LA Mayor Bass on Reelection: Being Away During the Wildfires Is Her Biggest Regret; Pledges 9,500 Officers by the Olympics
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Mayor Karen Bass, in an October 30 interview with the California Post, discussed her reelection bid, acknowledging that her biggest regret was being out of Los Angeles when the January 2025 wildfires erupted, and laying out public safety and homelessness plans for a new term.
Bass said she had not realized how "dysfunctional" the city's homelessness system had become, and that external constraints on her work have now been lifted. If reelected, she said, she will raise LAPD staffing to 9,500 officers by the 2028 Olympics, overhaul the homelessness housing system, and expand mental health and addiction treatment to move people off the streets for good. She also voiced strong support for Police Chief Jim McDonnell.
She said the city has replaced the head of its personnel department and issued an executive directive to cut the police hiring process from nearly a year to 180 days. The LAPD had about 8,550 sworn officers in July, its lowest level in nearly 25 years, while street homelessness has risen from 41,980 when she took office in 2022 to 45,194.
Bass is seeking reelection against City Councilmember Nithya Raman; voters decide on November 3.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Mayor Karen Bass official portrait。City of Los Angeles 摄，Public domain，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Mayor Karen Bass official portrait. By City of Los Angeles, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
