Living in Lot B

Good story by Ian Gregor in the Breeze about a village of RVs that squat more or less permanently in Lot B at LAX — and the people who live in them. His lede reads, "The lawn gnomes were not supposed to be there. Nor were the barbecues. And certainly not the elderly prostitute." It began decades ago when the airport gave permission for pilots, mechanics and flight attendants to park an RV in the lot as "a place to change, shower and catch a few winks." (The Breeze plays it straight and does not suggest any less-innocent reasons why pilots and flight attendants might want an airport-accessible place to hang out for a few hours...) Recently the number of squatters "blossomed into a veritable trailer park of more than 125 vehicles -- a bleak forest of beige metal on a carpet of gray, crumbling asphalt. LAX officials say the new arrivals were not airline employees but ordinary citizens, many of whom used to camp at Dockweiler State Beach and migrated inland to homestead in Parking Lot B while the beach site is undergoing renovations."

Some set up barbecues and lawn gnomes outside their motor homes, police and airport officials said. A couple of prostitutes -- including one in her late 60s with a fondness for tight skirts and glittery, silver high-heeled shoes -- plied their trade from their vehicles. A few lowlifes dumped trash and human waste onto the pavement.

This week, the airport commission delayed an eviction order until July 1 and wants to find a way to let airline employees continue to live in Lot B.