Council Race Focuses On Homelessness In the Northwest Valley

Recent years have seen an increase in homelessness in the northwestern San Fernando Valley.

In May, a giant "Chatsworth Skid Row" sign appeared at an encampment at the Metrolink station in Chatsworth. Business owners in Granada Hills and that neighborhood deal with tents and RVs outside their shops. There has been an increase in police crackdowns. Council District 12 in the northwest Valley has seen a significant increase in enforcement of a revised city law targeting sidewalk access, according to a Times analysis of City Controller Kenneth Mejia's data.

The March 5 election could determine how the Northwest Valley addresses homelessness. A nonprofit leader and Northridge resident, Serena Oberstein, is challenging incumbent John Lee.

“Instead of solving the problem, we're moving people sidewalk to sidewalk,” Oberstein said, adding that more shelter beds and mental health resources would be brought to the district.

The first four-year term for Lee in District 12 includes West Hills, Granada Hills, Chatsworth, Porter Ranch, and Northridge, which Lee won in a special election in 2019. When Lee was elected, his district had no city-funded beds for homeless residents. According to his office, there are 200 today, with approximately 170 more coming this year.

He promised to enforce the 41.18 law aggressively while supporting homeless services. “Resolutions to housing issues are often controversial,” Lee said, “but I've proven that I'm capable of making tough decisions and finding common ground.” In Lee's district, police can regulate where people sit, sleep, and store property in dozens of 41.18 zones - around shelters, parks, freeways, and elsewhere.

Candidates have vowed to repeal 41.18 zones in previous council elections in other districts. She said the 41.18 zone information will be assessed once Oberstein takes office. She says more affordable housing is the answer, not more than 41.18 zones.

The number of homeless people in District 12 grew by 43% from 2020, when Lee first took office, to over 1,000 in 2022. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority has not released district-by-district data for 2023.

As India Barr, 38, swept a commercial area of Chatsworth on a recent morning, she had her Sportsman van nearby. Despite being a regular presence in the area, the police leave her alone, she said. Recycling bottles and other objects can earn Barr $12 daily as an artist and musician.

After a "bad divorce," Barr became homeless several years ago. She does not want to go to a shelter and prefers to rent a place.

"Everyone has periods in their lives when they're not as positive as they used to be," she said. It's just a matter of giving us a leg up." A lack of political will and community resistance has historically prevented District 12 from investing in services.

A $1.2-billion bond measure was passed in 2016 to build housing for homeless and low-income families. United Way of Greater Los Angeles, which led the HHH campaign, reports that District 12 voters rejected the measure. Under Lee, homeless services have increased "significantly," Newman said.

District 12 council members had not shown much interest in homeless issues in the past, according to Rowan Vansleve, president of Hope the Mission. While the Trebek Center, a Northridge shelter housed in an old roller skating rink, was being built, Lee visited multiple times. Vansleve said a few opponents were visibly angry about the site when he brought them to the meeting.

“He stood between us and the residents and promised everything would be done correctly,” Vansleve said.

During council meetings, Lee texts Vansleve with questions about Hope the Mission's needs, which he described as "extremely responsive."

“When it came to the COVID-19 pandemic, I worked with Lee to provide sandwiches to homeless people at Shepherd Church in Porter Ranch, and I always felt that he listened to them," said Paula Cracium, director of community engagement at Shepherd Church.

The Times asked Lee if he had used motel programs to bring people indoors, including one run by Mayor Karen Bass. The Chatsworth Metrolink site was also cleared with the help of Bass' office.

Lee said residents want their money to go toward reducing encampments on our streets in a tangible way in a district where voters may resist such projects. It's the same for me."

Lee sparked opposition in 2021 when he attempted to block an HHH-financed affordable housing project near an elementary school. Community members were frustrated when he backed the site.

Several people say they have lobbied Lee unsuccessfully to add a "tiny home" village and other services.

Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo (D-Chatsworth), who served on the board of West Valley Homes Yes, an organization that advocates for homeless services, criticized Lee for not “proactively” seeking out properties and “finding solutions.”

Oberstein has been endorsed by Schiavo. Granada Hills South Chamber of Commerce member Mike Benedetto is also voting for Oberstein because he wants more shelter beds there.

A commercial stretch of Devonshire Street in Granada Hills was near an encampment led by Benedetto. Residents reported that city cleaning crews come every week. Gang members visited the site and used drugs. Looking at the rows of tents, Benedetto said, "We need permanent solutions." Moving people around is a waste of taxpayer money, he said.