DTLA residents vote against forming Skid Row council

Residents of Downtown Los Angeles voted Thursday against forming a Skid Row neighborhood council, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The vote was tight. After more than a week of pop-up and online voting, as well as in-person polling, 826 voted against forming the council, while 764 cast their ballots in its favor.

Proponents of forming the council argued that the neighborhood’s homeless situation has been aggravated by downtown’s renaissance, with new boutiques and bistros pushing thousands of homeless people into dense encampments.

Critics said Skid Row would be better off if it were integrated with the rest of the city and accused organizers of the potential council of wanting to keep Skid Row as a homeless haven.

Of those who voted, close to 200 identified as homeless. [LAT] — Cathaleen Chen