Fury as Nithya Raman greenlights even more taxpayers cash for homeless program

A political battle over LA’s homelessness crisis erupted Tuesday as Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez cast the lone vote against another huge spending package, accusing mayoral candidate Nithya Raman of continuing to fund a system she says has failed despite years of record spending.The City Council vote locks in about $126 million to keep Los Angeles’ homelessness programs running through the current budget year.The money pays for temporary tiny home villages, hygiene services, outreach teams, staffing and Mayor Karen Bass’ Inside Safe program, which moves people from encampments into interim housing.It also sends millions of dollars to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), the agency that coordinates homeless services across the city, even as it remains under federal scrutiny and city leaders debate replacing it.Rodriguez blasted City Hall’s approach as a yearslong cycle of spending billions of taxpayer dollars without enough accountability, transparency or measurable success.“My ‘no’ vote is reflective of the consistency that I’ve had in approaching the decisions and policymaking around homelessness strategy and investments,” Rodriguez told The California Post.“I believe the people deserve greater transparency and oversight into the way the dollars are being expended.”Rodriguez argued the city keeps spending more money without fixing the problem.“Sadly, you see Councilmember Nithya Raman publicly talking about her concerns about expenditures, continuing to rubber stamp the very same status quo that she has been a part of,” Rodriguez said.Rodriguez pointed to her own northeast San Fernando Valley district, where she said a different approach has removed RV encampments and moved people into permanent housing more efficiently.“I have continued to advance the work in my own district that has proven to be far more cost-effective in removing RV encampments and permanently housing individuals into permanent solutions,” she said.S...