LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass tonight delivered the 2024 State of the City Address. During her address, Mayor Bass said that while there is still much work to be done, the state of our city is stronger because of work done to disrupt the status quo and work to lock arms with all levels of government.
Leaders from all over the City of Los Angeles applauded and recognized Mayor Bass following the address:
Supervisor Lindsey. P Horvath, Chair, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
“Mayor Bass has leveraged the combined power of our seats and our partners on the City Council - to do things differently. To lead with transparency and accountability, and to deliver results for our communities. One year later, and we’ve turned commitment to action.”
Council President Krekorian, Los Angeles City Council
“In my years in public office, no one has set a better example of that kind of partnership and team spirit than the 43rd Mayor of the City of Los Angeles, the honorable Karen Bass. When she addressed us here for the first time last year, our city was still reeling from the overlapping blows of the pandemic and the economic collapse, scandal and political divisiveness. Today we are seeing a new and more effective approach to meeting our city’s needs through the Mayor’s leadership and partnership. Together, we are building a culture of cooperation at City Hall with the Mayor and Council doing our best to lock arms, not point fingers.”
Alex Cohen, Anchor, Spectrum News (Watch here)
“What it felt like was a mini-local version I think in many ways of President Biden’s State of the Union Address.”
Jon Regardie, Reporter, Los Angeles Magazine (Read here)
"We have an adult in the room. The overwhelming feeling during the speech was that an adult is in charge of Los Angeles. Bass possesses an easy confidence, and one senses that after a decade navigating the snakepit that is the U.S. Congress, L.A. rifts are little league to her. The primary challenges facing the city are well known: homelessness, a looming budget shortfall and a Los Angeles Police Department that continues to hemorrhage officers. Bass made all those problems seem navigable if not fully solvable. And like any good SOTC she wrapped them in a theme, with repeated references to disrupting the “status quo” and enacting a “sea change.”"
Morgan Goodwin, Director, Sierra Club Angeles Chapter
“The Sierra Club applauds Mayor Bass's roll-up-the-sleeves approach to tackling big challenges, and we are thrilled to see that attention focused on climate change. The last 12 months have each broken heat records and we need urgent action from our elected leaders. We look forward to working with the Mayor's office to wean us off fossil fuel use, improve air quality, address extreme heat, and create more equitable access to nature. It’s critical to ensure that investments in our city's climate solutions are shared equitably, especially for communities most impacted by climate change.”
Marian Bell, Homelessness Liaison & Parent, Larchmont Charter School at Selma
“Prior to Inside Safe, the sidewalk in front of our campus was entirely blocked by an encampment. Students were walking into a street of speeding cars in order to reach school. Our community of parents, school children and educators is so grateful that Inside Safe both housed the 40 encamped neighbors and provided safe, clear access to our school. 9 months later, the Mayor's team continues to partner with us to ensure continued safe access.”
The Mayor mentioned Inside Safe during her address. Click here for testimonials from participants.
Carlos Vaquerano, CEO, Clinica Romero
“Mayor Bass is reimagining the way we care for all Angelenos in the city, by expanding her administration to include the first ever Deputy Mayor of Homelessness and Community Health and by treating our unhoused population with the respect, compassion, care and services they deserve. Clinica Romero thanks the Mayor for her leadership, and for always being a partner to us in the Latino community and we look forward to working with her and her administration as we expand our primary care services to our underserved community with new clinics, and a wellness center in the city.”
Casey Wasserman, Chairperson, LA28
"The City of Los Angeles has successfully hosted the Games twice, and as Mayor Bass expressed tonight, we will be ready to welcome the world for an incredible Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028. LA28 is proud to partner with Mayor Bass, the City Council and the City family to deliver a spectacular Games that creates exciting opportunities for Angelenos, celebrates our diverse communities and leaves lasting legacies that will benefit generations to come.”
David Green, Executive Director and President, Local 721
“Mayor Bass and the City Council understand that working people deserve to be paid fairly and compensated for their contributions as public servants to the people of Los Angeles. Under Mayor Karen Bass’ leadership, the City is confronting our homelessness crisis head on – which means ensuring that workers in our City can thrive, not just survive. The Mayor’s message tonight rang loud and clear: If we want to house people, fix our streets, maintain our parks, and so much more, then we need to invest in retaining our dedicated City workers. Our SEIU 721 members will continue to deliver services for the nearly four million Angelenos living throughout our City. We look forward to continuing to partner with Mayor Bass and the City Council on the goals of this Administration.”
Board of Directors, Los Angeles Police Protective League
“Mayor Bass has consistently demonstrated with her words and actions that her top priority is the safety of Angelenos and that police officers are integral partners in this work to keep our city safe. The Mayor and the Council majority’s commitment to paying officers a living wage, taking action to recruit and retain officers while valuing their wellbeing means that the department is poised to become stronger as is the City of Los Angeles.”
Raul Anaya, President, Business Banking, Bank of America
“I applaud Mayor Bass’ continued focus on the biggest challenges impacting Los Angeles. While many of these difficult issues continue to persist, the Mayor has remained consistent in working towards solutions and in communicating with the business community — be it through her Executive Business Cabinet, the Los Angeles Chamber or hosting business leaders to hear directly from them.”
Steve Kang, Director of External Affairs, Koreatown Youth and Community Center
“Mayor Karen Bass continues to be a leader in addressing the issue of homelessness and public safety with the urgency that it deserves. From Koreatown and across the City, Mayor Bass has made great strides in being inclusive to the great diversity of Los Angeles in that all of our voices are reflected in her approach to enact bold policies to move us forward.”
Tracy Hernandez, Founding CEO, Los Angeles County Business Federation “BizFed”
“Los Angeles has made serious strides to be open for business and ready for growth under Mayor Karen Bass's leadership. She upheld her commitment to making City Hall a better business partner by creating a more hospitable business environment with initiatives such as Executive Directive 4 and cutting red tape to expedite critical housing development. We applaud her efforts to uplift diverse job creators, particularly small business owners who serve as the backbone of our city. We remain active partners to bring even greater urgency to Mayor Bass’s work to welcome better jobs, stronger communities, and a healthier economy in the months ahead.”
Renata Simril, President & CEO, LA84
“Mayor Bass’ address to Los Angeles makes clear the importance of the 2028 Olympics - and the Paralympics - to bring us together as a city, as a nation and as a world. From leading an international delegation to prepare for the Games to benefit the region for generations to come, to looking closely at our infrastructure, safety and approach to homelessness - we are working together to create a better future for our city that is more equitable and affordable and builds on the legacy of the 1984 Games.”
LaRonda Nelson, President of the Women's Department for the Western Baptist State Convention
“We heard tonight what I know to be true. We are making progress through efforts like the Mayor’s Inside Safe program to save lives and help people on a new path with housing and services. At the same time, the Mayor is also working urgently to prevent people from falling into homelessness in the first place. The Mayor’s Office has brought the community along in this work since day one. The Western Baptist State Convention led by President J. Benjamin Hardwick has assembled over 300 hygiene kits for Inside Safe participants who are moving inside, and I am hopeful about the future of our city as we continue this work together.
IKAR, Rabbi Sharon Brous
“Mayor Bass has dedicated her life to passionate and devoted advocacy for the people of Los Angeles. Her address tonight reflected her inexhaustible commitment to working to manifest the Los Angeles so many of us dream of, one in which we house our neighbors, treat one another with dignity and compassion, and make the whole city safer, more just, and more welcoming for everyone. We are inspired by the Mayor’s moral clarity and by her continued efforts to fight for our shared goals for the city.”
Dora Gallo, Supportive Housing Alliance and A Community of Friends, CEO
"Mayor Bass’ approach to confronting the homelessness crisis head on is energizing and much needed. She is focused on the entire continuum of solutions, from preventing people from falling into homelessness in the first place to moving people into permanent housing more quickly to making housing more available in every neighborhood in Los Angeles. Supportive service and housing providers commend her for the vision she is holding, and we will continue to lock arms with her administration to save lives.”
Doug Bond, President/CEO, Amity Foundation
“Since Mayor Karen Bass took office 15 months ago, Mayor Bass has elevated the need to support individuals impacted by the criminal justice system as an intentional community safety strategy. There is an increased need to support vulnerable Angelenos with histories of criminal justice system involvement, addiction and homelessness, and Mayor Bass acknowledges that comprehensive re-entry services are needed to build safer communities."
Jonathan Parfrey, Executive Director, Climate Resolve
"Los Angeles is one of the globe's essential cities. It is therefore exciting to hear of the Bass Administration's aggressive yet achievable climate goals. We applaud the Mayor's Commitment to make the largest municipal utility in the nation be 100% clean energy by 2035."
Reverend Deacon Daniel Tamm, Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles
“Mayor Bass has shown how powerful it can be when all levels of government are working together. Under her leadership, thousands of people have come inside and she is doing the work to reach the city’s green energy goal of 100% renewable energy by 2035. It’s exciting to see the direction that Los Angeles is taking, and the faith community looks forward to continuing to partner on this work.”
Imam Abdul Karim Hasan Iman, Masjid Bilal Islamic Center
“Mayor Karen Bass is the people’s mayor. We as a community and a city are fortunate to have a Mayor with Mayor Bass’ integrity, commitment and dedication to meet the challenges that face our city head on. As part of the Muslim community and as residents of Los Angeles, we support Mayor Bass’ initiatives and vision for our city.”
Roy Samaan, City Planner & President of EAA Board of Governors
“The support of our City leaders is absolutely essential for our membership. Providing financial predictability and quality of life improvements reaffirms the City’s commitment to recruiting and retaining experienced staff that will continue to provide high-quality services to City residents.”
Salam Al-Marayati, President and Co-Founder, Muslim Public Affairs Council
“Mayor Bass has made a tremendous impact on the City of Los Angeles by representing all Angelenos, and remains committed to uniting our city and locking arms to focus on the future of Los Angeles. Tonight, she spoke of our progress toward ending the homelessness crisis, making a safer city and improving life for all Angelenos. We remain partners in this work as citizens and our mission as members of the human family.”
Michael Browning, President, Insight Center for Community Economic Development in Van Nuys
“Mayor Karen Bass’ tireless efforts to address the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles have been truly commendable. The Inside Safe operation conducted on Aetna Street in Van Nuys is a result of careful planning and coordination with Mayor Bass and Los Angeles partners to bring unhoused Angelenos inside with supportive services. Due to this operation, Van Nuys residents, students and visitors feel safe walking to the Metro Orange Line to travel around the city. The Van Nuys neighborhood is immensely grateful for her leadership, service, and partnership to address this encampment and save lives.”