L.A. should pay $6.4 million for slow action on cleaning homeless camps, judge is told

Tamela Kerneghan camps with her dog on a sidewalk near Grand Park in the shadow of L.A. City Hall. The motion also asks U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, who is presiding over the 4-year-old case, to order the city to produce plans within 30 days to clean up what it describes as two “high-acuity areas,” Skid Row and avenues 45 and 59 in Highland Park, which it singled out as examples of low-income areas neglected by Bass’ citywide approach. In negotiating sessions late last year, the city changed its proposal several times, at one point offering to clear out “a minimum of 12,000 tents, makeshift shelters, cars, vans, and RVs,” but later saying it could commit to moving only 5,300 people out of camps if it stuck to the district-by-district plan, according to the motion. De León said in a statement that it was “deeply concerning” that city officials “would attempt to renegotiate a settled agreement void of the council’s approval.” Councilman Bob Blumenfield told The Times he heard rumors early in January that a citywide plan was being pushed and immediately contacted Bass to impress on her his strong opposition to abandoning district goals. On Jan. 6, the city provided what the L.A. Alliance lawyers wanted, a breakdown of 9,800 camp “reductions” broken down by council district and delineated in six-month periods.