Brief

Councilmember John S. Lee introduced a motion to increase the radius of prohibition zones around schools and day care centers under the Safe School Passages Program, amending Municipal Code 41.18. The expansion would restrict liquor and drug sales in a larger area surrounding youth facilities. The motion is pending in the Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee, with a Community Impact Statement submitted by Studio City Neighborhood Council in August 2026. The proposal is targeted for the November 2026 ballot.

Full summary

Councilmember John S. Lee, seconded by Monica Rodriguez, introduced a motion asking the City Attorney to draft ballot measure language for the November 2026 election that would significantly strengthen the City's anti-camping rules near schools and childcare facilities. The core change would double the existing encampment prohibition buffer around schools and daycares under LAMC Section 41.18 from 500 feet to 1,000 feet. The motion argues the current 500-foot buffer is insufficient to protect children walking common pedestrian routes to school, and cites the U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 decision in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson as providing clearer legal authority for cities to enforce anti-camping regulations. Beyond expanding the buffer zone, the motion directs creation of a Safe School Passages Program with four components: mapping the most commonly traveled routes to schools and daycares in every Council District, with priority given to lower-income communities; ensuring proactive Section 41.18 enforcement along all identified routes within the buffer; coordinating outreach and shelter offers to encampment residents along those routes before and during enforcement; and building a public reporting mechanism so parents, students, staff, and neighbors can flag encampments and receive timely City responses. The motion also proposes aligning the amended ordinance with the existing LAMC Section 56.11 framework to prohibit camping in public spaces generally during daytime hours of 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., particularly near schools, parks, and other sensitive uses. The motion further proposes amending Section 41.18(i) to add formal definitions. A School or Educational Center would cover any public, private, or charter institution offering in-person K-12 instruction, including any place where minors regularly gather for academic or extracurricular purposes. A Day Care Center would mean any child care-infant center, child care center, or preschool licensed by the California Department of Social Services. The definition of Encampment would be expanded to explicitly include semi-permanent structures, tents, sleeping materials, and vehicles used for camping or living on public rights-of-way. The motion frames the proposal as responding to both a humanitarian crisis and a public safety emergency, citing resident reports of needles, drug paraphernalia, and open drug use near schools, as well as increased fire risk from encampment-related rubbish fires. The measure was referred to the Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee on the date of introduction and remains pending there. The Studio City Neighborhood Council submitted a Community Impact Statement in August 2026. No committee vote or full Council action has been recorded.

Activity (3)

• 2026-08-28 City Clerk rereferred item to Ad Hoc Committee on Charter Review, pursuant to Council File No. 26-2000.
• 2026-08-02 Community Impact Statement submitted by Studio City Neighborhood Council.
• 2026-05-01 Motion referred to Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

Documents (2)

• 2026-08-02 Community Impact Statement submitted by Studio City Neighborhood Council · cis
• 2026-05-01 Motion · motion