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City, county and police coordinate on library encampments and outreach as council seeks stricter enforcement and services
Summary
Council and staff discussed encampments and a high homeless presence at the county-run library in South Gate. Police reported 18 arrests this year for misdemeanors tied to the area and said staff are conducting outreach with a mental-health clinician, offering temporary housing and coordinating with the county to address Wi-Fi access and fencing.
South Gate officials discussed persistent encampments and quality-of-life impacts near the county-operated library during the April 8 council meeting, and police described recent enforcement and outreach efforts.
Police and city staff said the library is a county facility that offers public Wi‑Fi, which staff believe attracts people who then congregate outside the building. City police said they have used a mix of humanitarian outreach and law enforcement: the department’s mental-health clinician has offered services, staff have offered temporary housing, and officers have made arrests when individuals committed misdemeanors or had outstanding warrants. Police said they arrested 18 people in connection with offenses in the area since the beginning of the year, primarily misdemeanor violations, vandalism or trespassing.
City officials said they have asked the county to consider turning off public Wi‑Fi at the library and to install fencing to limit access, and they are coordinating with Caltrans and other agencies to remove encampments that sit on non‑city property. City Manager Rob Houston and public-safety officials described the approach as a combination of service offers and targeted enforcement when crimes occur.
Council members emphasized the difficulty of addressing homelessness because being unhoused is not itself a crime and because jurisdictional issues complicate cleanup on rights-of-way not owned by the city. Staff said they will continue outreach, coordinate with county partners, and attempt to reduce the concentration of individuals at the library while offering assistance to those who accept it.
