Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass officially declares emergency over homeless crisis hours into office

After less than 24 hours in office, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has declared a state of emergency over the homeless crisis in the Southern California city. 

Bass, who swore to take action on the homeless epidemic on her first day in office, was sworn in Sunday by US Vice President Kamala Harris. 

In a news release sent out by her office Monday, the Democrat mayor confirmed the declaration had been issued as she looks to ease the increasing number of unhoused individuals in Los Angeles. 

Bass said she is 'using the emergency order is our ability to fast-track things.' 

She also added 'My mandate is to move Los Angeles in a new direction with an urgent and strategic approach to solving one of our city's toughest challenges and creating a brighter future for every Angeleno.'

Bass signed the declaration Nonday morning inside the city's Emergency Operations Center in a room designated as the 'United Homelessness Response Center.' 

Her signing of the declaration came just hours after she doubled down on her promise to help try and solve the homeless crisis. 

'When life is this hard for some Angelenos, it affects all Angelenos. That is why tomorrow morning, I will start my first day as mayor at our city's Emergency Operations Center, where my first act as mayor will be to declare a state of emergency on homelessness,' Bass said Sunday evening. 

'I will not accept a homelessness crisis that afflicts more than 40,000 individuals and affects every one of us,' the progressive former congresswoman said during her swearing in. 

The Democrat has described her plans to address homelessness as a 'monumental shift' to the previous approach. 

'It's because those projects were not run through the traditional process,' Bass said.

'They were run through an emergency structure like the one we are harnessing today. We must drive a proactive citywide strategy that solves problems at scale and ultimately drives a solution.'

The declaration -- which is scheduled to last six months -- allows Bass to take more aggressive executive actions to confront the crisis, though the City Council will have to sign off on it every 30 days.

'The setting of a specific time frame allows for actions to be taken to make permanent, necessary structural changes,' the declaration reads.

Whether to continue the state of emergency will be evaluated by several indicators of progress, including the number of encampments and housing placements, and how much more flexibility city departments are allowed through the declaration.

Bass also spent her first few hours in office meeting with various department heads to discuss what other issues need to be addressed imminently. 

As of December 2022, there are an estimated 41,980 unhoused people in the city of Los Angeles. 

That shocking number is up 1.7 per cent from 2020, according to data from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

Bass has previously stated she plans to build 3,000 new homes, leasing motel rooms and apartments as well as issuing tax payer-funded housing vouchers to those in need including veterans. 

Bass' declaration also comes just one week after the Los Angeles City Council voted 8-3 to end Los Angeles' state of emergency due to COVID-19 in February. 

The state of local emergency had been in place since March 4, 2020. The council has voted to extend it each month since then.