LOS ANGELES (KNX) – On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion proclaiming a local emergency on homelessness. It came almost a month after Mayor Karen Bass declared a state of emergency over the homeless crisis in the city.
So why did it take this long?
In an interview with LA's Morning News, Supervisor Janice Hahn said believes the county was trying other things to solve the crisis before declaring a state of emergency.
“I think there was this sense that we did not need to declare a state of emergency, that we were gonna try all these other tactics,” she explained.
“But, I think maybe now, it’s a new day. I think the fact that Karen Bass is the new mayor of Los Angeles, coming in with a new passion, a new dedication, a new set of eyes that wants to join with the county to solve this problem. We have a new county supervisor, Lindsey Horvath. She’s young, she’s passionate. And last night in Long Beach, the new mayor there – Rex Richardson – got his colleagues to also declare a state of emergency for homelessness.”
Hahn added that she feels there's a "better sense of cooperation."
"I've talked more to Karen Bass in the last week than I talked to the last mayor over nine years," she said.
When it comes to voters believing politicians who haven’t achieved results, Hahn said she thinks everybody should be “skeptical”, but added that voters “consistently vote to tax themselves to solve this problem.”
“They gave the city of Los Angeles more money to build housing, so they’re still having hope that we’re gonna solve this problem,” she said.
Listen to Hahn’s full interview in the audio above.
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