During her annual State of the City address, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called on business leaders, charitable organizations and wealthy individuals to use their financial might to move homeless Angelenos indoors. Bass told an audience gathered at City Hall Monday evening that her administration has already made critical strides in the fight against homelessness, in part by working more closely with county, state and federal agencies.
More than a fourth of the program's participants, or 613 people, have returned to homelessness. Bass, in her speech, talked about the cost of leaving people on the street. The public 'pays the cost of the thousands and thousands of fire, paramedic and police calls,' she said. Shops, restaurants, tourists and office centers also 'pay a price' if customers are fearful or businesses leave.