Thread by @reporterliz

Valley RV residents got a rude awakening Tuesday when they saw "tow-away" signs posted near their vehicles, giving them just a day, potentially less, to comply.

An "action plan" shared with @LAPublicPress shows an action plan for an Inside Safe starting at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday.

https://twitter.com/reporterliz/status/1732226447744684460

Tyrone, who had an RV on Forest Lawn, was scrambling to comply with the tow-way sign, after just leaving the hospital where he underwent surgery for a hernia.

"That tells me they want to take our stuff away from people, they want us to jump around," he said.

Here is activist Peggy Kennedy informing one RV resident, Alex Spector, about the tow-away signs. He thinks the signs seem illegal.

"Taking away people’s rights because they don’t have money or power or a place to live — that’s not a very good thing to do," he said.

The city was planning to clear out around 54 RVs in what may be a first for LA Mayor Karen Bass’s marquee encampment clearing program, the displacement of people who live in RVs.

This morning, there had been some ppl readying to leave & spots left vacant were RVs had parked.

The @MayorOfLA has typically been secretive about Inside Safe operations ahead of time, and so far I have not received responses to questions I sent them in the morning. Operations are announced until after they've ended.

.@cd4losangeles's CM Nithya Raman's office, which usually responds in a timely way to questions about operations affecting unhoused people, sent me a response after the story was published.

The said they pushed for the "RV-focused Inside Safe," but didn't say anything further.

While this would be the first for the mayor's Inside Safe program, it won’t exactly be unique. The city has long conducted other RV encampment clearing operations — recently near Ballona Creek in southwest LA, and at an operation at Jasmine Avenue.

https://x.com/reporterliz/status/1732243091464274210?s=20

The “action plan” details Wednesday's Inside Safe, but is typically not publicly shared. It's a public record, so it is accessible for the public via a CPRA, but that takes weeks to months to receive.

Here's the doc (also in story): documentcloud.org/documents/2419…

Here is Kennedy explaining that if there isn't storage, people who live in RV would rather leave than go into a motel. There's not enough trust for Inside Safe. She says the city is essentially displacing people.

Kennedy pointed to a recent report in which the CAO recommended the city expand a safe parking program to allow RVs to legally and safely stay at a designated site.

The council approved a motion in mid-November to get a cost analysis on that. Motion: clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/202…

I went to look at the signs again and spoke toone resident of the RV encampment who said they are moving, says the mayor's office showed up about a week ago offering motel rooms. He said he was up at around 10:30 pm or 11 pm Monday night when the tow-away signs went up.

I went to Forest Lawn Drive at 7:30 as @MayorOfLA carried out her 1st RV-focused Inside Safe encampment clearing operation. Many ppl were trying to leave, and others like Tyrone, who is recovering from surgery, hasn't been able to get his vehicle going so it won't get impounded.

@MayorOfLA Richard is helping his friends as @MayorOfLA leads an RV-focused Inside Safe that's towing ppls' homes. He says it's wrong. "Most of the people here are already signed up for their apartments. They're waiting on them to finally get their vouchers clear... So whose fault is that?"

@MayorOfLA There was sign I hadn't seen posted before today up today.

It tells people they would be towed this weekend into next week, from Friday until Tuesday.

@MayorOfLA There are always lotsa numbers flying around during and after a big operation. It's like Sesame Street around here.

I made a counting video to find out how many RVs were on Forest Lawn Drive the night before the Inside Safe operation. Ballpark 39 RVs.

@MayorOfLA The mayor posted the press release on this Inside Safe. mayor.lacity.gov/news/mayor-kar…