Did L.A. County Supervisors “Back Down”?

Some of the local media is saying that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors “backed down” in their passing of the $100 million Homeless Prevention Initiative. (LA Daily News, Daily Bulletin.)

I don’t think that is accurate. The media assumed that the County would “force” local cities to place stabilization centers in their municipalities. The plan never specifically said this. So in order to clear up the misperception, the Supervisors appropriately re-worded their motion to make sure cities understood that homeless centers would not be “forced” on them.

The reality is… local cities have the power to decide through zoning and planning what can and cannot be built within their city limits. The County can not force homeless shelters in a municipality.

So did the L.A. County Board of Supervisors back down? Nope.