9 pic.twitter.com/gOinZjwnLT

— ForksTalk (@TalkForks) August 3, 2022

Pretty common-sense stuff, no? People SHOULD’NT be shooting drugs, sleeping, having sex, or doing whatever homeless people do with their days, that close to any place where children are present.

Shockingly, of the 14 council members to vote, 3 actually voted AGAINST the measures. Disgraceful!

That means three council members looked at all the facts, weighed the arguments of both sides, and said, ‘nah, shooting up by a daycare is cool. You do you, hobo Jim’?

In addition to banning encampments near schools and daycares, the ordinance expands Municipal Code 41.18 to include anywhere within 2 feet of a fire hydrant or fire plug, within 5 feet of any operational or utilizable entrance or exit, within 10 feet of a loading dock or driveway or bike paths or other areas within a street.

Again, more common sense, public safety measures. How in good conscience could three people vote against this?

One councilman named Mike Bonin, who voted against, had this to say:

“This is not a question of whether or not you approve of having encampments near schools,” Bonin said. “Nobody wants encampments near schools or daycares. Nobody wants encampments anywhere.”

He said the ordinance was a “distraction from where our focus needs to be,” such as making moves to end homelessness.

Well Mike, looks like you sorta approve of having encampments near schools, seeing as how you voted against moving them.

While it’s obviously the end goal to eliminate the homeless issue, it doesn’t happen with the wave of a magic wand. You have to start somewhere, and making sure children are protected is a good start.

“I’m going to stand up for this council,” O’Farrell said. “Everyone here is compassionate, deeply caring of people who are the most vulnerable among us. I’m not going to buy into this rhetoric that we’re monsters, that we’re murderers or anything like that. It’s all nonsense. I’m just not going to accept that false narrative any longer. We should never accept it at all.”

Good for councilman O’Farrell. He is standing up for what is right and speaking the truth. People on the left love to demonize anyone they disagree with, including other people on the left. More people need to stand up and do what is right regardless of the party affiliation. Kudos to the Los Angeles city council for taking steps in that direction.