Venice Residents Outraged Over Mounting Trash, Blame Growing Homeless Community

VENICE (CBSLA) – Heaping piles of trash, which include syringes and mattresses, have taken over parts of Venice and neighbors are pointing the finger at the growing homeless population in the area.

Rose Avenue near Lincoln Boulevard has become littered with trash, along with tents lining the street of the pristine neighborhood.

"It's just, it's terrible," said Paul Burns, who blames a growing homeless encampment for the mess. "The noise and the drug use, it is terrible."

Los Angeles City officials say they legally can't do anything to remove the homeless.

But neighbor Jimmy Johnson just wants the trash behind his home cleaned up. He claims he constantly calls the city sanitation department, but to no avail.

"My street behind us has put in work orders, and they just say, 'well, put in a work order.' That's all we hear, and then no one shows up to clean the trash."

Sanitation workers came Wednesday to cleaned up portions of the mess, but a nearby alley was still filled with garbage.

The Office of Councilman Mike Bonin claims it's because the city didn't post the proper signs for clean up in that specific area.

"They can't even clean up the trash, so how can they handle a homeless problem?" Johnson said.

This comes after many Venice residents fought against the idea of homeless shelter being built within the city.

RELATED: Residents Tell Garcetti 'To Stop Dumping On Venice' During Meeting About Proposed Homeless Shelter

The Bridge Housing Program was approved earlier this month. One of the planned A Bridge Home shelters is slated for development on an unused, 3-acre Metro lot on Sunset Boulevard and Main Street.

But shelter or no shelter, residents back on Rose Avenue said some of the homeless are now picking up after themselves – until the city does.

"There is a rake here. They're cleaning up after themselves because no one comes to clean it up," Johnson said.

Councilman Bonin's office said the alley is on a list of clean ups but has not been scheduled yet.

As for the tent area, officials said city workers come on a weekly basis to pick up trash.