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Karen Bass: “I have expedited the building of housing because our number…”

Featuring: Karen Bass, Democratic | Mayor of Los Angeles | California

Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor

Published May 6, 2026 | Video Starts at 03:30

And under my watch, it is the first time we've had a decrease in street homelessness. While it went up in the country, 18%, it came down in Los Angeles, 17 and a half percent. I have expedited the building of housing because our number one issue in this city is affordability. And one of the main drivers for affordability is housing. Right, so let me follow up on the fire. (03:30–03:37)

CLAIM

Asserts that she expedited housing construction to address affordability issues in Los Angeles.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

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Karen Bass

“While it went up in the country, 18%, it came down in Los Angeles, 17 and a half percent.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 03:24-03:31
“The primary problem there was that the chief sent home a thousand firefighters.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 04:05-04:13
“Firefighters spend 30% of their time putting out fires that are related to homelessness.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 27:45-27:52
“We also change the zoning codes, so we have the potential for another half million units.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 34:07-34:14
“Homelessness was going up year after year. And under my watch, it is the first time we've had a decrease in street homelessness.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 03:16-03:25
“Yes.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 04:17-04:18
“There was supposed to have been deployment and pre-deployment in the area. That did not happen.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 04:27-04:33
“There was one reservoir that was out of commission.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 06:43-06:46
“The winds reach close to 100 miles an hour and the planes were unable to fly.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 07:01-07:07
“We had two other reservoirs totaling 8 billion, 8 billion gallons that were available.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 07:12-07:19
“That operation was ordered by the feds.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 10:24-10:28
“Los Angeles is understaffed in terms of LAPD for the nation's second largest city.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 10:51-10:58
“What is in my current budget now is 512 officers, which still is not enough.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 11:19-11:26
“We have to pay the officers. Had to give them a raise, had to expand recruitment because officers were going to other cities.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 18:08-18:17
“We can't keep L. A safe with the size of the department we have now.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 18:24-18:28
“Everybody needs to go inside. Making it illegal and arresting people is not the way to solve this problem [of homelessness].”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 19:09-19:15
“I declared a state of emergency on day one because I know that what Angelenos want to see are their streets clear.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 20:43-20:51
“Insight Safe is the only citywide program that we have had that has reduced homelessness two years in a row.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 20:51-21:00
“60% of the people in Insight Safe stay inside.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 21:19-21:23
“It's the first time homelessness has gone down.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 21:41-21:44
“There's no rooms for $100,000.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 23:37-23:40
“We've had a reduction of homelessness two years in a row because of policies that I have put in place.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 27:28-27:36
“We have been reducing homelessness again, for the first time and building out a system that needs to be built.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 30:05-30:14
“What I have done on my watch is reduced homelessness for the first time two years in a row.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 32:46-32:52
“42,000 units are being fast-tracked for affordable housing.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 33:53-33:58
“We have another 43,000 units that are potential with our adaptive reuse, which means you can change office buildings into housing.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 33:58-34:08
“We have cut red tape so you can go through much quicker than [a year and a half].”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 36:10-36:15
“The 42,000 units of housing that are being fast tracked, 6,000 of those units are actively under construction.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 36:14-36:23
“SB79 basically says you can build it in any residential area, and I don't believe that that is necessary in some areas.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 39:41-39:51
“We did not need Sacramento to tell us what to do and to mandate what we were doing.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 40:14-40:20
“Downtown is the center of our city and it is an economic engine that absolutely needs to be attended to.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 45:39-45:48
“We have a strategy that is working. We are working with the downtown business associations.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 45:47-45:53
“We are increasing Public safety there.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 45:53-45:56
“That's why I did the adaptive reuse ordinance, which allows for the office buildings that are vacant to be converted into housing.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 45:56-46:04
“Those conversions are taking place right now.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 46:04-46:07
“There needs to be massive intervention [to deal with street homelessness].”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 46:10-46:13
“The convention center is a long term investment that we have to make in our city.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 46:16-46:22
“Did you know that we are the only major city that does not have a comprehensive infrastructure plan?”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 48:27-48:35
“I have instituted and started a comprehensive infrastructure plan and moving right away into replacing 60,000 solar lights.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 48:40-48:51
“We have expedited permits [for the film and television industry].”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 49:29-49:32
“I established one person who is a czar to provide concierge services for the industry.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 49:31-49:38
“We also lowered the cost to do filming in Los Angeles.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 49:38-49:43
“The observatory, we reduced those amounts by 70%.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 49:43-49:48
“When I was in Sacramento and served as speaker, I did the first tax credits and also promoted and advocated for those tax credits here in…”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 49:54-50:06
“ICE was chasing people in car washes. ICE was chasing people in Home Depots and picking up vendors selling fruit.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 54:14-54:23
“The majority of them, over 70%, had no record, no police record whatsoever.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 54:22-54:29
“We need cooperation from the governor [to clean up highways, do landscaping, remove graffiti].”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 56:19-56:26
“We need the governor to restore the money for homelessness that was cut by 50%.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 56:28-56:34
“We need the governor to front fund the money for FEMA because while we're waiting for it to come from D.C.”
Full NBC4 broadcast: Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt, Nithya Raman debate for LA mayor | Uploaded May 6, 2026 | 56:34-56:41