Homelessness takes center stage in Los Angeles with new Mayor Karen Bass
Rachel Schilke
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Tackling homelessness in Los Angeles will be at the forefront of new Mayor Karen Bass’s (D) agenda.
Bass is the first black female mayor of Los Angeles. She defeated billionaire developer Rick Caruso after the race went into a runoff in June.
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A longtime congresswoman and state lawmaker, Bass will take the reins of a city frustrated by rising crime and homelessness from Mayor Eric Garcetti (D), who held the position for eight years.
Bass said during her inauguration that she is going to focus on bringing the city together to tackle issues such as crime and housing, which were central themes of the mayoral race.
“It also takes a fundamental shift — away from ‘no, that’s not my problem’ and to ‘how can we work together, and get to, yes?’” Bass said in her speech, per The Hill.
She said her first act as mayor will be to declare a state of emergency on homelessness and seek to build new housing in every neighborhood.
“We cannot continue to overcrowd neighborhoods that are already overcrowded,” she said. “This is my call to you, L.A. — to welcome housing in every neighborhood.”
Bass added she would be working with law enforcement to increase the police presence in some communities with heavy crime rates and creating an Office of Community Safety to combat crime across Los Angeles.
“Let me be so bold as to add that we can prevent crime and community violence by addressing the social, the health, and the economic conditions that compromise a safe environment,” she said.
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In California as a whole, the state’s violent crime rate increased by 6% to 466 per 100,000 in 2021, up from 440 per 100,000 in 2020. Aggravated assaults made up 67% of reported violent crimes, with 24% as robberies, 8% rape, and 1% as homicides, per a public policy report.
Bass was sworn in on Sunday by Vice President Kamala Harris. The vice president and second gentleman Doug Emhoff were among the attendees, along with musician Stevie Wonder, gospel duo Mary & Mary, poet Amanda Gorman, and R&B artist Chloe Bailey.