LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Today, Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, representing the Second District, joined her colleagues on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in unanimously supporting Supervisor Lindsey Horvath’s motion, Support for the State of Israel. Supervisor Mitchell also read-in a new motion “Calling for Protection of Human Rights in Gaza and Israel,” that received unanimous support from the Board. The motion calls for the urgent need to prevent the deaths of more innocent Palestinian and Israeli civilians. Supervisor Mitchell, provided the following statement on this:

“All human life is sacred. I am grieving the loss of Israeli and Palestinian civilians in Israel and Gaza. My read-in motion today calls on the Biden administration to provide humanitarian assistance in Gaza and calls for Israel and Hamas to follow international humanitarian law and protect human rights. Israel has the right to defend itself, but it must take caution to protect Palestinian civilian life. I grieve for my Jewish and Israeli residents who are mourning unimaginable loss – the worst massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust. I also grieve for my Palestinian residents and mourn for the innocent Palestinian civilians who have been and continue to be killed and displaced this week by Israel’s government. I am very concerned about the rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia that has surfaced across the country this week in response to the war. 

We must continue to partner and address the hate right here in LA County that our Palestinian, Arab, and Jewish community is experiencing every day.” 

To read the full motion, click here. 

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.