KAREN BASS FAILED

Bass's Homeless Record

  • Homelessness Program FailedKaren Bass's signature homeless program "Inside Safe" has cost $391 million and only permanently housed 1,617 people. (Inside Safe Dashboard)
  • Street Homelessness Up 7.9%Street homelessness increased sharply by 7.9% in the 2026 homeless count, while overall homelessness rose 3.4%. (2026 Homeless Count)
  • Promised to House 15,000 First YearBass campaigned on housing 15,000 homeless people during her first year as mayor, but only housed a fraction of the 45,000 homeless. (Karen Bass's Instragram)
  • Fought Homelessness AuditKaren Bass blocked the L.A. City Controller from conducting a performance audit of her $391 million signature homeless program. (L.A. Times)
  • Skipped Oversight MeetingsBass appointed herself to the LAHSA Commission, promising greater accountability, but subsequently missed 25 of 47 meetings—more than half. (LAist)
  • Quit Amid Congressional ScrutinyBass abruptly quit the LAHSA Commission days after Congress summoned her to testify about potential waste, fraud and abuse of homelessness spending. (KFI Interview)

$391 Million Spent.
Failed Results.

Karen Bass ran for mayor in 2022 promising to house 15,000 unhoused people during her first year in office. She didn’t come close.

Nearly four years later, after $391 million was spent on her signature homelessness program, overall homelessness in Los Angeles remains roughly where it was when Bass took office. Now it’s moving in the wrong direction — increasing 3.4% in 2026.

LAHSA’s 2023-2026 annual homeless counts

Bass Promised to End Street Homelessness. She Failed.

Karen Bass set a goal of ending street homelessness by 2026. Not only has she failed to meet that goal (despite having spent $391 million) street homelessness increased by 7.9% in the 2026 homeless count.

Karen Bass’s homeless program failed.

Fiscal Record

  • Dismissed Fiscal WarningsKaren Bass dismissed the L.A. City Controller's 2024 fiscal warnings as a “theatrical exaggeration" and "doomsday projections.” (L.A. Times)
  • Fiscal EmergencyBass was forced to declare a “State of Emergency Based on Fiscal Circumstances Resulting From Decreased Revenue and Increased Liabilities.” (NBC Los Angeles)
  • $1 Billion Budget ShortfallIgnored warnings from City budget analysts and Councilmembers about LA’s worsening financial crisis (shortfall eventually approached $1 billion). (L.A. Times)
  • Back to Back Budget DeficitsUnder Mayor Karen Bass, L.A. City posted budget deficits two years in a row as departmental overspending continued and General Fund reserves plunged. (Spectrum News)
  • Unaffordable ContractsBass negotiated and approved costly labor contracts despite warnings they were unsustainable, contributing to L.A.’s budget crisis. (L.A. Times)
  • Convention Center ExpansionThe Convention Center expansion will cost taxpayers roughly $100 million a year for decades—the equivalent cost of nearly 1,000 City jobs. (L.A. City Controller)

Bass Approved Labor Contracts.
It Broke Our Budget.

Bass approved an unaffordable LAPD labor contract that she said would help add 500 officers. Instead, the contract failed at its stated purpose, as the LAPD dropped by 500 officers since the contract was approved.

But the contract did add approximately $298 million to LAPD labor costs this year. That $298 million increase is equivalent to the cost of roughly 3,000 City jobs.

L.A. City Controller’s 2024-2026 operating budget comparison

Bass Dismissed Warnings. Financial Crisis Followed.

Bass was warned the City of L.A. was headed toward serious financial crisis. She dismissed warnings as “theatrical exaggeration and doomsday projections.”

As financial pressure mounted, Bass was forced to eliminate thousands of unfilled City positions, including jobs supporting streets, infrastructure and basic services.

Public Works Cuts

  • Cut Street ServicesBass cut Street Services staffing, reducing the city’s capacity to repair potholes, sweep streets, trim trees and respond to street-related emergencies. (L.A. Times)
  • Cut Sanitation StaffingBass cut 105 authorized Sanitation positions as L.A. struggles with dirty streets and illegal dumping. (Chief Administrative Officer)
  • Cut Street LightingUnder Bass, Street Lighting staffing was cut amid a 33,000-request backlog, leaving neighborhoods dark as official repair wait times now reach one year. (L.A. City Council)
  • Cut Public Works BoardBass cut 12% of Board of Public Works positions, reducing staff overseeing neighborhood cleanup, beautification and other public works. (City Administrative Officer)
  • Cut Transportation StaffingBass's LADOT staffing cuts reduced the city’s capacity to repair traffic signals, manage congestion, enforce parking and improve street safety. (L.A. Times)
  • Failed Infrastructure SpendingLos Angeles spent just $25 million of its $131 million General Fund capital improvement budget — only 19%, leaving roughly 81% unspent. (LAist)

Bass Cut Public Works and City Services

Dirty streets, crumbling sidewalks, pothole-filled roads, and broken streetlights aren’t just daily frustrations. They also expose taxpayers to tens of millions of dollars in liability payouts when neglected infrastructure causes injuries and lawsuits.

Rather than fund public works and city services, Karen Bass cut them. 

Detail of Department Programs, Supplement to the 2026-27 Adopted Budget, Volume II Five year comparisons (July 2026)

Bass Cut Infrastructure.
Blamed Others.

Karen Bass blamed previous city leaders for years of infrastructure neglect. Yet under Bass, key infrastructure departments have faced major budget and staffing cuts. She is blaming past while continuing the same neglect.

Karen Bass failed to address our infrastructure needs.

Palisades Fire

  • Cut LAFD Budget Before FireBass’s FY 2024–25 budget reduced LAFD’s operating budget and eliminated civilian positions as the LAFD warned that cuts were affecting department operations. (L.A. Times)
  • Ghana Trip During Fire DangerMayor Karen Bass was at embassy cocktail party in Ghana as Palisades fire exploded despite forecasts warning of potentially destructive Santa Ana winds. (L.A. Times)
  • Public-Safety Leadership VacuumBass’s deputy mayor for public safety was unavailable during fires after being placed on leave for making a bomb threat against City Hall. (L.A. Times)
  • Altered After-Action ReportBass ordered changes to an LAFD after-action report that softened findings about the Palisades Fire response. (L.A. Times)
  • Fired Fire Chief CrowleyBass fired LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley after Crowley publicly criticized the inadequate LAFD funding and staffing. (NBC Los Angeles)
  • Cut LAFD Maintenance StaffingBefore the fires, Bass’s budget eliminated maintenance positions, despite warnings about a critical vehicle-repair backlog and insufficient mechanics. (L.A. Times)

Bass Ignored Warnings.
She Then Blamed Others.

Bass said she didn’t know about the fire danger before leaving the country, despite days of warnings from the National Weather Service and news coverage of the widely reported threat.

Rather than taking responsibility, Bass blamed others for failing to warn her.

L.A. Burned.
Bass Stayed Silent.

After attending a cocktail party in Ghana as fires spread across Los Angeles, Karen Bass was confronted by a Sky News reporter during her return. Bass was repeatedly asked whether she regretted leaving the city and whether she owed Angelenos an apology. Bass refused to answer.

Lineage Disaster

  • Failed to EvacuateBass declined to order an evacuation despite experts warning that prolonged exposure to smoke from the warehouse fire posed serious health risks. (L.A. Times)
  • Bass Admits FailuresBass admitted the City responded too slowly after the Lineage fire, as Boyle Heights businesses said communication failures left them feeling abandoned. (L.A. Times)
  • Delayed Emergency DeclarationBass waited three days after the Lineage warehouse fire began on June 17 before declaring a local emergency on June 20. (L.A. Times)
  • Lineage Access to BassYusef Robb worked for Lineage while still advising Bass, remaining in the mayor’s group chat even as he handled crisis communications for Lineage. (LA Material)
  • Former Deputy Chief Hired by LineageShortly after the fire, Lineage hired Bass’s former deputy chief of staff, Shannon Murphy, to lobby the mayor and City Hall. (L.A. Times)
  • Failed to Disclose Lineage DonationBass failed to timely report a Lineage-related behested payment as required by California disclosure rules. (F.P.P.C. Complaint)

Lineage Hired Bass Insiders.
$2M Donation Followed.

Lineage has connections to Karen Bass’s inner circle. After the Boyle Heights warehouse fire, Lineage hired M Strategic Communications (where Bass’s former deputy chief of staff Shannon Murphy is a principal) to lobby the Mayor’s Office and other city agencies.

M Strategic also brought on Bass advisor Yusef Robb to work for Lineage. Robb continued advising Bass while working on Lineage crisis communications.

Lineage co-founder Kevin Marchetti is a max donor to Bass’s reelection campaign. Lineage contributed $2 million to the California Community Foundation at the request from Bass — a donation that Bass failed to report and led to an FPPC complaint. 

FPPC complaint against Karen Bass for failing to report behested donation from Lineage Logistics

Bass Neglected Boyle Heights.

“

“It’s not that I didn’t come. I didn’t know to come.”

Mayor Karen Bass

Business owners expressed frustration that the Mayor and City officials had failed to visit the neighborhood and go door to door after the fire. Bass’s response was concerning but not surprising.