LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced an Inside Safe operation in partnership with Councilmember Tim McOsker in Wilmington that addressed an encampment of more than 10 RVs and brought more than 35 people inside. The encampment was located near industrial refineries, raising serious safety concerns over the potential for fire and explosions. Click here for photos and b-roll of the operation.
“We continue taking steps to address and resolve RV encampments across the city,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “I want to thank Councilmember Tim McOsker and our service providers for their continued partnership as we brought people inside and made sure this industrial area was safely maintained to protect the surrounding community before an incident happened.”
“Today we housed and cleared one of the largest RV encampments in the 15th District thanks to our partnership with Mayor Bass, numerous City Departments, and Harbor Interfaith Services,” said Councilmember Tim McOsker. “This operation has been in the works for some time and I’m glad that these Angelenos will be able to sleep with a roof over their heads and I will continue to advocate that they receive services that can change their lives.”
This is the 47th Inside Safe operation. Last year, Inside Safe also addressed an encampment of more than 50 RVS on Forest Lawn, along with other operations where RVs were present.
Mayor Bass is locking arms with partners in all levels of government to address RV encampments. She expanded Executive Directive 3 to address RV encampments by increasing the City’s capacity to tow, store, and dismantle surrendered vehicles. She is also sponsoring state legislation that streamlines the City’s ability to lease property from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) at a reduced rate to store RVs while their former inhabitants receive services to transition into housing.
Yesterday, Inside Safe brought 10 unhoused people inside who were living at a parks and recreation center in South Central. The recreation center’s playground and community facilities had been impacted by the longstanding encampment which had been there for at least two years. Since Mayor Bass took office, thousands more Angelenos came inside than the previous year and tent encampments have come down in every council district thanks to urgent action locking arms with the City Council, County and LAHSA. Los Angeles is also building more housing rapidly to confront this crisis. More than 16,000 units of affordable housing are now being accelerated as a result of her executive directive to streamline their development.