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LOS ANGELES () — A drop in homelessness in the city of Los Angeles the last two years has been the signature of Mayor Karen Bass’ re-election campaign. But, with news last week that homeless is up 3.4%, Bass’ opponent Nithya Raman tells 7 our current system isn’t working and it’s time to adopt what she’s done in her district.
In the latest count, street homelessness dropped 50% in Raman’s council district. Bass blamed the rise on the sky high cost of living and cuts in federal funding.
“What’s going on in homelessness has been frustrating and unacceptable to so many Angelenos. We’ve seen a system that’s shoveled huge amounts of money towards the issue, but without this mayor really holding every dollar accountable and ensuring that every single program is working as effectively as it can be to move every person off the streets indoors and to help them stay there… when I’m mayor, I want to make sure that I don’t offer any excuses for the results around homelessness,” said Raman.
7 Political Reporter Josh Haskell asked Raman what her signature program would be and how would it be cheaper than Inside Safe?
“I have really pushed for the use of an intervention called time-limited subsidies. These are short term rental vouchers that cost a fraction of what Inside Safe beds cost. Inside Safe beds can cost as much as $100,000 dollars per person per year. Short term rental voucher can cost $29,000 a year and has much better outcomes. 75% of people using these vouchers are able to stay housed,” said Raman.
Haskell also asked why Raman doesn’t support banning homeless encampments within 500 feet of schools? Raman responded “Well, homelessness is virtually illegal across the entire city of Los Angeles. 41.18 is in effect across the entire city.”
“But, not every council member enforces it,” Haskell then asked.
“Actually, councilmembers. It is the law of the city. Councilmembers, elected officials, don’t have the option to enforce or not enforce a law on the streets,” Raman said.
Roughly two thirds of voters in the June primary voted for Raman or for Spencer Pratt. The councilwoman says this is proof she has a real chance in November, even though she only won her own district by less than two thousand votes.
Haskell also asked Raman how she would have handled the Lineage Warehouse Fire in Boyle Heights.
“You know what I think we saw in Boyle Heights was emblematic of so much of the emergency response that we’ve seen from this mayor and her leadership,” said Raman. “Just a lack of urgency in being out there. Quickly making sure that people had the information that they need. In the days after the fire, she told people that the smoke was safe to breathe. That the air was safe. That evacuations were not needed. Contradicting the advice of public health officials. Air quality experts. We did not see a presence from the city out on the streets door knocking.”
“I would make sure that city workers were on the ground immediately. I would make sure that buses were available for evacuation not just to a site nearby, but to a site far away from the smoke. I would make sure that people had the information they needed in the languages they needed,” Raman added.
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