Los Angeles Removes Large Beachside Homeless Encampment Despite County Opposition to State Orders

Workers for the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors removed a massive homeless encampment on Dockweiler Beach in the L.A. neighborhood of Playa del Rey on Thursday, complying with new state orders on encampment removal while ignoring County Supervisors opposition to Governor Gavin Newsom’s order.

For the last several years, action against homeless encampments with Los Angeles and Los Angeles County have been something of a hot button issue. However, the first major move against encampments came in July 2021, when the L.A. City Council nearly unanimously passed an ordinance banning lying, sitting, sleeping, and storing personal property on public land that blocks sidewalks, streets, and bike lanes, driveways, freeway overpasses, and on-ramps. Homeless encampments were also not allowed within 500 feet of a “sensitive facility” such daycare centers, driveways, fire hydrants, homeless shelters, libraries, schools, libraries, and parks.

Despite this, the situation was often up in the air, as lawsuits and homeless advocate battles sprouted up. Nonetheless, the encampment ordinance proved popular with Angelinos, with similar bans, such as ones in San Diego, sprouting up as a result. However, the largest such advance in banning encampments was only recently, with the Supreme Court’s Grants Pass v. Johnson ruling giving the greenlight to states to enact such a ban. San Francisco, a longtime holdout, finally began a major crackdown on encampments, and just last month, Newsom gave a state level executive order on encampment removals.

Many cities quickly complied with the order, including Long Beach. However, while Los Angeles and other cities in the counties looked into encampment removals, County Supervisors attempted to resist the order. This included County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who said earlier this month that “My position has and continues to be that I do not believe the criminalization of homelessness is the right path. Quite frankly, I find it almost ludicrous to think that we’re going to issue $250 tickets to individuals who are unhoused who are then going to get another ticket and another ticket and then have a warrant out for their arrest and for what?

“This is about our capacity to house and deliver a well-orchestrated strategy with several ingredients: sustaining outreach work, building trust, and delivering coordinated social services. I want to be clear: enforcement is certainly an important tool, but it needs to be applied strategically and in a way that sustains permanent change. Enforcement will remain a last resort to maintain public safety and public health. Some believe our work to resolve homeless encampments isn’t happening fast enough, but fast doesn’t always mean successful.”

Cleanup of the beach

However, the state continued to push for encampment removal and cleanup. Governor Newsom awkwardly joined cleanup crews in L.A. for a solid half an hour on August 8th, putting pressure on the County to not be a holdout during the press event. At the same time, a homeless encampment in the L.A. oceanside neighborhood of Playa del Rey was growing, with dozens of tents sprouting up on Dockweiler Beach. Residents there frantically asked officials for a cleanup, as those in the encampment regularly attacked passersby, left feces and needles around, making the area unsafe.

Faced with the worsening situation in an area where many rich donors live, the LAPD and Department of Beaches and Harbors were called in on Thursday following advance notice, removing encampments, as well as the few people who didn’t leave when told to. And, rather than be organized by the County, the City, under direction of L.A. City Councilmember Traci Park, led the effort to remove the encampments stretching the beach. By late Thursday afternoon, the vast majority of tents were removed, with trash and other things removed from the beach.

“There is still a smell in the air and we’re afraid it might revert back, but for the first time in a long time I can now walk along the beach without fear,” explained local resident Annette Fernandez to the Globe on Thursday. “People from all over can enjoy the beach again. This is a place for everyone.”

Another resident, Josh, added that “The homeless people there were always throwing stuff at us and we often saw needles around. I mean, where are we, San Francisco? We needed these tents out of here. It’s a public place. I haven’t been down there yet to see it clear, but it is a sigh of relief.”

Homeless experts also weighed in.

“This isn’t the last time you are going to see encampment removals in a place that opposes removals, the order, or generally pushing homeless people around.” explained Mark Wagner, a Philadelphia-based researcher on homelessness, to the Globe on Thursday. “No one wants to lose that funding. Plus, in the case of Dockweiler Beach, it had become a health hazard. That’s a golden excuse for those opposing removals. They can say ‘We didn’t want to remove them, but state health or state safety regulations forced our hands.’ Same at the county or city level. I guarantee you that will be the main excuse from here on out.”

As of Thursday, County officials in opposition to the order have yet to comment on the removals.