Las Vegas homeless camps just move when outreach comes, but proposal might change that
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — When homeless camps get out of control, local governments send teams to clean up. That can be a disaster, costing people what few possessions they have.
But trash and unsanitary conditions are becoming a bigger priority as residents go to elected officials demanding action.
The problem exists all over the valley, and one state lawmaker is drawing attention to east Las Vegas. Democratic Assem. Erica Mosca lives on the east side, and her passion on the subject showed on Thursday as she presented a bill that would eliminate one barrier that's holding up progress.
Mosca fought back tears as she called the east side 'a forgotten community.'
Clark County homeless census shows 20% increase in a single year
'But I live on the eastside because it reminds me of how I grew up and is a place where I'm comfortable with my identity and where I could build a home,' Mosca said.
She is sponsoring Assembly Bill 263 (AB263), and she picked up some co-sponsors at the hearing who don't just appreciate her efforts — they see some of the same problems in their districts.
Mosca worked with Clark County Commission Chair Tick Segerblom on AB263, a bill with a simple goal: allow outreach teams to cross lines on a map. When outreach teams arrive, the camps sometimes just move to an area that's out of the county's jurisdiction. At that point, the outreach team can't do anything.
The camps go over or through fences, often into land controlled by the Nevada Department of Transportation. In Mosca's district, that means tents and makeshift shelters along Interstate 11/U.S. 95. between Charleston Boulevard and Boulder Highway. But it happens throughout the valley.
The bill would allow county teams to go into NDOT rights-of-way to finish the job. It would also direct resources to help in areas like the one she represents, Assembly District 14, which runs along East Charleston. More generally, 'near schools, parks and senior housing in areas of the county in which pervasive poverty, unemployment or economic distress exist.'
Segerblom emphasized that it's about more than simply busting up homeless camps.
'We are bending over backwards to provide resources, rehabilitation, anything that people need. But at the end of the day, these camps become just so large that they become very unsafe and very unsanitary,' Segerblom said.
Mosca said constituents aren't just alarmed by the homeless problem. They don't think government is doing enough to help.
Mosca showed a photo that her husband took on Tuesday along with a personal video of cleanup efforts. She said she took part in the work over the past year and a half with 20 volunteers. They did more than a dozen cleanups. She also took part in two town hall meetings, two ride-alongs with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and meetings with nonprofits. She toured several city and county facilities that work to help homeless individuals.
Residents want change after increase in homeless encampments in east Las Vegas valley community
She proudly talked about how they are involved in working alongside constituents and outreach teams. She described her husband's effort to help a homeless man who had overdosed at Winterwood Park next to Wengert Elementary School. And she showed more photos from the cleanup efforts.
'The one on the right, I cleaned up all of that because it's the number one thing that my constituents talk to me about,' Mosca said.
'It's a very political statement to make, but I know in places like Summerlin, maybe Damonte Ranch, I don't know, but higher income places don't look like this. And that's really what this bill is about.
AB263 would only affect Clark County. Segerblom said the county already has outreach teams so there's really no additional funding required.
Las Vegas homeless count moves to every-other-year schedule after population hits 10-year high
Lawmakers asked if the bill might be the start of more cooperative efforts to address homelessness, citing the limited effectiveness of each city working in silos.
More than a dozen people testified in support of the bill. Notably, the City of Las Vegas was neutral, a spokesperson saying the city has spent millions on efforts similar to the county's, supporting five outreach teams.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Politico
22 minutes ago
- Politico
Claws out for Cuomo, Mamdani at debate as rivals dig into their missteps, weaknesses
NEW YORK — Mayoral candidates Brad Lander and Andrew Cuomo tussled at the second Democratic primary debate Thursday evening over the former governor's description of immigrants — an emotional flashpoint as protests over ICE arrests grip cities around the country. Zohran Mamdani, who is trailing in second place behind Cuomo in most polls, also went after the former governor repeatedly for mispronouncing his name. And the former New York governor returned fire, insisting the 33-year-old Mamdani is too young and inexperienced for the difficult job of running the nation's largest city. The clashes revealed cleaner lines of attack against Cuomo a week after the first debate — as well as how candidates hoping to shrink Cuomo's polling lead are seizing every opening, big and small, in an effort to weaken the frontrunner in the final days of the Democratic primary. Lander didn't relegate his broadsides against Cuomo to one topic. He honed in on the sexual harassment allegations against the former governor — which state Attorney General Letitia James concluded in a report and Cuomo denies — and his management of the MTA. 'The MTA goes through a rigorous contracting process,' Cuomo responded. 'They should never have hired illegal immigrants, if it is true.' 'What did you call them?' Lander, the progressive city comptroller, quickly challenged. 'If anyone was undocumented, or they didn't pay the proper wages, I had nothing to do with it,' Cuomo said, rephrasing with a term viewed as typically more acceptable in the city. Lander carried on with his targeting of Cuomo. 'You cheated them out of the prevailing wages they were due and the health care they were due.' Mamdani, a state assemblymember, separately ticked off the record that Cuomo's critics say disqualify him from returning to power, including the sexual harassment allegations that forced him from the statehouse in 2021. But Mamdani's focus on the pronunciation of his name appeared intended to spotlight how some supporters of Cuomo have cast the Muslim immigrant as an outsider. 'I have never had to resign in disgrace. … I have never hounded the 13 women who credibly accused me of sexual harassment. I have never sued for their gynecological records,' Mamdani said. 'And I have never done those things because I am not you, Mr. Cuomo. And furthermore, the name is Mamdani, M-a-m-d-a-n-i, you should learn how to say it, because we've got to get it right.'
USA Today
43 minutes ago
- USA Today
'Afraid' for court: Trump DOJ sues NY over immigration enforcement in state courthouses
'Afraid' for court: Trump DOJ sues NY over immigration enforcement in state courthouses Show Caption Hide Caption Three Democratic governors testify in House hearing over immigration New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, testify on Capitol Hill over immigration policies. NEW YORK − The Trump administration on June 12 sued New York state for its law restricting federal immigration enforcement inside state courthouses. The lawsuit challenges a New York state law that blocks immigration officials from arresting people at or near New York courthouses. The complaint, filed in federal court in Albany, New York, alleges the law frustrates federal immigration enforcement at a venue - state courthouses - where authorities can safely make arrests. U.S. Justice Department lawyers said New York's law and policies restricting cooperation with federal immigration officers violated the Constitution's Supremacy Clause, which gives federal law precedence over state law. The lawsuit filed in federal court in Albany comes after the administration has increased immigration enforcement at workplaces and while people appeared for immigration court hearings. People have protested against the federal actions in cities across the country. Attorney General Pam Bondi blamed so-called 'sanctuary city policies' for violence seen in California. Sanctuary policies generally refers to those limiting local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement. The Justice Department has also sued four New Jersey cities for their laws. New York state had similar policies preventing agents from apprehending migrants, Bondi said in a statement. 'This latest lawsuit in a series of sanctuary city litigation underscores the Department of Justice's commitment to keeping Americans safe and aggressively enforcing the law,' she said. Justice Department lawyers challenged the 2020 state law preventing federal officials from arresting people for civil immigration violations at state courthouses without a signed judicial warrant. New York's 2020 law doesn't apply to federal courthouses or immigration court, according to the legislation's author, state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a Manhattan Democrat who called the lawsuit 'baseless and frivolous." The Justice Department said in a news release that enforcement at courthouses reduces risk of people fleeing or dangerous situations, especially since there is enhanced screening inside court buildings. 'Ongoing assault' on rule of law in NY, state officials say State officials said federal agents entering local courthouses make communities unsafe by preventing people from accessing the judicial system. The law ensures New Yorkers can pursue justice without fear, Geoff Burgan, a spokesperson for state Attorney General Letitia James, said in a statement. 'Due process means nothing if people are too afraid to appear in court,' he said. James would defend the law and 'all of New York's laws, just as she will continue to defend the rights and dignity of all who call New York home,' Burgan said. Hoylman-Sigal, who authored the law, said the lawsuit was part of the administration's 'ongoing assault on the rule of law in New York.' To avoid conflicting with federal law or federal immigration authority, the law doesn't apply to federal courts or immigration courts, he said in a statement. Meanwhile, it allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to arrest people in local courthouses when they have 'actual, valid judicial warrants.' 'At a time when masked ICE officials are roaming the state and lawlessly detaining New Yorkers without any due process, the law preserves access to justice and participation in the judicial process,' he said. 'Sensitive' areas targets of immigration enforcement A contentious issue has been federal agents targeting people in 'sensitive" areas. Prior Department of Homeland Security guidelines banned enforcement in areas such as schools, places of worship and hospitals. When President Donald Trump took office in January, DHS overturned the longstanding policy to give agents discretion on such actions. The administration enacted another policy permitting enforcement at or near courthouses. Justice Department lawyers also challenged two New York executive orders restricting civil immigration arrests at state facilities, and a separate policy preventing state employees from sharing information to federal officers related to civil immigration enforcement. 'Through these enactments, New York obstructs federal law enforcement and facilitates the evasion of federal law by dangerous criminals, notwithstanding federal agents' statutory mandate to detain and remove illegal aliens,' the complaint said. The same day as the lawsuit, Gov. Kathy Hochul was one of three Democratic governors testifying before Congress about "sanctuary" policies and immigration enforcement. Hochul said her state has cooperated with ICE since she's taken office. "But we have to draw a line somewhere,' Hochul said. 'New York cannot deputize our state officers to enforce civil immigration violations, such as overstaying a visa.' The administration's attack on the 2020 law would turn courthouses 'into traps,' Donna Liberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement. It would further force immigrant communities into the shadows. An initial conference date for the lawsuit was scheduled for Sept. 10, court records showed. Contributing: Bart Jansen, USA TODAY Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@ or on Signal at emcuevas.01.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
US senator dragged out of LA immigration news conference
Democratic US Senator Alex Padilla has been forcibly removed from a news conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles. Noem was offering the latest figures on immigration enforcement in the area, which has led to nearly a week of protests in the city, to members of the news media when Sen Padilla interrupted and started shouting a question. Once removed from the room, the California senator was handcuffed. Padilla's removal caused condemnation on both sides of the aisle, with fellow senators calling the arrest shocking and a "sickening disgrace" and the Trump administration dubbing it "disrespectful political theatre". "I'm Senator Alex Padilla," he said as he was confronted by authorities. "I have questions for the secretary!" Noem, who was speaking about immigration and the protests in LA, continued addressing reporters and law enforcement officers while the senator was ejected from the room. Padilla's office said he was "forced to the ground and handcuffed" by federal agents when trying to ask the secretary a question, and added that he was not currently being detained. The Department of Homeland Security said Padilla had engaged in "disrespectful political theatre" and that Noem met with the senator after the news briefing. LA Mayor Karen Bass called the incident "absolutely abhorrent and outrageous", adding that the Trump administration's "violent attacks on our city must end". Padilla told reporters that he was already in the federal building for a previously scheduled meeting. He said he stopped by Noem's news briefing because he and his colleagues have received "little to no information in response" to several immigration-related queries. Padilla, the son of Mexican immigrants, is the most senior Democrat on the Senate's Border Security and Immigration subcommittee. "I came to the press conference to hear what she had to say, to see if I could learn any new additional information," he said. "If this is how the Department of Homeland Security responds to a senator with a question, you can only imagine what they're doing to farm workers, to cooks, to day labourers out in the Los Angeles community and throughout California and throughout the country." He urged Americans across the country to "continue peacefully protesting" the Trump administration and its policies. The DHS in a statement said Padilla didn't identify himself and was not wearing the Senator's pin on his clothing so officers thought he was an attacker. Video footage of the incident shows Padilla saying he was he was a senator as he was being pushed outside the room. California's Governor Gavin Newsom called on Republican congressional leadership to condemn the detaining of Padilla. "If they can handcuff a U.S. Senator for asking a question, imagine what they will do to you," Newsom wrote on social media. But the White House accused the California senator of storming the press conference, and said he "yelled and lunged toward Secretary Noem". "Padilla didn't want answers; he wanted attention," Abigail Jackson, White House spokesperson said. "Padilla embarrassed himself and his constituents with this immature, theater-kid stunt – but it's telling that Democrats are more riled up about Padilla than they are about the violent riots and assaults on law enforcement in LA." Former vice-president and Trump opponent, Kamala Harris also criticised the move and said the California senator was trying to get answers for his constituents about the ongoing immigration raids in the state. "United States Senator Alex Padilla was representing the millions of Californians who are demanding answers to this Administration's actions in Southern California," she said on Twitter. "This is a shameful and stunning abuse of power."
