2026-08-19 · housing
Anti-camping zones erased
The Los Angeles City Council voted 10-3 Tuesday to erase some Municipal Code 41.18 zones — areas where unhoused people cannot sit, lie, sleep, or keep belongings — in Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez's district, covering underpasses in Silver Lake and Echo Park and 101 Freeway overpasses in Hollywood. Soto-Martinez, who introduced the motion to remove zones established by his predecessor Mitch O'Farrell, said he believed it was the first effort to have 41.18 zones removed rather than put in place. Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, voting no, said the law "was never intended to be the solution to our homeless problem" but is "about protecting public spaces."
A 2023 report from the city's lead homelessness agency concluded the 41.18 policy had not kept most areas clear of encampments and was "generally ineffective" at connecting people to housing.