Latest Count Shows Slight Decrease in Homeless Population along Venice Beach

On Saturday, September 18, I walked Venice Beach at 7:00 AM with LA City Council candidate Traci Park to acquaint her with the reality that the Venice Beach Recreation Area (VBRA) remains heavily populated with homeless campers.

Walking from the county parking lot at Venice Boulevard to the Santa Monica border, we counted 73 people who were clearly living along Ocean Front Walk, and on the grass and sand.  This is down from 81 two weeks ago.

There had been significant removal of encampments at the north end, especially around the county parking lot at Rose Avenue.  However, this was mirrored by an increase nearby on the sidewalk on the south side of the Safran Senior Center, between OFW and Speedway, where seven tents were erected.  Campers along this sidewalk not only block handicapped passage but are a constant burden for vulnerable seniors living in the center whose quiet enjoyment of their apartments is frequently interrupted at night by noise from some of the tent-dwellers.

We also saw a doubling of the number of campers south of the police substation at the Windward Plaza.  Traci also informed me that on the way to meet me at the parking lot at North Venice Boulevard from Washington Boulevard on the bike path, she counted approximately 10 campers.  These are not included in the current count of 73 because my previous counts did not include that area.

I was informed last week by LAPD Pacific Division Commander Steven Embrich that the Mayor's Office has agreed to re-deploy Department of Sanitation crews with LAPD officers, Rec. & Parks rangers and other Rec. & Parks staff for twice-weekly overnight enforcement efforts from 12 AM park closure to 5 AM.

While this is welcome and may be the cause of the slight reduction in illegal camping along the VBRA, it remains insufficient to the task - as underlined by the remaining 73 campers.

The VSA continues to call for a return to nightly enforcement of the park closure, curfew and no camping/no tents ban of LAMC 63.44 and the return of St. Joseph housing counselors to the team for a full-court press to remove all beach campers while also offering them at least temporary shelter.

It will take that level of effort to convince homeless individuals and the many "travelers" who have no interest in housing that Venice Beach is indeed closed to camping.  The Sheriff's Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST) found in their initial interviews with those living along Venice Beach that 40 out of the original count of 240 fell into the traveler category. 

Venice Beach Camper Count Jumps Again

Tent opposite Sidewalk Cafe

 CAMPER COUNT JUMPS TO 81

As predicted, homeless campers continue to return to Venice Beach to set up residence.

Another tent

This follows the failure of the city to provide sufficient staffing for the Department of Sanitation and Rec. and Parks to accompany LAPD's overnight enforcement of the city's beach curfew.

While the LAPD can order people off the beach 2:00 to 5:00 AM, the LAPD is not authorized under the city's Municipal Code Section 63.44 to remove tents, bedding, mattresses, backpacks, etc.  This requires Sanitation to collect, and store items if necessary.

Next to the Boardwalk

While the LAPD's, and apparently park rangers' presence, several nights a week has deterred the return of most tents and structures, it has not stopped people from living and sleeping on the beach. 

Next to the children's play area

Our organization calls for a two pronged effort:

1.  The daily presence of St. Joseph Center and LAHSA staff on the beach - both at day and at night - to finish their job of providing shelter to the homeless who continue to live there.  The number of campers in the VBRA never dropped below 46 and has now almost doubled.

Next to Muscle Beach

2.  Refunding of Department of Sanitation staff to accompany nightly LAPD enforcement during the curfew hours until no one is sleeping in the VBRA.  At that point enforcement could be reduced to every other night.

By the handball courts

As the weekly increase in the camper number shows, Venice will inexorably return to the over 250 campers - and the violence and third-world conditions - it had before the city spent over $5 million to shelter those campers and free up Venice Beach for families to enjoy again.

LAMC 63.44 bans camping in any city park.  Councilman O'Farrell recently enforced this law at Echo Park and Councilman Buscaino has always enforced this in both of his beach parks in San Pedro.  Venice residents and the thousands of members of the public who come here to enjoy Venice Beach should have the same protection.