LA Council approves an end date to the mayor's emergency declaration on homelessness

The Los Angeles City Council voted today to add additional provisions, including an end date, to a resolution continuing a state of emergency concerning homelessness in Los Angeles.

The state of emergency, declared by Mayor Karen Bass in December and signed off by the city council, allows Bass to issue directives and take more aggressive actions toward the crisis.

The updates also set a specific end date for the emergency as June 12, unless otherwise directed by the council. It also suspends competitive bidding requirements for contracts entered into by city departments related to the emergency while it is in place.

The resolution also instructs the general manager of the emergency management department to advise the mayor and city council on the need to extend the state of emergency.

Whether to continue the state of emergency -- which must be ratified by the city council every month -- will be evaluated by several indicators of progress, including the number of encampments and housing placements, and how much more flexibility city departments are allowed through the declaration.

Bass has issued three emergency directives since declaring the state of emergency as her first official act, most notably beginning a program aimed at bringing residents of encampments indoors.

There are an estimated 41,980 unhoused people in the city of Los Angeles, up 1.7% from 2020, according to the latest count by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.