According to the LA City Controller’s Office’s recently released report on Los Angeles Municipal Code 41.18—which criminalizes sitting, lying, sleeping, or storing, using, maintaining, or placing personal property in the public right-of-way in certain instances—a total of 3,003 people have been arrested in Los Angeles from 2021 to the present (as of September 15, 2023).
The Korea Daily analyzed the number of arrests by district. In District 10 (represented by Councilwoman Heather Hutt), enforcement of the anti-homelessness law appears lax.
The Controller’s Office reports a total of 15 arrests in District 10 over the past three years, averaging five arrests annually. Koreatown ranks second-lowest, coming after District 6’s 14 arrests.
According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), the current number of homeless people in District 10 as of December 2022 stands at 1,671. Excluding those sheltered, 1,348 are experiencing street homelessness. This means arrest counts comprise less than one percent of the homeless population.
Moreover, homelessness in District 10 has surged since 2020 (1,264), prompting concerns over the proper enforcement of the anti-homelessness law.
Clear geographical disparities exist in the enforcement of this law. For instance, in Councilmember John Lee’s District 12, there are 964 homeless individuals—a number lower than in District 10. However, District 12 witnessed 1,129 arrests for anti-homelessness infractions over the past three years, the highest in the city.
The three LA districts with the most significant homeless populations are:
District 4: 6,523 homeless individuals, 92 arrests
District 9: 2,943 homeless individuals, 91 arrests
District 1: 2,570 homeless individuals, 359 arrests
Despite these figures, arrests are sparse in relation to the number of homeless individuals.
“The situation seems to be getting worse as the number of homeless people around my business has been increasing for years,” said Jungsoon Roh (56), who runs a restaurant in LA Koreatown. “It’s frustrating because there’s no point in filing a complaint.”
Reportedly, over 200 homeless tents sprout in Koreatown monthly. Per the city’s 311 service, 1,398 reports of homeless tents in Koreatown emerged in the first half of 2023, trailing only Hollywood (1,664), Westlake (1,658), and North Hollywood (1,552). Comparing these figures to District 10’s arrest record (5), it’s evident that authorities aren’t sufficiently addressing anti-homelessness violations in Koreatown, despite frequent reports.
The Korea Daily reached out to L.A. City Councilmember Heather Hutt’s office but hasn’t received a reply as of 4 p.m., October 10.
Citywide, arrests for anti-homelessness law infractions have risen annually: 568 in 2021, 853 in 2022, and 1,582 in 2023 (as of September). Arrests are categorized as either misdemeanor offenses, which could lead to up to six months in jail (1,551), or lesser offenses carrying fines (1,451). Arrest demographics show Whites at 43%, Hispanics at 36%, Blacks at 18%, and Asians at 0.73%.
During an interview with the LA Daily News on October 5, L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia stated, “41.18 is inconsistently applied across council districts and doesn’t correlate to the number of unhoused individuals per district.”
Introduced in 2021, the city’s anti-homeless law, which bans homelessness in public spaces, sidewalks, and other regions, has drawn criticism since its inception. Many view it as inefficient and argue it infringes on the rights of the homeless, particularly when enforced without viable alternatives.
BY YEOL JANG [jang.yeol@koreadaily.com]
