Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass delivered her State of the City address on Monday, April 16, 2024, where she addressed various issues affecting the city. One of the most pressing concerns was the homelessness crisis and how to house people instead of hiding them. The mayor called for help from wealthy Angelenos to participate in a capital campaign named LA4LA.
According to Bass, approximately 46,000 unhoused people live in Los Angeles. Homelessness has been a significant issue for decades with previous city hall regimes offering quick fixes and lack of tangible solutions leading to the current crisis. The mayor acknowledged that homelessness affects everyone in the city and drives away businesses, costs taxpayers resources, and creates safety issues.
Bass touted her Inside Safe program as a solution to house people temporarily while working towards permanent housing. She also mentioned that billions of dollars have been spent on homelessness in the region but emphasized that more needs to be done. The mayor acknowledged that the number of homeless people may continue to increase due to evictions and the end of COVID-19 aid for low-income households.
During her speech, Bass asked wealthy Angelenos to participate in LA4LA by contributing personal, private sector, and philanthropic funds. The goal is to acquire more properties, lower the cost of capital, and speed up housing construction. She believes that this partnership can be a sea change for Los Angeles and an unprecedented example of disrupting the status quo to build a new system to save lives.
The mayor also touched upon other topics during her address, including safety issues on L.A. Metro transportation, economic boons from events like the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics, and improvements to L.A. Metro transit.
Despite the challenges faced by Los Angeles, Mayor Bass remains optimistic about the future of her city.