LA City Officials Working On Plan To End 'Occupy' Protests

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — City officials are working on a plan that would close down an encampment that encircles City Hall.

Tensions rose early Tuesday morning when about 100 protesters marched downtown in solidarity with New York counterparts being ousted from their encampment.

Authorities said five "Occupy" demonstrators have been charged with crimes, including lewd conduct, battery, and assault with a deadly weapon.

The Los Angeles protests have been relatively non-confrontational compared to the evictions and arrests in Oakland, New York and elsewhere.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa maintains the encampment can't continue indefinitely because of health and safety concerns.

"We are following how other cities across the nation are dealing with the various Occupy protests, recognizing that each city has unique challenges and circumstances. In L.A. we continue an ongoing dialogue with the protesters, including a previously scheduled meeting today between LAPD and the Occupy LA protesters," mayoral spokesman Peter Sanders said.

"We are still closely monitoring the situation for health and public safety issues ... but to date there have been no serious incidents associated with Occupy LA. The County Health Department continues to monitor the encampment and has issued some notices of violation for minor problems in the past week, as well," Sanders added.