Los Angeles continues to face intense scrutiny amid the lawsuit challenging the effectiveness of Mayor Bass' 'Inside Safe' program to combat homelessness.
KNX News' Craig Fiegener reviewed a list of over 50 critical questions central to the upcoming court-mandated audit attached to the suit, which aims to clarify reported housing figures and accountability measures within the $250 million budget allocated to 'Inside Safe'.
Key audit questions include how the city tracks individuals entering and leaving 'Inside Safe' to prevent double-counting and whether service providers must verify completed work before invoicing.
Council member Monica Rodriguez has voiced concerns about the program's transparency. "There's not a lot of data that can verify how dollars are being spent," Rodriguez emphasized, reflecting skepticism about the program's financial oversight. "The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) instead has asked for us to advance more money to nonprofit organizations without any accountability for the money that they already have."
The 6.5-page document also raises another major question: Does Los Angeles have a program to hold anyone accountable for poor performance?
Rodriguez said, "I have yet to see any information that leads me to believe that there is something punitive to any service provider that is not performing. And I've asked that question; I've asked even just to show me metrics of what they use to evaluate what service writers are doing. I can't even get that answer."
If the judge adopts the proposed questions, it will force the Bass administration to return to federal court with answers under penalty of perjury—that's very different from a press conference.
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