Was Illegal Curb Painting A Response To Homeless Crisis? Video Commenters Hint At Backlash

CHATSWORTH (CBSLA.com) — Is an illegally painted curb spanning almost a block of commercial property in the San Fernando Valley a backlash against a growing homeless population?

City Council Mitch Englander posted a video on his Facebook page showing a curbside at Nordhoff Place and Oakdale in Chatsworth painted a bright red color to mimic a "No Parking" zone.

Englander says the painting is a crime because it was done on city property and is asking for help in identifying whoever is responsible.

But some locals who responded to Englander's post said the real crime was the impact of more homeless people on the community.

One respondent suggested the painting may have been done by business owners compelled to take action: "This painting is a form of vigilantism and if you and and your cohorts from the mayor down through the city council don't support the police and put some boots on the ground, this is going to escalate."

Another Facebook user complained about the number of RVs and trailers parked in a nearby area with "debris scattered on the sidewalk".

Englander then responded to the comments by saying "we all know that the curb is not the real issue."

According to Englander, Chatsworth and surrounding West Valley neighborhoods have "faced an influx of individuals living out of their vehicles" in the wake of a City Council ordinance that banned them from living in residential areas.

Englander was the sole "no" vote against the ban.

The councilman said he would be announcing a new initiative to "address" the homeless issue in the near future.

County officials in May announced the number of homeless people countywide skyrocketed last year by 23 percent, quadrupling the percentage increase from a year earlier.