This week, we cleared the longstanding encampment at the 405 underpass at Venice Boulevard and placed 52 people into interim housing where they can connect with services and resources.

We deep cleaned the streets and sidewalks, and for the first time in a decade, our abatement teams removed all the graffiti. We are working with local residents on a mural project under the freeway and we are excited to leave this area in far better condition than we found it!

To my friends and constituents in Mar Vista, I know how difficult these last few years have been, but I’m glad we were able to finally deliver this long-overdue intervention. Thank you for your patience and for working so closely with me and your CD11 team to get this done.

Take a look at the video below for an inside look at this week's operation. 

We’ve all seen the headlines out of San Francisco over the last few years - rampant homelessness, a surge in overdoses, retail theft and business closures. But new leadership and a shift in local politics up in San Francisco have made real progress on the streets, so I went on a fact-finding mission to learn what went wrong, what they did to fix it, and what’s working now.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed is investing in police and calling for more focus on enforcement. Supervisor Matt Dorsey, a recovering addict himself, is adamant about adding recovery-based interventions to a menu of solutions dominated by housing first and harm reduction approaches. And, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins is working closely with San Francisco police to crack down on drug dealing and open air drug use, and she's actually prosecuting quality of life crimes.

I also spent some time with Mothers Against Drug Addiction and Death, many of whom have lost children and family members to the fentanyl crisis. I walked one of the hardest hit neighborhoods, SoMa, with my friend, Tom Wolf, a recovery advocate who was once addicted and homeless on the streets of San Francisco. And, I went on a ridealong with the San Francisco Fire Department Street Crisis Response Team. They all agree: we need to get dealers and drugs off our streets and people into recovery, whatever it takes.

This week, the City of Los Angeles launched its Emergency Renters Assistance Program to assist struggling small landlords. This program offers up to six months of relief for unpaid rent to qualifying low-income tenants on the brink of homelessness. Since taking office, I have advocated for our "mom and pop" landlords. This program, which builds on my work earlier this year to identify funds to support small housing providers, will provide an invaluable lifeline to landlords and tenants, stabilize neighborhoods, and prevent the corporatization of our housing stock.

You can apply for relief by contacting the Los Angeles Housing Department Hotline at (888) 379-3150, available Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM. Information about in-person intake can be found at housing.lacity.org. Applications are accepted through October 31. 

LA Recreation and Parks wants to hear from you! A new, modern playground will replace the old Windward Plaza Playground. But before it's built, the City wants to know what you think about the new design proposal. A virtual meeting will take place on Wednesday, November 8 at 5:30 PM. For questions and updates, please email venicebeach.recreationcenter@lacity.org.

The City’s Home-Sharing Records Portal is now accessible to the public! This allows you to see whether a property is registered for home-sharing and whether a home-sharing citation has been issued to the property. There is also an area where you can submit a complaint. To start exploring the portal, visit the link below: Home-Sharing Records Portal.

Introducing Spencer, our pet of the week. At 5 years old and weighing 70 pounds, Spencer is a bundle of joy who loves splashing around in the doggie pool. If you're interested in giving Spencer a forever home, visit our West Valley Center today.

This "Howl-o-ween" weekend, on Oct. 28 and 29, we're offering special reduced adoption fees for both dogs and cats at all six LA Animal Services Centers. As we celebrate "Adopt a Shelter Dog" Month this October, we urge the community to help alleviate the overcrowding in our shelters.  

You can email me at councilmember.park@lacity.org.