EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — What's in a name? William Shakespeare once made the case that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. But U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer finds otherwise, at least when it comes to how officials in Los Angeles described items belonging to homeless individuals.

The judge found the city altered records related to the cleanup of an encampment. For example, what was originally referred to as "bulky items" became instead "health hazards" and "contaminated." The change in wording came in connection to a lawsuit that alleges the city's practice of discarding property belonging to homeless people violates the 4th Amendment protection against illegal search and seizure and the 14th Amendment protection of due process.

Seven homeless individuals along with the group Ktown for All said those rights were violated during sweeps that happened in 2018 and 2019 when Eric Garcetti was serving as mayor. Part of the case has centered on the city's records since the city allegedly converted printouts of documents created in Microsoft Word to PDFs. One attorney representing the plaintiffs discovered that these new documents contained revisions, which she argued were so significant that they should be considered fraud.

The news comes on the heels of current Mayor Karen Bass' second annual State of the City address, in which the topics of homelessness and how City Hall operates both played prominent roles.

"Sadly, over the years, LA has become known for dysfunction within City Hall," Mayor Bass said, but she added, "we are turning the page."

Last fall, the mayor appointed Ruth Kwon as deputy counsel and ethics officer, the first time such a post has existed in the Mayor's Office. The doctored documents will certainly be something for her to address.

The city has turned over a Google drive and a forensic examination should be completed within the next few months.