Readers React: Homeless on Thanksgiving and when the El Niño rains come

To the editor: I was deeply moved, inspired and saddened by Gary Blasi’s Op-Ed article predicting death for some of Los Angeles’ homeless population when the increasingly likely heavy rains come due to El Niño in the next few months. (“Preparing to declare a ‘local emergency’ could save L.A.’s homeless people when El Niño rains hit,” Op-Ed, Nov. 23)

Blasi carefully lays out in great detail several humane options that Mayor Eric Garcetti and others could easily enact so that homeless men and women and their pets could stay as dry as possible. He even points out a $405-million “rainy day” reserve fund. But he ends his column with such (unfortunately understandable) despair, resignation and defeat.

I admit that I have little faith in our politicians too, but I want to pick up the gauntlet that Blasi has carried this far and challenge all of us to prepare at least one plate this Thanksgiving and find a homeless person to give it to. It shouldn’t be that hard.

Richard Agata, Culver City

..

To the editor: According to Blasi, a law professor emeritus at UCLA, “If Mayor Eric Garcetti — and the mayors of other local cities and the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors — don’t prepare to declare a ‘local emergency,’ many may die.”

Neither Garcetti nor any of the others has yet made that declaration.

That declaration, once made and ratified, would allow officials to “obtain vital supplies and other such property as is needed … and requisition necessary personnel or material of any city department or agency.”

Doing this as soon as possible would help mitigate damage and potential loss of life.

How easy and powerful it would be if we all picked up our phones or wrote to Garcetti or any of the other mayors and supervisors and urged them to make that declaration now. What could be even more impactful is if we all asked our family and friends to do the same.

Ruth Persky, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: The 18,000 people who lack shelter of any kind include many veterans and school-age children.

Homelessness is, in the first place, a great moral fiasco and a moral outrage. The needless suffering and death it causes is a sign of the moral degeneracy of the private property system.

Without the declaration of a local emergency, Garcetti will have blood on his hands.

Chris Venn, Rancho Palos Verdes

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook