LA city controller says arrests of homeless sleeping on streets are rising
Arrests of people violating the city of Los Angeles’ law 41.18, which prohibits the sitting, lying, sleeping or placing personal property on sidewalks, continue to rise and it’s being enforced “unevenly” across council districts, according to a report from the city controller’s office.
L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia updated an analysis of 41.18 arrests that his office released in June, to now include information through Sept. 15, using data obtained from the Los Angeles Police Department. The data shows 41.18 arrests continues to rise since 2021, the law is being enforced unevenly and over half of arrests are misdemeanors, according to the report, which states: “41.18 is unevenly enforced across council districts with little relation to the number of unhoused people per council district.”
LAPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In 2022, the council districts with the most arrests included the 12th District, with 255 arrests, 11th District, with 147 arrests, 1st District, with 91 arrests, 2nd District, with 68 arrests and the 5th District, with 6 arrests.
The districts with the highest number of unhoused individuals include the 14th District with 9,204 unhoused people, 9th District with 5,640 people, 8th District with 3,579 people, 1st District with 3,395 people and 6th District with 3,328 people.
The data on homelessness was obtained from the 2022 Los Angeles Homeless Count, according to the controller’s office.
In July 2021, the city amended its 41.18 in an attempt to comply with the 2018 Martin v. Boise ruling, which prohibits cities from enforcing anti-camping laws without enough shelter beds.
The map and analysis display 41.18 arrest data beginning in Jan. 1, 2021 through Sept. 15.
According to the report, there were 558 41.18 arrests in 2021, 853 41.18 arrests in 2022, and, so far through Sept. 15, 1,582 41.18 arrests were made in the city.
Additionally, 52% of all 41.18 arrests were misdemeanors, which can lead to jail time, the report says. These types of violations can be cited as either infractions or misdemeanors.
Infractions can lead to a fine, while misdemeanors can result in a fine plus up to six months in jail.
The controller’s map offers a breakdown of 41.18 arrests by race, year, City Council district, type of arrest and time of day.