The Los Angeles City Council is scheduled to take a final vote today on rules for dismantling homeless encampments and removing personal property left on sidewalks and in city parks.

Under the current process, the city gives 72 hours notice before removing personal items. The two ordinances tentatively backed by the council last week would shorten the notice period to 24 hours, and the city would be required to store the belongings for 90 days. If the items are not claimed, the property may be discarded. No notice would be needed for the removal of bulky items from sidewalks and parks, under the rules.

Homeless advocates with the Los Angeles Community Action Network, the Downtown Women's Action Coalition and other groups will gather outside Los Angeles City Hall today to protest the new rules, which they said "would make it nearly impossible for many Angelenos and homeless residents in particular to possess any items of any size in public space." One of the ordinances applies specifically to items left at city parks. It would allow officials to remove personal items that remain at city parks -- including beaches -- past closing time and when there is already a sign at the park stating that leaving behind items is prohibited.

If there is no sign, the city would need to give 24 hours notice before items are removed. A second ordinance for sidewalks would ban tents from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. but would allow the homeless to set up tents to use as shelter at night.

If the city does not have enough space to store the items left on sidewalks, officials would not be allowed to remove them, city attorneys said.

Under both ordinances, any item that is a health or safety risk -- such as something that could spread disease, contains vermin, or is a dangerous weapon -- would be discarded without any advance notice. Items considered contraband or evidence of a crime could also be removed by the city without notice, under the rules.

Councilman Mike Bonin, who also sits on the council's homelessness committee, said that because of the city's inability to deal with homelessness over the past 10 years, "we are now a city of encampments." City officials said the latest homeless count in Los Angeles County found there was a 12 percent increase in the homeless population, and an 85 percent jump in the "number of tents, makeshift encampments" and "vehicles occupied by homeless people."