On the morning of February 21, organizers representing more than 20 mutual aid organizations came together to confront Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez during a campaign event at Bellevue Recreation Center.
They were there to address his wishy-washy stance on Los Angeles Municipal Code 41.18—the controversial “anti-homeless” law banning unhoused people from sitting, lying, or storing personal property near schools, public parks, daycares, and hundreds of other "sensitive sites” all over the city.
At the protest, the assembled presented a fabric banner reading, “Abolish 41.18,” while passing out baked goods and giving speeches calling for the end 41.18, which can result in fines of up to $2,500 and/or up to six months in jail.
Kris Rehl, an organizer from L.A. Street Care, led the action with the hope of sparking a conversation between activists and Soto-Martinez, in order to get him to address their demands that he repeals the 41.18 zones that were put in place by his predecessor, former Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell. This comes at a time of heightened immigration raids and the leadup to global events like the World Cup and 2028 Olympics.
“We think it’s unacceptable that people are being criminalized for simply existing in public,” Rehl tells L.A. TACO during an interview, before organizers marched over to Soto-Martinez’s campaign launch event. “We know that Hugo doesn’t have the power to repeal all of 41.18 but he does have the power to repeal Mitchell Farrell’s [41.18] zones, and we feel like that is an important first step in fighting back against this.”