Dr. Drew Nominated to L.A. Homeless Commission

DrDrew
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Dr. Drew Pinsky has been nominated to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, thanks to his vocal warnings that the crisis is primarily a problem of mental illness and drug addiction, not housing. But his nomination is proving controversial.

The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday:

Dr. David Drew Pinsky, more commonly known as “Dr. Drew,” was recommended by 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger, the only Republican on the five-member board, to Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, a 10-member commission appointed by city and county elected officials.

Barger said she nominated Pinsky because he’ll bring a “fresh perspective” to the commission because of his vast medical experience and passion for mental health.

In speeches and on his podcast, Pinsky has railed against California’s involuntary commitment law for restricting commitments to only the most seriously ill people.

Pinsky has said that California overreacted to public concern, decades ago, that involuntary commitment to mental institutions was cruel.

In 2019, long before the coronavirus pandemic, Pinsky warned that L.A. faced a potential outbreak of bubonic plague because of the rise in homelessness on the city’s streets and neglect by authorities. He has said that a federal response, which included medical triage and emergency accommodation outside the city, might be part of a solution.

The homeless population in Los Angeles rose 14% in the year ending in January 2020; there was no homeless survey taken for the most recent year, due to the risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.

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