Karen Bass lashes out at Nithya Raman over homeless issue

Los Angeles’ homeless crisis is exploding into an all-out political brawl.Mayor Karen Bass fired back Friday after Councilmember Nithya Raman accused City Hall of failing to get a grip on street homelessness, setting the stage for a bruising showdown ahead of their Nov.3 mayoral election.Raman seized on the latest homeless count, arguing that despite hundreds of millions of dollars in spending, unsheltered homelessness in the City of Los Angeles climbed by nearly 8%.“By now you’ve probably seen the reports: despite hundreds of millions of dollars spent—and repeated assurances that Los Angeles had turned a corner—unsheltered homelessness increased by nearly 8% in this city.

That is a moral outrage.And it is a failure of leadership,” Raman wrote.Bass didn’t dispute that the city still faces a major crisis but argued Raman ignored neighborhood-level successes, including in her own backyard.“I’m the Mayor for all of LA — just like Nithya Raman has been the Homeless Committee Chair for all of LA — and no Angeleno should be completely satisfied with our City’s response to this crisis,” Bass wrote.The mayor pointed to progress in council districts 2, 4, 5, 7, 11, 13 and 15, saying those gains prove some strategies are working even if the city’s overall numbers remain troubling.

California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.Please provide a valid email.

By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story She also touted the city’s Inside Safe program, saying her administration responded after Raman sought assistance by housing 87 people in Council District 4 since the beginning of last year and clearing long-standing encampments, including the notorious 405 and Oxnard site.“When Councilmembers like Nithya Raman asked for Inside Safe’s help, we answered — housing 87 people since the beginning of last year alone ...