Homeless shelter proposal is dead

The former California Youth Authority campus where county and state officials proposed opening a homeless shelter. Photo by Raul Samaniego

NORWALK -- A controversial proposal to open a homeless shelter at a former juvenile correctional facility in Norwalk is dead. 

Mayor Luigi Vernola is expected to make a formal announcement at tonight’s City Council meeting. 

State and county officials had been eyeing the former California Youth Authority facility on Bloomfield Avenue as a location for a winter homeless shelter.

But in a letter to Vernola -- dated Nov. 21 -- county Supervisor Janice Hahn said the Norwalk site "is no longer a viable option." 

"Therefore, the County of Los Angeles will not pursue its utilization for that purpose," Hahn added.

Vernola wrote to California governor Jerry Brown in October, lobbying for a homeless shelter at the state-owned property. Vernola later backtracked, stating he opposed a shelter at the location. 

Read the full text of Hahn's letter to Vernola below:

By Eric Pierce and Raul Samaniego