Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva moved his deputies into Los Angeles police territory this week to begin patrols in Venice Beach in an effort to address the homelessness crisis in that area, prompting a scathing response from local leaders.
In a series of Twitter posts Thursday, Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin, whose district includes Venice Beach, called the presence of deputies in the area “disruptive & counter-productive.”
Venice Beach boardwalk is in the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles Police Department.
In a statement to Fox News, he called the move a “self-aggrandizing stunt” on the part of Villanueva.
“Sheriff Villanueva’s self-aggrandizing stunt is harming and disrupting efforts to house people, as evidenced by the disabled veteran that he loudly proclaimed to house, then left to fend for himself on the streets after destroying his belongings,” he said, referencing a local report about a homeless veteran. “Fortunately, professional outreach workers sheltered the veteran in the nearby city-owned shelter that Villanueva supporters had sued to stop.
“It is harmful for the sheriff to strut in and simultaneously interfere with and claim credit for existing outreach and housing efforts. Housing people is made harder by the sheriff’s carnival sideshow and by threats to make arrests,” the statement continued.
In an effort to address the homelessness crisis, Bonin has proposed a plan to add “safe camping” sites or “tiny homes” in parks, property at the Los Angeles International Airport and county-owned parking lots.
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On Thursday, Villanueva attempted to clear up with the department’s homeless outreach team does in response to the report on a Vietnam veteran who said deputies dropped him off a Veteran Affairs hospital, threw away his belongings and cheered as he was being housed.
He stated the HOST team does not provide housing but connects the homeless with service providers.