LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion authored by Supervisors Holly J. Mitchell and Kathryn Barger, to prevent vanlords – people who rent recreational vehicles to people experiencing homelessness – from continuing to profit off the homelessness crisis and to hold them accountable in fostering unsafe living conditions. The motion calls for a report back in 90 days on potential County ordinances that will help significantly lessen the sale, lease, or rental of recreational vehicles (RVs) that are in the public right-of-way to help reduce the number of RV encampments Countywide.  

“Everyone deserves safe housing free from exploitation and fear,” said Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell. “RVs rented by vanlords, often lack proper registration and insurance and aren’t subject to housing regulations, creating unsafe and hazardous living conditions for those living in RVs and the surrounding communities. I’m proud that this motion will create the legal tools to prevent the rental of RVs and continue the County’s priority to provide stable permanent housing for our unhoused residents. “

 “I appreciate the opportunity to co-author this motion that tackles vanlords preying on our homeless,” said Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “My district is home to several very large RV encampments, including up to 90 RVs that line Forest Lawn Drive. Although I’ve been working with our City of L.A. partners to explore solutions, it has been challenging because city and county ordinances haven’t been updated so our hands are tied. I’m very hopeful that this motion will both bring justice to the predatory networks of vanlords that are taking advantage of people in need and help those housed in RVs know what their rights are.” 

Over the past three years, LA County has seen a significant increase in RV encampments in our unincorporated communities. To address this issue, in 2022, the Board of Supervisors approved a motion authored by Supervisors Mitchell and Barger to establish a Countywide RV pilot program that is now a key component of the County’s Pathway Home initiative.  

Since the roll-out of the RV encampment resolution pilot, the County has learned of the critical role vanlords play in perpetuating the RV encampment crisis and the underground economy that is associated with it. Vanlords target unhoused residents to rent to and often neglect the health, safety, and community concerns associated with RV encampments that they are helping to develop through their rentals. The result is serious public safety issues like improper waste disposal, unsanitary conditions, illegal parking, and more. There have also been reports of vanlords setting RVs on fire to evict occupants, highlighting the need for stricter regulations. 

The motion requires the report back to also include a comprehensive review of existing federal, state, and County laws, codes and fine structures for violations, current restrictions on the sale or auctioning of RVs and recommendations for holding vanlords accountable for relocation expenses for unhoused individuals they are leasing RVs or oversized vessels to.  

To read the full motion, click here.  

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — To help provide a pathway for unregulated home cooks and sidewalk vendors to become permitted, this week, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion authored by Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell that directs the Department of Public Health to report back in 120 days with an ordinance to implement Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations.   

Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations allow sidewalk vendors and home cooks to prepare, cook, and serve up to 30 meals daily and no more than 90 meals a week from their homes. The California Retail Food Code allows home cooks to apply for a public health permit for their home kitchen to be a Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation (MEHKOs). So far, 11 counties within the state have already authorized MEHKOs in their jurisdictions.  

“We are taking a major step towards getting the over 50,000 unpermitted sidewalk vendors in Los Angeles County on a path to being permitted and operating safely in our local economy. Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations help ensure food safety and address the costly barriers many underinvested communities, women of color, and immigrants face when trying to access approved kitchens to do business. I look forward to the Board receiving a comprehensive ordinance to vote on to make this proven model accessible across the County,” said Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell.   

Over the next 120 days, the County’s Department of Public Health, Economic Opportunity, Chief Executive Office, and other relevant departments will engage in extensive outreach for feedback from microentrepreneurs, sidewalk vendors, brick-and-mortar businesses, and residents across the County to inform the MEHKO ordinance and development of the permitting program.   

If the Board approves the ordinance, the County will manage and regulate the MEHKOs program, and cities within LA County will maintain local authority to address any potential challenges unique to their communities, such as nuisance and noise regulations, through their own municipal ordinances.  

In addition to calling for a draft ordinance to present to the Board for a vote, the motion also establishes an education and awareness program to help inform sidewalk vendors and home cooks on the requirements for MEHKOs and how to avoid being disruptive within the neighborhoods they operate in once the ordinance passes.  

To read the entire motion, click here. Subscribe to the email distribution list here to sign up for updates and more information on the MEHKOs program.  

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell provided the following statement on the Marina Central Park idea that has been proposed by the non-profit Streets for All.

“The potential implications of the Marina Central Park require a comprehensive feasibility study that takes into account the feedback of residents who live near the Marina Freeway and those that use the freeway. I do not support blindly agreeing to a disruptive change such as closing the freeway without a detailed assessment with full community input including those Angelenos that regularly use the freeway. I want to be clear that there are currently no immediate plans to alter the Marina Freeway and a feasibility study as of yet has not been funded.”

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Known as one of the pioneering architects of the civil rights movement, Rev. James Lawson Jr., for more than half a century, has been a force for justice and an influential teacher of non-violence. In honor of Rev. Lawson’s leadership in advancing worker and human rights, today, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion authored by Supervisors Holly J. Mitchell and Hilda L. Solis proclaiming Rev. James Lawson Jr. Day on his 95th birthday, September 22, 2023.

The motion also directs the County’s Department of Consumer and Business Affairs and Anti-Racism Diversity and Inclusion Initiative to create an awareness campaign that will launch this October to help educate residents throughout unincorporated communities on their rights and protections in the workforce.

“Rev. Lawson is a titan among us who has helped write the blueprint for standing up to racism and winning hard fought battles for our shared humanity with non-violence at the core. It is an absolute honor to join my colleagues in celebrating Rev. Lawson, I cannot think of a better way to say thank you for the impact he continues to have on countless lives.” said Supervisor Mitchell. “I look forward to September 22 being recognized across LA County and more residents being equipped with the resources and support to protect their rights.”

“Reverend James Lawson Jr. is a giant. He has devoted his entire life to racial, civil, and economic justice – creating a more just and equitable society along the way. I am proud to lead this effort with Supervisor Mitchell and hope that Angelenos throughout Los Angeles County take September 22nd to remember and commend the contributions Reverend Lawson Jr. has made to working-class communities, immigrants, and communities of color in Los Angeles County and beyond,” said Supervisor Solis.

At Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, Rev. Lawson shared what this acknowledgment means to him and the importance of government being in service to the people it represents: “…the dignity of every human being must be reflected in our own personal behavior, so I thank you very much for this resolution and wish you Godspeed. You represent all of us [here in] Los Angeles County and you must know that there are many of us like myself, who keep an eye on you from a distance and who want to see your continued good work. Government must be for the people, for all the people…” 

In 1974, Rev. Lawson moved to Los Angeles, since then, he has served as a lecturer for the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment and was the pastor of Holman United Methodist Church for twenty-five years in South Los Angeles. Rev. Lawson continues to share the teachings of non-violence and be a global voice in the ongoing fight for freedom and justice.