The
letter from Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to President Donald
Trump, dated Jan. 9 and made public on Friday, seeks federal aid
to "move our unhoused neighbors into shelter, build permanent
housing" and supply services to the homeless.
"I appreciate Secretary Carson reaching out to me," Garcetti
says in the two-page missive.
"During our conversation he expressed a commitment to working
with cities nationwide to help accelerate our progress in
addressing this emergency by investing in strong, humane and
lasting approaches that can help get people off the street and
save lives," Garcetti said.
The constructive tone is a sharp contrast to Trump's rhetoric on
Twitter and during previous visits to California, slamming
public officials for the growing homelessness crisis.
On a visit to San Francisco and Los Angeles in September, Trump
said conditions including trash, defecation, and hypodermic
needles left by homeless people were hurting the prestige of
those cities.
Earlier this week Carson posted two tweets that also referenced
talks between the city and his office, mentioning Garcetti and
Kathryn Barger, chairwoman of the Los Angeles County
Supervisor's office.
"The homelessness crisis in California has been an entrenched
problem for a longtime. Per the request of @MayorOfLA & @kathrynbarger
we look forward to a new partnership that will benefit our
fellow citizens," Carson said on Twitter.
An estimated 130,000 people are homeless somewhere in California
on any given day, more than any other state, according to the
Department of Housing and Urban Development. California is the
most populous state in the United States, home to about 39.6
million people.
In September, Carson rejected requests from California for more
money from the Trump administration to fight homelessness,
blaming state and local leaders for the crisis.
White House officials are said to be readying a plan to crack
down on homelessness in Los Angeles and other major California
cities.On Thursday California Governor Gavin Newsom announced
plans to create a $750 million fund to help house the homeless
and directed the state to immediately start setting up tents and
trailers as emergency temporary housing.
(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb in Culver City, California; Editing
by Bill Tarrant and Daniel Wallis)
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