Barely taking office, the new mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, announced that she wanted to immediately tackle the thorny problem of homelessness which affects the second largest city in the United States.
The elected Democrat declared a state of emergency on Monday, December 12 following the skyrocketing number of “homeless” in the streets of the Californian city populated by tens of thousands of people sleeping in tents or in sleeping bags, and arousing the surprise of tourists who come to visit one of the richest urban areas on the planet.
“I will not tolerate a homelessness crisis that affects over 40,000 people and affects all of us”explained Karen Bass, the first woman elected mayor of the city in November, and who took office on Sunday by taking the oath in the presence of the American vice-president Kamal Harris, former attorney general of California and longtime friend.
” Radical change “
“My mission is to lead Los Angeles in a new direction with a quick and strategic approach to solving one of the toughest challenges facing our city”she added, explaining that “the use of the state of emergency allows us to speed things up”.
The aedile promised a ” radical change “ in the modus operandi, and declared that it would sign, in the coming days, a series of decrees tackling the problem, for example by providing temporary accommodation through the rental of apartments and hotel rooms. She announced plans to house more than 17,000 homeless people in her first year in office.
Mental health or addiction issues
Former elected to the House of Representatives and former medical assistant, Karen Bass, 69, was very involved in the community life of Los Angeles, the city where she is from. She was elected mayor against the wealthy property developer Rick Caruso, after a campaign dominated by the issue of homelessness, which has become omnipresent in local public debate.
Some of the most expensive rents in the country, the high cost of living and taxes well above the national average further complicate the situation. The subject is all the more sensitive as the homeless population is also strongly affected by mental health or addiction problems.
Los Angeles preparing to host the Olympic Games in 2028, many observers believe that the municipality will be all the more motivated to remove the multiple tents, sometimes installed only a few meters from luxury shops or imposing villas.