Homelessness Official Karen Bass Overlooks City’s Large Unsheltered Population

Los Angeles Mayor’s Absence Amid Homeless Count

Los Angeles, California — Democratic Mayor Karen Bass, who has made a commitment to address homelessness, was not present on Tuesday as the city initiated its countywide count of unsheltered homeless individuals.

Continuums of Care (CoC), a major regional planning entity, has started gathering point-in-time (PIT) data, where volunteers tally the number of unsheltered homeless. Bass was supposed to address the kickoff press conference, but minutes before it started, it was revealed that she wouldn’t be attending. Her office informed the Daily Caller News Foundation that an overtime community meeting prevented her participation.

On her social media, the mayor actively sought volunteers for this counting effort. Additionally, she attended the launch of “Casa Mexico,” a hospitality house for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Since being sworn in as Los Angeles’ 43rd mayor in December 2022, Bass has made tackling homelessness a cornerstone of her agenda. “We can fix our city again. Forty thousand people on the streets is an emergency. Solving this emergency, solving homelessness, is my overwhelming number one priority as mayor,” she stated during her campaign commencing in October 2021.

By the end of 2022, shortly after her taking office, Los Angeles recorded 41,980 homeless individuals, with 28,458 of them being unsheltered. The numbers rose in 2023 to 46,260 homeless, including 32,680 unsheltered and 13,580 sheltered. Projections for 2024 indicated a slight drop in total numbers, but the unsheltered population increased again.

Recent data from 2025 suggested a minor decline in homelessness to about 43,695, with 26,972 unsheltered. However, an independent report indicated that the city might be underestimating the actual number of unsheltered people.

Bass’ administration has secured over $400 million from the federal government in funding to battle homelessness, alongside an additional $350 million from the state. However, the total amount expected may not fully materialize as the city braces for potentially more visitors in the coming year.

During Tuesday’s event, Geeta O’Neill, LAHSA’s Interim CEO, cautioned that budget cuts could exacerbate the homelessness issue by 2026, a concern surfacing after audits highlighted mismanagement of funds. In April 2025, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to reallocate over $300 million from LAHSA to a new homelessness division, a move that has raised concerns among local leaders.

City Council member Nitya Raman addressed state legislators, emphasizing that cuts to funding could severely impact the city’s efforts to combat homelessness. “We’re working harder here to hold the system accountable, but we can’t do that if you take the money away,” he stressed, urging for continued support on an issue that affects countless Angelenos.