LOS ANGELES—Attorneys for the city of Los Angeles plan to file an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to overturn rulings that prevent the seizure and destruction of possessions that homeless people leave on sidewalks.

The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday ( http://lat.ms/WsKyZ9) that City Attorney Carmen Trutanich will file the appeal on Thursday, arguing that allowing homeless people to store belongings on sidewalks causes a health hazard.

The city and activists for the homeless have gone back and forth over the issue for years. Courts have ruled numerous times in both Los Angeles and in other cities that homeless people's personal belongings temporarily left on sidewalks cannot be confiscated.

Currently, the city must notify people if their property is taken and tell them where they can retrieve it.