Out of concern for Los Angeles residents who may be losing their homes, City Councilman Bill Rosendahl introduced a motion last week that would allow citizens to live in their cars. According to the motion--it's after the jump--the current law "effectively criminalizes living in one's vehicle on a publicly owned street." Here's the law: Los Angeles Municipal Code section 85.02 states that "no person shall use a vehicle parked or standing upon any city street or upon any parking lot owned by the City of Los Angeles or under control of the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors as living quarters either overnight, day-to-day, or otherwise." The motion points to cities such as Eugene, Oregon and Santa Barbara (this story about a woman living in her car in Santa Barbara got a lot of attention), which have both created zones where people can sleep in their cars. Rosendahl's motion wants to create an amendment to the law, and allow city councilmembers to designate areas in their own districts that would allow people to park and sleep overnight. It's not clear how many people currently get ticketed for this law. And would this mean fewer people would head to shelters? So many questions. This is different, but related to Rosendahl's push to establish overnight parking districts in Venice (aimed partly at those RVs).
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