Residents of Los Angeles, California, who are fed up with the homeless crisis have begun a petition to recall Mayor Eric Garcetti, a Democrat.

Alexandra Datig is one of those citizens who is calling for Garcetti's ouster.

"We don't want any more excuses from this mayor. We want him to step down," Datig said.

"We want him gone and we want leadership that is going to take care of this city," she added. "This city has become a death camp for the homeless."

The group began with an online petition, but have moved to file an official petition to recall Garcetti. They need 350,000 signatures on the petition from registered voters to get the measure on the ballot.



Local news stations in Los Angeles have focused a spotlight on the homeless crisis which has grown into an epidemic.

Los Angeles officials were "stunned" to discover that an official count of homeless had worsened after millions of taxpayer dollars had been thrown at the problem.

"This work has never been for the faint of heart, and we cannot let a set of difficult numbers discourage us, or weaken our resolve," Garcetti said after the report was released.

Garcetti has also been blamed for mountains of rat-infested garbage that have rotted on the streets of the city with fears of potential outbreaks of diseases previously unseen in industrialized cities.

Here's the latest on the petition to recall Garcetti: