LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to prohibit homeless people from setting up tents within 500 feet of schools and day care centers, during a raucous meeting where protesters shouted down council members and, at one point, halted the meeting.
The new restrictions, approved on an 11-3 vote, dramatically expand the number of locations where sleeping and camping are off-limits. And they come amid a furious debate over how the city should respond to encampments that have taken hold in many parts of the city.
Audience members repeatedly chanted “shut it down” as Councilman Joe Buscaino, a longtime proponent of increased enforcement, attempted to speak in favor of the restrictions. Council President Nury Martinez then stopped the meeting for more than an hour so police could clear the room.
