"On Monday morning, a homeless man sat in front of the county courthouse in Malibu, where he sleeps each night. In front of him was a small, green propane tank affixed with a torch, which he said he uses to cook and form wood pipes for tobacco and cannabis. A short walk away is Legacy Park, an oasis of coastal prairies, bluffs and native woodlands."
"Last month, citing heightened fire risk, the Malibu City Council declared a state of emergency and directed the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office to remove people engaged in unpermitted camping and, if necessary, arrest them to accomplish that goal. "Malibu's history as it relates to fire is hugely devastating," Mayor Marianne Riggins said in an interview. "We are making every effort to limit the opportunities for that type of devastation.""
"City staff originally proposed directing sheriff officers to ensure the city was free of encampments, while also making sure those efforts did not "criminalize individuals living unhoused." At the request of Councilman Bruce Silverstein, that language was removed and the arrest language added. How sheriff officers will respond is unclear. At the meeting, a captain said officers are limited in what they can do, because it was the policy of the county not to criminalize homelessness."
A homeless man in Malibu sleeps near the county courthouse and uses a small propane tank and torch to cook and form pipes. Residents and officials fear that open flames or cooking by unhoused people in brush areas could spark wind-driven wildfires in a fire-prone city. The Malibu City Council declared a state of emergency and ordered the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office to remove unpermitted campers and, if necessary, arrest them. City staff had proposed avoiding policies that criminalize homelessness, but that language was removed at a councilman's request. County policy and enforcement limits remain unclear.
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