{"id":50804,"date":"2026-04-14T21:22:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T21:22:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=50804"},"modified":"2026-04-14T21:22:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T21:22:34","slug":"mayoral-hopeful-nithya-raman-votes-no-on-anti-camping-crackdown-in-venice-chaos-zone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=50804","title":{"rendered":"Mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman votes no on anti-camping crackdown in Venice chaos zone"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F04%2F125639236.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman voted no Tuesday on a Westside anti-camping crackdown, a sharp signal of how she would tackle one of Los Angeles\u2019 worst crises.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cityclerk.lacity.org\/lacityclerkconnect\/index.cfm?fa=ccfi.viewrecord&amp;cfnumber=26-4118-S3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The motion<\/a>, introduced by councilmember Traci Park, sought to establish an anti-camping zone along a stretch of Venice that residents and city officials have described as persistently unstable, with recurring encampments, public safety concerns and repeated outreach efforts.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Encampments along the iconic Rose Ave Cafe, once a location of Mayor Karen Bass\u2019s Inside Safe <span class=\"credit\">Craig Ribeiro for CA Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Post recently reported on a <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/02\/us-news\/mass-brawl-breaks-out-at-venice-beach-homeless-camp-where-karen-bass-boasted-about-cleanup\/\">daytime brawl <\/a>at the site of the proposed no-camping zone near the iconic Rose Cafe, where at least four people were seen throwing punches and yelling.<\/p>\n<p>Rather than defer to the district\u2019s representative, a typical council norm, Raman called the item for separate consideration and voted no, joining Hugo Soto-Mart\u00ednez, Eunisses Hernandez and Ysabel Jurado in opposition. <\/p>\n<p>The final vote was 11\u20134, with the four no votes coming from the council\u2019s left flank. <\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption> Nithya Raman voted no Tuesday on a Westside anti-camping crackdown, a sharp signal of how she would tackle one of Los Angeles\u2019 most volatile citywide issues. <span class=\"credit\">Ringo Chiu for California Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The location is not new to city intervention. It was part of an early \u201cInside Safe\u201d operation led by Mayor Karen Bass, where more than 100 people were moved into interim housing over time.<\/p>\n<p>City officials have acknowledged the corridor remains difficult to stabilize, with encampments returning after outreach efforts.<\/p>\n<p>Park\u2019s motion would have applied <a href=\"https:\/\/cityclerk.lacity.org\/onlinedocs\/2020\/20-1376-S1_ord_draft_7-02-21.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Los Angeles Municipal Code 41.18<\/a>, which restricts sitting, sleeping or storing property near designated \u201csensitive\u201d areas, including schools, parks and certain public spaces. The designation requires the city to document impacts on public health, safety or welfare.<\/p>\n<p>City <a href=\"https:\/\/cityclerk.lacity.org\/onlinedocs\/2026\/26-4118-s3_misc_3-27-26.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">findings state<\/a> that a year-long encampment at the location has repeatedly blocked a key pedestrian corridor, creating ongoing public safety risks. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cOver a 12-month period, police and fire crews responded to multiple incidents at the site, including an encampment fire, leading officials to conclude that camping within 500 feet of the intersection is unsafe and incompatible with safe passage,\u201d Parks motion states.<\/p>\n<p>Raman has consistently opposed expansions of the ordinance. She voted against key amendments in 2021 and 2022 and has argued the law shifts encampments between neighborhoods rather than resolving homelessness.<\/p>\n<p>The Post reached out to to her office for comment.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Multiple people exchange blows in broad daylight near a Venice encampment site that city officials have struggled to stabilize. <span class=\"credit\">Craig Ribeiro for CA Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In past statements, she has described enforcement-based approaches as a \u201cdistrict-by-district arms race,\u201d instead advocating for a citywide strategy centered on outreach, interim housing and services.<\/p>\n<p>Her office has claimed it has helped move hundreds of people indoors without relying on 41.18 enforcement. Her position has drawn scrutiny in debates over encampments near schools. <\/p>\n<p>During a 2024 Sherman Oaks homeowners forum, Raman said <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/03\/26\/us-news\/mayoral-candidate-nitha-ramans-take-on-homeless-encampments-near-schools\/\">distance requirements alone<\/a> do not determine safety, stating, \u201cI don\u2019t think a kid\u2019s gonna be safer if they are 10 feet or 500 feet away from a school.\u201d The comment drew boos from the audience.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Tents line a stretch of Venice where residents report ongoing safety concerns, frequent turnover and repeated outreach efforts. <span class=\"credit\">Craig Ribeiro  FOR CA Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Raman later emphasized that child safety remains a priority.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKeeping children safe is so important to me, especially as the mother of 10-year-old twins who walk to school every day,\u201d she told The Post.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRather than spending resources to move encampments down the street\u2026 my focus has been on building a citywide homelessness response system that works to quickly and safely move people indoors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Supporters of 41.18 say it remains one of the city\u2019s primary tools to address immediate safety and access concerns, particularly in high-traffic areas.  <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/14\/us-news\/mayoral-hopeful-nithya-raman-votes-no-on-anti-camping-crackdown-in-venice-chaos-zone\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman voted no Tuesday on a Westside anti-camping crackdown, a sharp signal of how she would tackle one of Los Angeles\u2019 worst crises.&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":50805,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=50804"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50804\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/50805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=50804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=50804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=50804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}