LA business owners speak out on crime, homeless crisis in the state
Fox News @ Night guests Arik Air, Christina Pascucci and Paul Scrivano discuss crime and homelessness in California.
Some Hollywood residents are fed up with homelessness in their area and may end up switching their votes in local elections.
The Los Angeles Times reported on Sunday about growing issues with homeless encampments around Cahuenga Boulevard, Wilcox Avenue, Franklin and other parts of the city.
"In that area, at least four fires have broken out at homeless encampments over the last three months. Although no injuries have been reported, some people in the area have been on edge. Residents say that, over the past few years, they also have had to contend with screaming in the middle of the night, human waste on sidewalks and doorsteps, open-air drug use and, on occasion, threats of violence," the report read.
The article noted that some residents have felt "disappointed" in Democratic Mayor Karen Bass and are considering voting against Councilmember Nithya Raman.
Los Angeles locals have frequently voiced their issues with homeless encampments forming in their neighborhoods. (Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)
"People are scared for their safety," LAPD’s Community Police Advisory Board co-chair Alexa Iles Skarpelos said. "That next fire could cause a devastating fatality, and not just property damage."
Skarpelos told the L.A. Times that she will be voting for Deputy City Atty. Ethan Weaver as city councilman in the upcoming local election on March 5.
Resident Jeanie Griffin, who moved in 2017 to be closer to family, stated she regrets voting for Raman and has also hoped that Weaver will win. As a therapist specializing in addiction, Griffin noted that many local homeless residents "have shown signs of serious methamphetamine use" and "have acted out in frightening ways — confronting passersby, yelling at cars or masturbating in public."
Some residents are considering voting against City Councilmember Nithya Raman because of the homeless problem. ((Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)/(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images))
"They’re agitated. They’re combative. They’re talking to themselves," Griffin said.
Debra Gainor, who owns two rental units in the area, also told the LA Times that she will be voting for Weaver.
"We’re exhausted dealing with this," Gainor said.
While Weaver stated that he is open to designating more areas as no-encampment zones in the city, Raman has rejected the idea claiming it would push the homeless "deeper into residential and business areas."
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"I’m really trying to find a pathway forward that will actually get people off the streets for good," Raman said.
Fox News Digital reached out to City Councilmember Raman and Los Angeles Mayor Bass for a comment.
Fox News Digital reached out to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for a comment. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
In 2023, officials reported more than 75,500 people were homeless on any given night in LA County, a 9% rise from a year earlier, and about 46,200 within the city of Los Angeles.
Fox News' Bailee Hill contributed to this report.