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.