Homelessness in the city of Los Angeles is not confined to just tents. In many cases, people are illegally parking cars and RVs and live in them.
And while city law says it's illegal, councilmember Nithya Raman and the man hoping to take her seat on the council, Ethan Weaver, — have VERY different opinions on whether or not that law should be enforced.
Raman and Weaver faced off in a debate hosted by the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association, and as KNX News' Craig Fiegener reports, Weaver agrees with the law as it's written.
"It prohibited sleeping in and using vehicles as dwellings in residential neighborhoods, and I do approve of that," said the council candidate.
As for Raman, "I think in our housing crisis, I would be loath to ban it completely. But in certain places, I think it's fine to have something."
In March, Raman faces a potentially deciding moment for her political future as she takes on deputy city attorney Weaver, who is campaigning aggressively to deny her re-election to a second term.
During the debate, Weaver said Raman's affiliation with the political group Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is cause for concern.
He claims DSA was behind Raman's last election and, "They believe in abolishing the police, they believe in abolishing private property rights and they're having an outsized influence in City Hall."
Accusations Raman quickly denied, saying, "This is a lie...To describe the DSA as selecting me to run does me a disservice. I'm a grown-ass woman. I chose to do this," and "If I really were this horrifically divisive person that he just described, why would Mayor Bass support me? Why would Congressman Sherman support me?"
Raman also said she joined the DSA because she really likes Burnie Sanders.
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At one point, the conversation turned to the re-election bid by L.A. County District Attorney George Gascon, another point the candidates didn't exactly agree on.
Weaver said flatly that Gascon should be defeated, not re-elected, while Raman took a softer approach and would only say she has not endorsed him.
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