West LA Farmer’s Market Almost Shut Down … County Asleep at the Legal Wheel

GUEST COMMENTARY--County Does. not Care about the City.

Last week, LA County chased all of the homeless encamped on the stairs of the old West LA Courthouse from their tents, putting up a fence around the building, and telling the homeless to go into the city civic center in West LA (not county jurisdiction.) 

Unfortunately, the civic center area is the home for the past 15 years, of the WLA Farmer’s Market, a community event. 

For hours on Saturday, weeding through encampments that clearly violate the law as to amount of property one can have, pleading with LAPD and CD11 for help, finally at the 11th hour our SLO came to the rescue. 

Due to his relationship with the homeless in our area, the market was able to remain open on Sunday. 

The market had to clean the rubbish and remove the human feces and sanitize the area prior to opening. 

The county has responsibility for social services of the homeless, kicked them out. 

No injunctions could help. 

And to instruct them to go to the city property just shows the lack of both compassion and respect for the homeless and the city. 

A text to a supervisor’s deputy went unanswered. Surprised?! 

As it turns out, the homeless have more rights than the average citizen. 

Where was our city attorney? 

Here’s my advice: Fix the broken laws that you enacted that caused the ACLU to get no less than 6 injunctions against our city. Step up for the 4 million other her citizens you represent.

(Jay Handal is a long-time community activist and is associated with the cannabis industry.)

-cw