Will Rogers Beach Homeless Campsite Idea To Be Discussed By PPCC

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA — Councilmember Mike Bonin's proposal to establish a secured campsite for homeless residents at Will Rogers Beach parking lot will again be the primary topic of discussion at Thursday's Pacific Palisades Community Council meeting.

Thursday's Pacific Palisades meeting will take place this Thursday evening at 6 p.m. The Zoom link is available here.

Over 500 people attended April 8's meeting, which Bonin joined in an attempt to further explain the plan and answer questions from residents. The councilman stressed the urgency to act, saying a variety of housing options were needed across Los Angeles to address the homelessness crisis.

"People are living and dying on our streets," Bonin said. "All over the city, people are demanding urgent action. That means we need a broad menu of solutions -- projects, programs, policies -- and we need to put them in place all over the city, including the Westside."

All but a few speakers loudly spoke up against the plan during the meeting, however.

"Meeting attendees were overwhelmingly opposed to the use of beach parking lots and parks for homeless housing," the council wrote in an April 19 letter. "Many speakers emphasized the fact that the beach is a regional, shared public resource that is visited and enjoyed by millions of beachgoers from the entire City, County and beyond. The need to protect and preserve public access to this beloved public resource – the backyard of Los Angeles -- was viewed as paramount."

The motion is currently being reviewed by the City Council Homelessness and Poverty Committee, and would then be discussed by the larger City Council if approved.

READ MORE: 'People Are Literally Dying On Our Streets' As The Homeless Crisis Grows'

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