Letters to the Editor: Amid tree house standoff, ‘what options do the unhoused have left?’

To the editor: Benito Flores’ efforts in El Sereno must be commended (“Elderly man builds tree house to protest eviction from state-owned home,” June 3). Given the Grants Pass vs. Johnson ruling, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s persistent encampment sweeps and local sit/lie bans, what options do the unhoused have left but to live in trees? The displacement of elders from our communities is cruel and often amounts to a death sentence. Surely Newsom is aware that an average of nearly seven people die on the streets of L.A. each day — many of them elderly.

How powerful it would be to see real leadership from our governor. Why are there dozens of vacant homes on state-owned land amid this humanitarian crisis? In fact, years ago, just across the street from Flores’ home, the state granted a parcel of land to the city at a discount and it is now a thriving community garden. Does Newsom truly believe he can charm his way to Washington while making negligible progress on our state’s central political and moral crisis?

Zach Murray, Los Angeles