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Public commenters press committee to restore virtual public comment and improve outreach to people without housing
Summary
During public comment, speakers urged the committee to reopen virtual public comment, criticized outreach and enforcement practices toward people experiencing homelessness, and asked the committee to continue the item on outreach. The committee continued the agenda item to the next meeting by unanimous vote.
Public commenters at the start of the meeting urged the committee to restore virtual public comment and criticized the city’s outreach and enforcement of encampment cleanups.
A public commenter who identified himself with organizers described the lack of remote comment options as discriminatory toward unhoused and disabled constituents who cannot physically reach the hearing. “Open the damn virtual public comment,” General Dogan, an organizer with Shut it Down and LA KAN, said during the public-comment period. He also described a recent street-cleaning operation in which a man who had been at a site for three days was fined and had personal property removed.
Committee leadership responded by saying staff would follow up and that the committee would continue agenda item 1 to the next meeting and invite LAHSA and county representatives to speak. The chair called for a vote to continue item 1; the roll call was recorded as Member Román — yes; Member Jurado — yes; Member Bloomenfield — yes. The motion to continue was approved 3-0.
Why this matters: Commenters framed the lack of a telephonic or virtual public-comment option as a barrier for unhoused and disabled residents. The committee’s decision to continue the item and invite LAHSA/county staff indicates members want more information before acting.
Next steps: Item 1 (outreach to people experiencing homelessness) was continued to the committee’s next meeting with a request to invite LAHSA/County representatives and staff to provide details on outreach procedures and accessibility of comment mechanisms.
