Los Angeles City Councilman, David Aguilar, submitted a ballot measure to reduce salaries for city officials in case the problem of homelessness is not adequately addressed. According to CNS, Councilman Joe Buscaino stated “We have an emergency situation on our streets, so this ballot measure offers an approach to addressing it,” according to CNS.
Buscaino’s plan would ban homeless encampments from LA, make temporary shelters a priority, give the mayor additional authority to use land during an emergency related to homelessness, and achieve functional zero homelessness in three years.
If these goals are not met, elected leaders in cities could lose their jobs.
Buscaino is a Democrat and submitted language for the proposal Friday to the Los Angeles City Clerk. After the proposal is reviewed by the city clerk and city attorney, organizers may be allowed to collect 65,000 signatures to put the measure on the November ballot.
In November, he had proposed to ban homeless encampments in order to prioritize shelters. However, the council denied his motion. Others argued that it wouldn’t solve the problem of homelessness.
Los Angeles has faced homelessness issues for years, with the most notable being in Echo Park Lake and Venice Beach. Although an ordinance was passed in September to ban homeless encampments and sleeping in public areas of the city, the problem has not stopped.
The city had just last week worked to clear out homeless camps in preparation for this year’s Super Bowl. However, it was called a “Band-Aid” solution.
We see that politicians are offering Band-Aid solutions, and the encampments move. Soledad Ursua, a Venice neighborhood council member, said last week that there is no solution to get people on the right path and get them the help they need.