In her State of the City address Monday night, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass shared how she plans to make cuts and keep Angelenos safe during this next “difficult” budget year.
One of the significant issues Mayor Bass focused on was homelessness, specifically her Inside Safe program and what comes next.
"Right now, we are working to move past nightly room rentals, including by master leasing and purchasing motels and hotels, and already built permanent housing," said Bass.
But with an admittedly tricky budget year ahead, how does she plan to pay for permanent housing?
"We are asking the most fortunate Angelenos to participate in this effort, with personal, private sector, and philanthropic funds – to help us acquire more properties, lower the cost of capital, and speed up housing. This is the mission of our new capital campaign: LA4LA," said the mayor.
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To save the city money, Bass said she is breaking from 'the budgeting of the past' by clearing out unnecessary vacant city positions that have plagued the budget for years.
"Now – vacant positions do not fill potholes, sweep streets or staff parks," said Bass. "And too many of these vacant positions have been there for years and years because of flawed budgeting that does not reflect how departments should actually operate.
So this year, we will eliminate these ghost positions while we preserve core services — and we will continue to strategically hire based on real life..."
One place Bass won't be making cuts? The LAPD. Her goal is to increase the sworn ranks to ensure public safety.
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