Editorial: Dr. Drew is the wrong choice for L.A.’s homelessness authority
LA TimesIf Los Angeles County supervisors are serious about their historic care-first, jail-last approach to justice and safety, they will say “no” to the homeless services board appointment of Drew Pinsky, the bomb-throwing, COVID-denying, justice-reform-blaming media personality who urges L.A. to renounce many of its most hard-won human services programs. Dr. Drew was nominated by Supervisor Kathryn Barger for a seat on the board of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, the joint powers agency that’s charged with getting people off the street and into housing. No, Pinsky said, he doesn’t believe substance abuse is properly a criminal justice issue — yet people who don’t agree to drug treatment should be jailed. He calls the “housing first” model embraced by the Board of Supervisors — and experts around the country — “a hoax.” Pinsky is popular in part because he gives people what they want: a veneer of expertise to dress up their instinctive belief that simplistic solutions such as more criminal laws and more policing are the best way to resolve social problems.
History of this topic
A radical reshaping of L.A. County’s homeless services system is proposed
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L.A. County supervisors approve plan to study homeless services overhaul
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L.A. County asks appeals court to dismiss long-running homelessness lawsuit
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L.A. strongly approves of Mayor Bass but skeptical about fixing homelessness, poll shows
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L.A. County Board of Supervisors votes to create super agency on homelessness
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County commission backs creating a leadership post on homelessness
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He’s no Dr. Drew, but Andy Bales could shake up L.A.’s homeless advocacy establishment
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Mark Ridley-Thomas led L.A. homeless policies. Now what?
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Kathryn Barger: Dr. Drew would have made a good homeless services commissioner
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L.A. officials are getting serious about overhauling this top homeless services agency
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Column: As L.A.’s homeless crisis worsens, no one is in charge. That has to change
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Homelessness isn’t huge in this part of L.A. — but it’s a huge campaign issue
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