City offers Occupy L.A. office space near camp for $1 a year

The office space city officials have offered Occupy L.A. protesters to woo them off the City Hall lawn is only a few hundred feet away from the encampment in an underground shopping center known as the Los Angeles Mall.

The 10,000-square-foot office space used to be a bookstore, according to Jim Lafferty of the National Lawyers Guild, who has been negotiating with the city on behalf of the protesters.

MAP: Office space site

At the Occupy general assembly meeting Monday night, Lafferty told protesters that city officials had offered them a $1-a-year lease for the space. He said he and the other negotiators had not yet seen the lease but it appeared the city would pay for utilities, as well.

The city has also said it would provide protesters with land on which to farm, although it was not known where.

It was unclear whether the Occupy protesters would agree to the deal.

Lafferty said he and others who have been meeting with officials are just messengers. He told the protesters the proposal was "just a report back about what the city is willing to do if you do something."

"The important thing is, we have said to the city we do not represent you," he said.

ALSO:

FULL COVERAGE: Occupy around the nation

Occupy tents spring up near UC Davis pepper-spraying site

UC Davis student: Pepper spray like 'hot glass was entering my eyes'

-- Kate Linthicum

twitter.com/katelinthicum

Photo: Jim Lafferty, who has been negotiating with city officials on behalf of Occupy L.A., addresses protesters Monday. Credit: Robert Lachman, Los Angeles Times