{"id":440727,"date":"2025-12-11T19:07:18","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T19:07:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/440727\/"},"modified":"2025-12-11T19:07:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T19:07:18","slug":"7-on-your-side-investigates-homeless-encampment-near-esperanza-elementary-school-in-westlake-returns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/440727\/","title":{"rendered":"7 On Your Side Investigates: Homeless encampment near Esperanza Elementary School in Westlake returns"},"content":{"rendered":"

WESTLAKE DISTRICT, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Parents – and even the Los Angeles Unified School District superintendent – want action after an encampment near a school in the Westlake District has popped up again.<\/p>\n

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I’ve seen syringes, I’ve seen bottles of alcohol.<\/p>\n

Patricia Garcia, parent at Esperanza Elementary School<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The encampment is located on Wilshire Boulevard near Little Street, and it was first reported by 7 On Your Side Investigates<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Dozens of children walk past it every day as they go to and from Esperanza Elementary School.<\/p>\n

“I would die before I do that,” said David Alexander when talking about letting his three children walk alone near the encampment.<\/p>\n

“I’ve seen syringes, I’ve seen bottles of alcohol,” said Patricia Garcia, another parent at the school.<\/p>\n

Many children who walk through the area said what really bothers them is the stench, which they described as “smelling like poop.”<\/p>\n

As 7 On Your Side Investigates walked through the area – it appeared the encampment is a lot bigger now with more trash.<\/p>\n

“They just kind of fold there, and you know, they’re aggressive,” said Alex Athanian, a paralegal whose office is right above the tents.<\/p>\n

READ ALSO | LA banned homeless encampments near schools, so why is 1 near 2 LAUSD campuses?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2022, city council passed Municipal Code 41.18, which states, “No person shall sit, lie, sleep, or store… personal property… within 500 feet of a school.”<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

“Obviously, there is a breakdown in terms of the enforcement of current city policy,” said LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who spoke one-on-one with 7 On Your Side Investigates. “I cannot accept homeless encampments near schools.”<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

But one person who would not speak to ABC7 on camera about the encampment was City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, who represents the area.<\/p>\n

Her office said “an upcoming fence installation is the long-term solution to securing this area” and that they’re “pursuing more durable, long-term solutions … and real pathways to housing for residents living outdoors.”<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Mayor Karen Bass’ office says it “will coordinate with Council District 1 to find immediate resources to house those living in the encampment.”<\/p>\n

The mayor’s team said outreach workers started engaging with homeless people in the area this week.<\/p>\n

So it sounds like there’s now momentum to get the encampment cleaned up and the Los Angeles Police Department has a role in the move too.<\/p>\n

A captain told 7 On Your Side Investigates that officers are working on getting rid of violent criminals in that encampment so city services will have an easier time housing the non-violent homeless people there.<\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2025 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WESTLAKE DISTRICT, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Parents – and even the Los Angeles Unified School District superintendent –…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":440728,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[203398,1582,276,2961,224,5337],"class_list":{"0":"post-440727","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-203398","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-california","11":"tag-la","12":"tag-los-angeles","13":"tag-losangeles"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115702508058698216","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=440727"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440727\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/440728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=440727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=440727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=440727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}