LOS ANGELES (KNX) – In her first State of the City Address Monday night, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said that while she is proud of the change that has been brought to the city, “I cannot declare that the state of our city is where it needs to be.”
“The state of our city is really about the state of your neighborhood,” she said. “It's about the state of your household. It's about your state of mind. Do you look over your shoulder when walking after dark? Do you feel pride in your local park? Do you have peace of mind because you can pay the rent? When the answer is yes, then we can say the state of our city is strong. That's the New L.A. that we're building together."
During her speech, Bass touted her Inside Safe Program, claiming 1,000 people are now “living inside safe.”
“We have dispelled the myth that people do not want to come inside,” she said. “They do.”
Bass also previewed her first budget proposal, adding that it will include $1.3 billion to accelerate the momentum of fixing homelessness. She called it a “record for the city of Los Angeles.”
“This is a truly historic city budget commitment because much of the state and federal pandemic-related money from the past couple of years is no longer available,” she said. “As we scale our homelessness strategy, renting motel rooms, however, is just not a sustainable model. This is why my budget breaks new ground to fund the purchase of motels and hotels by the city.”
Bass also said the budget proposal will also call to hire more officers for the Los Angeles Police Department.
“This has been an ongoing trend here in L.A. and in cities across the country -- and so I'm concerned that the department's recent release of information will cause more officers to leave,” she said.
Bass’ budget proposal is expected to be released on Tuesday.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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