What to do with property of homeless people? A live Times/Google+ discussion

Fiscally strapped cities across California are struggling with what to do with the property of homeless people that they remove from the streets. They must balance the health and safety of the general public with the property rights of the growing ranks of homeless people.

Instead of shoveling the detritus into garbage trucks and hauling it away, some cities have been salvaging uncontaminated items and holding them for 90 days. But the process has raised some tough questions: What is trash? What is a hazard? Who decides? Where do you store such things? How do you pay for it?

Times reporters Maria L. LaGanga and Alex Zavis tackled the question in a story today. The Times will host a Google + live chat at noon today to discuss the issue.

We invite you to join in on the conversation by posting comments below or onto The Times’ Facebook and Google Plus pages or on Twitter using the #asklatimes hashtag.

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