Mayor Karen Bass sets lofty goal of ending street homelessness in LA by 2026

Mayor Karen Bass made an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union" with Jake Tapper on Sunday, announcing a lofty goal of ending street homeless in Los Angeles by 2026.

When asked by Tapper what she hopes to accomplish in that time frame, with 2026 signaling the end of her elected term, Bass doubled down on what was one of, if not her biggest, campaign promise — making a massive dent in the homeless crisis. 

"My goal would be, really, to end street homelessness," she said. "There'll still be people in shelters and interim housing, but to at least not have people dying on our streets."

Bass's first step as mayor was to declare a state of emergency in Los Angeles regarding the issues of homelessness, which she acted on several times to date, most notably a recent announcement that efforts from her team have so far helped get 14,000 homeless people off the streets. 

"We're doing everything we can to build long-term housing in Los Angeles, but it still takes months," she said. "We don't wanna leave people on the streets while we're building."

Another of her initial moves was the creation of the "Inside Safe" Program, which is dedicated to getting the people living in tents in LA into motel and hotel rooms

In late May, Bass signed a $13 billion budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year, $250 million of which were dedicated to her Inside Safe program, with $65.7 million allocated initially and $184.3 million to be released as the funds are expended.

Bass discussed a number of other topics, including the recent busing of migrants from Texas to Los Angeles by Governor Greg Abbott and a possible replacement for Senator Diane Feinstein.