Los Angeles’s Anti-Camping Law Cost $3 Million, Permanently Housed 2 People

The law was passed in 2021 to prevent obstruction of public spaces, address safety concerns, and reduce homeless encampments across the city.

A homeless encampment near the 10 Freeway in Los Angeles, Calif., on Nov. 13, 2023. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

LOS ANGELES—In three years of an anti-camping law being in effect in Los Angeles, only two unhoused individuals were placed into permanent housing and cost more than $3 million to implement, according to a city memo released Friday, May 31.

The city’s anti-camping policy, also known as 41.18 for the section of the Municipal Code it created, became law on Sept. 3, 2021. The law regulates where people can sit, lie, sleep, or maintain personal property on or around specific public spaces.