At its September 3, 2024 meeting, the Neighborhood Council of Westchester / Playa voted to send a Community Impact Statement (CIS) to the Los Angeles City Council and authorized two letters aimed at addressing the homeless issue on our local beaches.
In issuing the CIS, the NCWP said it “supports excluding single-family zoned properties from the Citywide Housing Incentive Program (CHIP) ordinance. We are not opposed to communities taking on their fair share of density. We are opposed to random density littered throughout our mature single family neighborhoods (1) when there are other viable options; and (2) when other non-CHIP density is already mandated in the single-family zones via state law.”
The statement went on to say, “Mature single-family zoned neighborhoods are decades in the making and should be protected as a viable housing alternative until such time as there is nowhere else to build.”
The CHIP ordinanace includes amendments to the city’s density bonus program to account for recent changes to state law, as well as two new programs intended to promote housing production along commercial corridors, high opportunity neighborhoods, and in areas in close proximity to transit.
The CHIP ordinance also includes a new affordable housing incentive program, which offers unique incentives for fully income-restricted housing projects. The program also expands the type of sites eligible for affordable housing developments to include properties zoned for public facilities and parking, as well as those owned by public agencies and religious institutions.
The NCWP also encouraged the City Council to remove the growing homeless encampments on Dockweiler State Beach and focus more attention and resources on providing mental health services to the unhoused.
In its letter to Councilmember Traci Park, the NCWP wrote, “As a community, we are concerned the Governor’s Executive Order directing state agencies and departments to address encampments on state property is being ignored here locally. In furtherance of this directive, we look forward to your prompt collaboration and assistance in providing resources to resolve encampments on state property, Dockweiler State Beach, between Culver Blvd to Imperial Highway located in your Council district, which pose a substantial risk to public health, safety, welfare and a general quality of life for all.”
In a separate letter, the NCWP said it is “deeply concerned and saddened by the ongoing homeless crisis, recognizing that our County could, should and must serve the homeless better. This lack of an executive response is hurting the homeless who suffer from mental illness and addiction. We are doing the homeless no favor by keeping them on the beaches and streets and we are doing them no favor by asking them if they would like help. We all know too well that when mental illness and/or drug addiction is in play, people are unable to make decisions that are in their own best interest.”
The NCWP urged the city to prioritize mental health and drug addition services.
“There is an urgent need for mental hospitals that offer long-term residential care of those who suffer from chronic mental illness who are not capable of caring for themselves,” the letter said, adding, “The City should prioritize the provision of sober living facilities where addiction treatment can be provided, rather than focusing on harm reduction strategies such as needle distribution, which enable continued substance abuse rather than guiding individuals towards sobriety.”
