County’s new bid to settle suit is accepted

LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Los Angeles County and the LA Alliance for Human Rights have reached a new proposed settlement of a lawsuit over local governments’ response to the homelessness crisis, and it appears to meet recent demands of the judge overseeing the case, according to court documents filed Monday.

US District Judge David Carter has rejected previous efforts to settle, denying the county and the homelessness coalition’s joint stipulation to dismiss the case, saying he wanted more “oversight and enforcement powers.”

According to Monday’s filing, Carter is getting what he asked for, including the county’s promise to fund 3,000 new mental health/substance use disorder beds, subsidies for 450 new clients of residential care facilities for indigent adults and the elderly, and, significantly, the appointment of a retired federal judge to monitor the county’s compliance with the settlement.

“The previous settlement the parties presented to the Court already provides a thousand new beds and enhanced services for people experiencing homelessness with substance use disorder or mental illness,” Mira Hashmall, outside counsel for LA County in the case, said in a statement. “We hope the new settlement, which is set for hearing Thursday, will end this three-yearold case and allow us to focus our funding and efforts on alleviating the homelessness crisis.”

The new settlement bid comes a month after a federal appeals court rejected the county’s effort to compel Carter to sign off on the previous settlement proposal.

In its March 2020 lawsuit, the LA Alliance for Human Rights alleged that inaction by the city and county of Los Angeles has created a dangerous environment in the Skid Row area and beyond.