When police and sanitation crews entered the Occupy LA encampment early Wednesday morning, they did so dressed in white HazMat suits as a precaution against the potential disease and waste that was present on the City Hall lawn.

So, with that in mind, why didn’t the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health step in to shutter the camp?

“We asked them to come in and they did every day, and every day they told us there was very little in the way of violations of the public health code. We could see the situation deteriorate over the weeks and we were frankly stymied by that, that they said there were no violations there,” Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said yesterday on the City Maven Radio Hour.

“I can tell you, and I think you now since you work at City Hall, the stench was very, very strong and we were very concerned about those conditions. So, that’s why our officers and the folks cleaning up and remedying the campground there, or former campground, had those Hazmat suits.”

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