Los Angeles Times
L.A. STORIES
The city of Los Angeles plans to spend nearly $1 billion to combat homelessness in the coming budget year, tapping huge new sources of state and federal aid and finally ramping up construction of
homes for the unhoused.
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L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger recommended Dr. Drew to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority commission, prompting outcry among some homeless service advocates. The controversial doctor still needs to be approved by the rest of the board before joining the commission.
(Getty Images)
West Hollywood will regularly shut down a portion of Robertson Boulevard to vehicle traffic starting Saturday to allow businesses to offer goods and services outdoors.
Dr. Drew Nominated to L.A. Homeless Commission
18 Apr 2021
Dr. Drew Pinsky has been nominated to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, thanks to his vocal warnings that the crisis is primarily a problem of mental illness and drug addiction, not housing. But his nomination is proving controversial.
The
Los Angeles Timesreported Saturday:
Dr. David Drew Pinsky, more commonly known as “Dr. Drew,” was recommended by 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger, the only Republican on the five-member board, to Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, a 10-member commission appointed by city and county elected officials.
Barger said she nominated Pinsky because he’ll bring a “fresh perspective” to the commission because of his vast medical experience and passion for mental health.
If L.A. County supervisors are serious about their care-first approach to services, they will reject the nomination of Drew Pinsky, the COVID-denying, justice-reform-blaming media darling who stands for just about everything opposite of the reforms the board has put forward.
Both programs were set to expire in June.
The decision to extend the programs, on a combined vote this week, also included a review of both initiatives, during which Redondo Beach revealed the results of its first independent count of those living on the streets.
Los Angeles County has spent years trying to solve its homeless crisis by building shelters and investing in various services, such as job training and mental health care, to help people get and stay off the streets. It also annually counts the number of folks living on the streets or in shelters, which in 2020 was about 66,400 people.
By City News Service
Apr 15, 2021
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The number of people experiencing homelessness on the streets in Hollywood and East Hollywood was down 12% compared to 2020, according to figures released today.
The count conducted by volunteers organized by the Hollywood 4WRD coalition on Feb. 25 found there were 1,513 unhoused people in Hollywood and East Hollywood s 40 tracts, while the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority counted 1,714 people in the area in January 2020.
Hollywood 4WRD found that the number of people in tents and vehicles was roughly the same, while the number of people living “completely exposed decreased by 30%.
However, the count found that 28% of census tracts in Hollywood, including those south of the Walk of Fame and Barnsdall Park, had a drastic increase in the number of tents and makeshift structures on the streets.