In a surprising revelation, a report from the city Controller's office has disclosed that nearly half of Los Angeles, California's $1.3 billion budget allocated for homelessness in the fiscal year 2023-2024 remains unspent.
The city's Controller, Kenneth Mejia, found that a mere $599 million of the budget had been utilized, with an additional $195 million earmarked for future use. A staggering $512,690,810 million, however, remains unallocated.
According to the Daily Caller, the city's residents appear ready to approve Measure A, a proposal to introduce a 0.5% county-level sales tax. The revenue generated from this tax would be directed towards programs aimed at combating homelessness, as indicated by the unofficial election results.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has prioritized addressing the city's escalating homelessness crisis during her tenure. The city's homeless population currently stands at over 45,000, as per the Controller's report. "While the Controller is saying there's too much money being spent one day, and not enough being spent the next, Mayor Bass has been executing a prudent and comprehensive strategy that brought down homelessness overall for the first time in years and reduced street homelessness by 10%," stated Zach Seidl, Deputy Mayor of Communications and spokesperson for Bass, in a conversation with the L.A. Times.
The state of California as a whole is grappling with similar issues regarding the management of homelessness budgets. The state's Interagency Council on Homelessness has been unable to account for the $24 billion spent in 2023, as reported by the state auditor in April. The state's homeless population has seen an 8% increase from 2022, with the current count standing at 186,000, according to CalMatters in September.
Despite these challenges, Los Angeles has shown signs of progress in its fight against homelessness. For the first time in six years, 2024 saw a decrease in the city's homeless population, as per a June press release from Bass' office.
However, the city continues to grapple with high crime rates. Violent crime has seen a 12% increase and property crime a 15% rise from 2021 to 2023, as reported by Cal Matters. In response, a majority of Los Angeles County residents voted in favor of Proposition 36, which seeks to increase penalties for certain theft and drug crimes.
Requests for comments from the offices of Bass and Mejia by the Daily Caller News Foundation have yet to be answered. The unspent funds and the city's approach to tackling homelessness remain topics of intense debate, with the city's leadership under scrutiny for their handling of the crisis.
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