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Pressed For Transparency On Homeless Spending, Judge Says LA Officials Fall Short So Far
Across the city of L.A., 32,680 people were estimated to live outdoors as of the latest available data.
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Topline:
A federal judge pressed L.A. city officials again Thursday to publish details on how millions of taxpayer dollars have been spent on homelessness and warned that he’s concerned they may not have proof of where the money has gone.
The details: The questioning took place during a downtown L.A. hearing in the city’s highest-profile homeless case. The focus of the hearing was the city’s previous commitments to add thousands of shelter beds under settlement agreements in the case, as well as L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’ signature program, Inside Safe.
What is Inside Safe? The program clears encampments and offers motel rooms and services to people required to leave. In recent months, the judge has repeatedly called for more transparency on how taxpayer dollars have been spent on Inside Safe.
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The background: Known as the L.A. Alliance case, it’s overseen by federal judge David O. Carter. The suit is between downtown business owners and the city, and aims to remove encampments and get more shelter beds in the city of L.A.
Key quote from the hearing: “We’re creating a system that doesn’t encourage frankness, I’ll just say it, [it doesn’t encourage] truthfulness,” Carter said, talking about the lack of detailed spending records disclosed to the court and public about the city’s spending on homeless service providers. Carter wants those details to be shared online with the public.
Why it matters: Homelessness has spiked in recent years, and the mayor has directed an unprecedented level of spending to try and address the problem. Across the city, 32,680 people were estimated to live outdoors as of the latest available data. Inside Safe is one of multiple shelter programs run by the city. The program received a $250 million budget allocation this fiscal year, and $185 million for the next fiscal year that starts July 1.
Go deeper: Despite Promise To Judge, LA Isn’t Detailing How Homeless Dollars Are Spent
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