LOS ANGELES – Mayor Karen Bass last night hosted her first telephone town hall as Mayor to provide resources including renter protections, small business assistance, street services connections and more. The Mayor also provided an update regarding her work to bring unhoused Angelenos inside, make our city safer, support businesses and create a greener Los Angeles. Nearly 2,000 Angelenos tuned in to participate.
Missed our call or didn’t receive an invitation? Angelenos can sign up for updates from the Office of Mayor Karen Bass here. To listen to the telephone town hall in English click here. To listen to the telephone town hall in Spanish click here.
Mayor Bass was joined on the telephone town hall by her Chief of Housing and Homelessness Solutions as well as her Deputy Mayors overseeing the Mayor’s Offices of Public Safety, Community Safety, Business and Economic Development, Infrastructure and Community Engagement.
The following information was highlighted on the call:
Bringing Unhoused Angelenos Inside and Building More Housing Faster
Since Mayor Bass was sworn in, more than 17,000 Angelenos experiencing homelessness have come inside.
17,011 Angelenos have entered interim housing
5,741 Angelenos have come inside through vouchers
2,235 Angelenos have been housed in permanent housing
26 operations have been completed under the Mayor’s Inside Safe initiative, which was launched to house Angelenos living in encampments and to prevent encampments from returning. More than 1,500 Angelenos have been served by that program thus far.
More than 7,000 units of affordable housing in the City of Los Angeles have been expedited under Executive Directive 1.
Resources for Renters and Landlords
Low-income tenant households can apply for up to six months owed back rent or unpaid rent due to a one time economic hardship. Priority eligibility for lower-income households is available until October 6, 2023 at 6:00 PM. Visit housing.lacity.org or call (888) 379-3150 to apply. Small landlords can apply beginning October 23, 2023, at 8:00 a.m by visiting housing.lacity.org or by calling (888) 379-3150.
The City of Los Angeles has opened 15 FamilySource Centers available for one-on-one assistance accessing services including renter protections, utility arrears, enrollment in public benefits, relocation assistance, pre-employment and employment support, financial coaching, income tax preparation to help Angelenos claim thousands of dollars in refunds, computer literacy and classes for Angelenos who don’t speak English as a first language, case management with referrals to other services if needed, and more. All services are FREE to low-income, City of LA residents. Get more information on locations of the FamilySource centers at by visiting LA4Families.org.
Making Los Angeles Safer
The Mayor discussed steps towards addressing hiring and retention issues within the Los Angeles Police Department. Following a contract negotiation, LAPD reported that during the month of August, 1,048 people applied to work at the Department – the largest number of applications in a single month since September 2020.
Mayor Bass developed a set of metrics by which she would evaluate the LAPD including an increase in the use of the Mental Evaluation teams, a greater emphasis on de-escalation training and a reaffirming of the need for a diverse workforce that reflects our communities.
The Mayor’s office has taken steps to address smash and grab robberies, and since forming an organized retail theft task force with cities throughout Los Angeles County, there have been more than 48 arrests made.
By creating the Office of Community Safety, there has been more than $50 million distributed to violence intervention, youth development and reentry services to reduce crime and violence and the Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) program has been able to expand while giving salary increases to program staff.
The Mayor’s Office of Community Safety is taking an unprecedented approach to support community-based efforts that have been proven to reduce crime and violence in communities. That includes programs that connect Angelenos to jobs, housing, legal services, and mental health and substance abuse treatment to prevent crime from happening in the first place.
Supporting Los Angeles Businesses
Mayor Bass signed Executive Directive 4 to make it easier for businesses to do business in the City.
The Office of Business and Economic Development is working towards addressing additional barriers to ensure businesses' interaction with the City is expedited and more transparent, creating an ecosystem of support rather than obstacles.
If you own a business and are interested in contracting with the City, you can visit RampLA.org to access contracting opportunities from the City and regional partners through one platform.
The Mayor’s Office of Business and Economic Development invited businesses to attend the L.A. Business and Financial Empowerment Summit on Oct. 14. The Summit seeks to promote economic growth in the city and will also include an expo of 100 resource providers, keynote speakers and panel discussions.
Making a Greener Los Angeles
In order to address the climate emergency, the Mayor’s Office is ensuring that we create a cleaner Los Angeles.
Los Angeles has been making progress, which was announced this week, as we continue to electrify the transportation system, increase energy affordability with energy efficiency and make progress towards running on 100% clean power.
Improving City Services
The Mayor’s Office is working with departments to clear the backlog of city service requests and to provide more timely services to all Angelenos. For street cleaning, graffiti clean up, pothole repairs, call 311.
For requests relating to stop sign installation and other issues, you can also reach out to your City Councilmember for assistance. Visit neighborhoodinfo.lacity.gov to find your Councilmember and their contact information.
Community Engagement Resources
Missed our call or didn’t receive an invitation? Angelenos can sign up for updates from the Office of Mayor Karen Bass here. To listen to the telephone town hall in English click here. To listen to the telephone town hall in Spanish click here.
For assistance with a city department or issue, you can contact your Councilmember’s Office. Visit neighborhoodinfo.lacity.gov to find your Councilmember and their contact information. You can also visit mayor.lacity.gov/contact to submit a request to our Help Desk, or visit our Constituent Services Team at City Hall on the 3rd floor every Monday-Friday from 9am - 5pm.
Time stamps of the telephone town hall can be found below:
1:47 Mayor Bass begins introductory remarks and provides progress regarding bringing unhoused Angelenos inside
4:32 Chief of Housing and Homelessness Solutions Mercedes Marquez provides further updates on homelessness and housing efforts
6:23 Chief of Housing and Homelessness Solutions Mercedes Marquez provides information for accessing rental assistance and other resources
9:46 Deputy Mayor of Community Safety Karren Lane comments on unarmed and civilian-led crisis response efforts
12:22 Deputy Mayor of Community Engagement Jared Rivera discusses how communities in Los Angeles can get involved
17:51 Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Brian Williams provides an update regarding recent smash and grabs incidents, LAPD hiring and retention efforts and hurricane preparedness
22:59 Deputy Mayor of Community Safety Karren Lane discusses Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) and the success of the Summer Night Lights program
28:03 Deputy Mayor of Business and Economic Development Rachel Freeman provides an update on steps taken to support small businesses and discusses resources available for businesses to thrive
35:44 Deputy Mayor of Infrastructure Randall Winston provides an update on City Services, encourages Angelenos to attend upcoming career fairs and explains how to submit service requests through the Office
48:13 Deputy Mayor of Communications Zach Seidl discusses progress to build a greener Los Angeles
50:03 Mayor Bass provides closing remarks