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Karen Bass: “On my first day in office, I declared a state of emergency…”

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

Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives

Published April 21, 2025 | Video Starts at 23:49

At the time, LA had about 25,000 unhoused residents. But by the time I took office less than two and a half years ago, that number had grown to more than 46,000 unhoused Angelenos. On my first day in office, I declared a state of emergency on homelessness. specifically to inject disruption and change to fix the broken system. This includes systematically confronting old, outdated policies that actually stop people from being housed. Listen to this. (23:49–23:55)

CLAIM

Asserts that Karen Bass declared a state of emergency on homelessness on her first day in office.

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

“For the first time, we have secured housing vouchers for every homeless veteran in LA.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 25:17-25:25
“25,000 Angelenos on the street in 2016 exploded to 46,000 in 2022.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 28:50-28:59
“Nearly a third of fires in Los Angeles involve someone who is homeless.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 33:10-33:15
“Nationwide homelessness went up by 18%, but not in Los Angeles.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 34:21-34:27
“The Port of LA is the nation's number one port and one in nine people in our region have a job connected to the port.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 41:10-41:20
“40% of all U.S. goods come through our port.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 41:21-41:26
“Many Angelenos will gather to mourn the loss of Pope Francis.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 04:45-04:50
“Just over 100 days after a natural disaster, a firestorm that also reminds us of how the world can change in an instant.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 05:04-05:17
“In January, we saw thousands of Angelenos evacuate from their homes in Sylmar, in Hollywood, in Brentwood, in Encino, in Sherman Oaks, and…”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 06:33-06:55
“The recovery in the Palisades is on track to be the fastest in California history.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 10:21-10:30
“We have issued permits to rebuild twice as fast as after the Camp and Woosley fires.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 11:02-11:11
“We restored water nearly a year and a half faster than after the camp fire.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 11:10-11:17
“We restored power in just two months.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 11:16-11:20
“Our sweeping emergency orders are slicing through red tape and unlocking innovation.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 11:33-11:40
“I am establishing a self-certification program to reduce redundancy in the permitting process.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 11:42-11:58
“We will launch an initiative to start using innovative AI technology to accelerate and support the city's permit process.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 12:04-12:14
“I call on the council to pass an ordinance to waive all plan check and permit fees so Angelenos can get home.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 12:33-12:44
“Our Disaster Recovery center, which we opened in January, has helped nearly 10,000 households replace vital documents and obtain recovery…”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 12:59-13:11
“We opened four impacted worker and family recovery centers across the city.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 13:32-13:39
“The Army Corps of Engineers has already cleared 500 properties in the Palisades area, which means people can start rebuilding today.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 15:19-15:30
“We have hit a four year high of applications to join the LAPD.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 17:46-17:53
“Violent crime and property crime are down in Los Angeles.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 19:31-19:37
“Last year, homicides fell by 14%.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 19:45-19:50
“Gang related homicides in communities most impacted fell by 45%.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 19:50-19:57
“The number of shooting victims fell 19%.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 20:03-20:07
“The homelessness crisis is a humanitarian crisis, and it affects everyone.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 21:37-21:43
“In 2016, voters approved Measure H8HH to build 10,000 units of housing.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 23:24-23:32
“At the time, LA had about 25,000 unhoused residents.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 23:31-23:37
“By the time I took office less than two and a half years ago, that number had grown to more than 46,000 unhoused Angelenos.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 23:37-23:49
“People living in a tent, people who had nothing actually had to prove, prove that they were poor before they were eligible for housing.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 24:14-24:25
“Veterans heroes who fought for our country received disability checks. They were told they made too much money and were not eligible for…”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 24:46-25:00
“The de facto policy of the city and the county rigidly over prioritized permanent housing.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 26:02-26:11
“Insight Safe has cleared thousands of tents outside of schools, storefronts and homes citywide.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 27:04-27:12
“Motels alone are not financially sustainable, we must invest in long term interim housing.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 27:15-27:25
“We are already proving new models for immediately making housing available at much lower costs.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 27:41-27:48
“LA for LA is helping us acquire existing buildings.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 28:01-28:06
“We have already master leased a building in Koreatown that has housed nearly 60 Angelenos who were part of Insight Safe.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 28:05-28:14
“The Mayor's Fund connects people in danger of becoming homeless with resources that will help them stay housed.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 29:15-29:24
“The Council passed the ordinance, the Mayor's Fund is implementing it.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 29:58-30:04
“The Mayor's Fund program analyzed by Loyola Marymount University...connected 31,000 Angelenos with resources to help them stay housed.”
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“The LAPD will report that crime is down at locations where encampments were removed and people were housed.”
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“After years of increasing homelessness, we are finally reversing that trend. And homelessness is down.”
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“That includes a 10% reduction in street homelessness and a 38% reduction in makeshift structures and tents.”
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“Our city faces a more than an 800 million dollar deficit.”
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“Turmoil and uncertainty from Washington and a slowing economy are causing lower revenue projections to the tune of hundreds of millions of…”
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“Liability settlements have tripled from backed up lawsuits during the pandemic and uncapped damages combined with personnel costs and of…”
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“My proposed budget unfortunately includes layoffs, which is a decision of absolute last resort.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 36:27-36:37
“The City Attorney and I will be in Sacramento this week to meet with legislative leaders and advocate for resources, while also working to…”
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“We're going to consolidate departments, rebuild our reserves and reorganize structures with the number one goal of improving services for…”
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“Homelessness is down, crime is down.”
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“New investments are coming to LA, like the recently announced Rams Village, which will be built on nearly 100 acres and be home to the…”
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“Council President Harris Dawson is leading the change to revitalize Crenshaw Boulevard with Destination Crenshaw, an open air people's…”
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“LAX is a national economic powerhouse.”
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“The latest round of $5 billion in investment prioritizes LA jobs and LA businesses. In fact, this investment includes 13 first time ever…”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 44:23-44:39
“With the council's vote two weeks ago, we are well on the way [to modernizing our convention center].”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 45:01-45:11
“I renew my call to the state to triple the film and TV tax credit.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 46:07-46:15
“When I was speaker of the assembly, along with assembly member Paul Krikorian, we passed the state's first production tax credit.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 46:20-46:30
“We will make it easier and more cost effective to film on city property. And we will also streamline the permitting process to make it…”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 46:47-46:59
“As the 2028 Games approach, I know Council Member Harada is working hard to make downtown ready for the Olympic Games.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 47:45-47:54
“We will now be only the third city in history to host three Olympic Games.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 49:59-50:06
“We are only 15 months away from welcoming the world for the World Cup.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 51:39-51:45
“This Saturday, we will launch Shine LA, to show the spirit of our city coming together every single month.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 52:24-52:33
“Leading up to the 1984 Olympics, we were in the midst of the worst recession in 40 years.”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 54:38-54:47
“Los Angeles delivered the most successful Olympic Games in history [in 1984].”
Mayor Karen Bass Addresses Los Angeles on Recovery, Safety, and Future Initiatives | Uploaded April 21, 2025 | 54:52-54:58