Judge Denies LA County's Bid for Dismissal from Homelessness Lawsuit

A day after taking the matter under submission, a judge today rejected Los Angeles County's bid to be dismissed from a lawsuit brought by a broad coalition of downtown businesses and residents seeking to force the city and county to step up their response to the rising number of homeless encampments on local stre ets and near freeways.

U.S. District Judge David O. Carter determined that the county's claims of immunity are "inapplicable'' against some of the plaintiffs' allegations in the suit.

As for the county's argument that it is not responsible for Skid Row since it is located within Los Angeles city limits, Carter found that the L.A. Alliance demonstrated that the county's actions ``cause the number of persons experiencing homelessness to increase or cause the conditions of homelessness to worsen.'