Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilmember Nithya Raman have engaged in a public dispute over the city's escalating homelessness crisis, with both politicians citing recent data to support their critiques of the other's approach. The exchange intensifies as the city faces a significant increase in its unsheltered population.
Raman, who chairs the Homeless Committee, stated that despite substantial spending, unsheltered homelessness in the City of Los Angeles rose by nearly 8%, calling the situation a "moral outrage" and a "failure of leadership." She pointed to the overall citywide increase in unsheltered homelessness, which climbed 7.9% according to the latest homeless count. This figure applies specifically to the City of Los Angeles, distinct from Los Angeles County.
Mayor Bass acknowledged the persistent crisis but countered that Raman's assessment overlooked localized successes and neighborhood-level progress. Bass highlighted improvements in specific council districts, including districts 2, 4, 5, 7, 11, 13, and 15, arguing these demonstrate that certain strategies are effective. "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 said.
Bass also specifically cited the city's Inside Safe program, detailing its work in Council District 4, Raman's district. According to Bass, the program has housed 87 individuals and cleared encampments, including the site at 405 and Oxnard, since the beginning of the previous year. "When Councilmembers like Nithya Raman asked for Inside Safe’s help, we answered — housing 87 people since the beginning of last year alone and clearing notorious encampments, like 405 & Oxnard that had been growing for years,” Bass stated.
Furthermore, Bass pointed to a broader three-year trend, asserting that unsheltered homelessness had fallen by 11% across Los Angeles over that period. While calling this progress, she emphasized that it is still not an acceptable outcome and pledged to adjust strategies accordingly. "We’re going to immediately change what’s not working and double down on what is working,” she added.
The differing claims appear to stem from selective interpretations of the same homeless count report. While the citywide number showed an increase, Raman’s own Council District 4 reportedly saw a 49% decrease in unsheltered street homelessness, according to data from her office and local media tracking the 2026 homeless count. This district is one of the city's wealthiest, with a median household income near $119,000 and average home values around $1.5 million. In contrast, Council District 9, represented by Councilmember Curren D. Price Jr., is among the city's poorest, with a median household income of approximately $54,000 and average home values around $640,000, demonstrating that significant declines were recorded in areas with vastly different economic conditions.
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