MIKE BONIN City of Los Angeles Councilmember, Eleventh District March 13, 2020 Susan Fanelli Department of Public Health State of California 1615 Capitol Ave., MS 0502 Sacramento, CA 95814 VIA EMAIL: Susan.Fanelli@cdph.ca.gov Dr. Barbara Ferrer Department of Public Health County of Los Angeles 313 Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90012 VIA EMAIL: BFerrer@ph.lacounty.gov Dear Ms. Fanelli and Dr. Ferrer: In the midst of the public health crisis, I am writing to request that your departments provide advice, guidelines, and suggested protocols to Los Angeles and other cities regarding homeless encampments. As you surely know, tens of thousands of unhoused people live in encampments in Los Angeles and other cities across California. That alone is a public health crisis, and it is surely intensified by the current pandemic. People living on the streets already suffer greater health risks, are unable to self-quarantine and may find it incredibly challenging to follow the most basic medical advice to prevent contracting the coronavirus: frequent hand-washing. Even before the spread of coronavirus, different jurisdictions have had different approaches to encampments. In the City of Los Angeles, through the coordinated efforts of our Unified Homelessness Response Center (UHRC) and our Bureau of Sanitation (LASAN), the City operates CARE and teams. These teams have a dual function - to provide sanitation services and to enforce city codes about keeping sidewalks clean and passable. Supporters of the programs characterize them as helpful ?clean-ups,? necessary to protect public health through the removal of trash and hazardous materials, and the cleaning of sidewalks. Critics decry them as punitive Westchester Office City Hall West Los Angeles Of?ce 7166 W. Manchester Boulevard 200 N. Spring Street, Room 475 1645 Corinth Avenue, Room 201 L02. Angeles, CA 90045 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Los Angeles, CA 90025 (310) 568-8772 (213) 473-7011 (BIO) 575?8461 (310) 410-3946 Fax (213) 473?6926 Fax ,(310) 575?8305 Fax ?56) er ?sweeps,? which force people to take down and move tents, displace peOple and push them further from services, cause stress and trauma, and frequently result in the seizure and loss of vital personal possessions, including medications. While in recent months the City of Los Angeles has provided mobile bathrooms, mobile showers and trash cans at some encampments, and in the past week has begun installing portable hand-washing stations at many other encampments, most encampments lack any hygiene services, and many that do have services only have them part-time. Generally, unhoused residents still lack regular access to basic hygiene services. Even these installations of showers or bathrooms can prove controversial. As a result, policy decisions are heavily influenced by politics instead of public health considerations. As we confront the coronavirus pandemic here in Los Angeles, my philosophy has been that our policies must be focused on public health, as determined and directed by public health professionals. Particularly at this moment, our approach must be based on public health protocols and best practices. That is why I am asking your departments to offer guidelines on how to address the public health challenges posed by encampments and to suggest protocols that protect the public health of people living in encampments, people living near encampments, and government and social service workers visiting or serving encampments. Speci?cally, it would be helpful for cities to understand: . What practices or protocols should be frequent and standard to protect and enhance public health? . What practices or protocols should be avoided as a potential threat to public hea?h? . Are there additional or special protocols that should be in place due to the specific public health threats of coronavirus? What resources are available from the state or county to help cities, which generally do not provide health services, meet the particular public health challenges of people living in encampments? Thank you in advance for your assistance in this matter, and for your continued hard work and vigilance in protecting public health at this challenging moment. Reg?) ZMIKE 5? Councilmember, 11th District City of Los Angeles Governor Gavin Newsom Supervisor Barger Supervisor Janice Hahn Supervisor Sheila Kuehl Supervisor Mark Ridiey? Thomas Supervisor Hilda Solis Mayor Eric Garcetti Christina Miller, Deputy Mayor for Homelessness initiatives Brian Buchner, Homelessness Operations Street Strategies Enrique Zaidivar, LASAN Heidi Marston, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority