LA City crews clean up homeless encampment in Westwood after complaints from residents
Homeless encampment cleanup in Westwood
City crews cleared a long-standing homeless encampment near Santa Monica Boulevard and Westwood Boulevard on Thursday afternoon. This comes after weeks of complaints from nearby residents who said the situation had grown unsafe and unmanageable.
LOS ANGELES - City crews cleared a long-standing homeless encampment near Santa Monica Boulevard and Westwood Boulevard on Thursday afternoon, following weeks of complaints from nearby residents who said the situation had grown unsafe and unmanageable.
The cleanup, conducted by Los Angeles sanitation workers with police and outreach teams on scene, focused on an area neighbors described as plagued by overcrowding, open-air drug use and blocked sidewalks.
One person living in the encampment said as many as 100 people were living there at its peak.
"It was hard to walk. You could barely get by," said Cort Wagner, a concerned nearby resident. "There were tents, animals and people lined all the way down the sidewalk."
Other residents have said they repeatedly contacted city officials before action was taken.
"It’s really sad that people have to live on the street — there’s no doubt about it," said Jeff Burdin, another nearby resident. "But it’s been an eyesore for months."
Several homeless people watched as crews dismantled tents and removed belongings. Jewels, who said he is a former Marine, acknowledged residents’ frustration but said people living on the street are bearing the consequences of larger systemic problems.
"Someone has to pay the brunt of mass capitalism," he said.
When asked where he planned to go, Jewels said he was unsure.
"LAHSA is trying to work on a place, but it doesn’t seem like the money is being spent wisely or people are being held accountable," he said. "I’d like somewhere to go."
The cleanup comes as a federal task force investigates roughly $2 billion in unaccounted for spending tied to homeless services across Los Angeles County.
Another unhoused resident, Erica, said outreach workers offered help, but outcomes vary.
"I feel like the city tries, but it’s all up to individual workers," Erica said.
A spokesperson for Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, who represents the area, said most people at the site accepted offers of housing and services. The councilwoman plans to introduce a motion Friday to designate the area as a no-camping zone.
"Earlier today, Councilwoman Yaroslavsky’s office coordinated a CARE+ operation near Santa Monica Boulevard and Westwood Boulevard with Sanitation and the Police Department on site," the spokesperson said in a statement. "The area was cleaned, outreach was conducted and the majority of people accepted offers of housing and services."
The spokesperson added that the site will continue to be monitored, and outreach teams will remain engaged to prevent conditions from returning.
Within an hour of crews leaving, however, some people had already begun to return, raising concerns among residents that the cleanup may only offer temporary relief.
"They’re just going to move 20 feet away," Wagner said.
Burdin echoed that concern.
"It becomes whack-a-mole," he said. "You don’t see this in Beverly Hills. We become the dumping ground."