City Says No To Homeless Housing At Will Rogers State Beach

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA — The parking lot at Will Rogers State Beach will not be used as a homeless housing site, after a study from the City Administrative Officer confirmed the location is not feasible.

In a four page report released Monday night, CAO Matt Szabo cited a lack of sewer infrastructure, lack of adequate power capacity, and the absence of fire hydrants as reasons Will Rogers State Beach should not be used. The report came after Councilmember Mike Bonin's proposal to study whether or not Will Rogers State Beach, along with other Westside locations, could be successfully used as an emergency housing site for homeless residents.

"Council District 11, like Council Districts 1, 5, 7, and 12, lacks City-owned land that can be used for homeless interventions," Szabo said in his report. "For these areas, we should continue to identify privately-owned sites that can be leased for homeless interventions and request that the Los Angeles Housing Department pursue properties under the Project Homekey 2 Program. Most of these districts benefited from Round 1 of Project Homekey. In Council District 11, two motels/hotels were purchased, and are now operating as interim housing."

Szabo also deemed Dockweiler State Beach, Westchester and Mar Vista Park, and a privately owned vacant lot near the Ballona Creek as ill-suited locations for homeless housing. RV park sites at Marina del Rey and Dockweiler State Beach are still under assessment for feasibility, while Los Angeles World Airports was in talks with the Federal Aviation Administration about using airport land for homeless housing.

Councilmember Mike Bonin confirmed in an email Monday night that after the results of the study, he would not pursue the idea of installing housing for the homeless at Will Rogers State Beach parking lot, instead searching for alternative ways to increase the amount of available housing.

"I had asked the City to examine a variety of locations because we are facing an urgent and growing crisis, and unhoused residents, housed residents, neighborhood councils and federal judges had asked me to explore tiny homes and sanctioned camping with services, security, and sanitation," he said. "I refuse to accept the status quo of encampments everywhere and people dying on our streets, and I will leave no stone unturned in searching for alternatives. I appreciate those who share that sentiment, and supported conducting a feasibility study."