In a packed City Council chamber led by the historic presence of the city’s first majority-female Council, Mayor Karen Bass delivered a comprehensive and emotionally resonant “State of the City” address on April 21, painting a clear-eyed picture of Los Angeles’ current challenges and its resilient path forward.
Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson opened the evening with a stirring reflection on the significance of the moment.
“Today, we celebrate the city’s strength… and we honor the leaders who help guide us,” he said, emphasizing the importance of diverse leadership.
“I can’t think of a better leader… than someone who has been weather-tested, who has seen the toughest things but stands tall every time.”
Mayor Bass began her address with an affirmation of Angeleno resilience: “L.A. never gives up. LA always rises.”
She led with updates on the city’s rapid recovery efforts in the Palisades following recent wildfires, proudly noting that the pace of rebuilding is “on track to be the fastest in California history.”
She cited water and power restoration timelines that dramatically outpaced those following previous state disasters, and proposed an ordinance to waive all plan check and permit fees for affected residents.
Bass introduced several innovations to expedite rebuilding, including a self-certification program aimed at streamlining bureaucratic hurdles, ensuring residents can rebuild their lives faster and more affordably.
The Mayor also addressed the city’s recent strides in public safety. Based on 2024 data, homicides dropped by 14%, with the largest decrease seen in the Valley (28%). Gang-related homicides plummeted 45% in communities served by the Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) program and the Community Safety Partnership (CSP).
Overall, violent crimes were down significantly across the board, including a 19% reduction in shooting victims and 7,634 illegal firearms seized—790 of them ghost guns.
On property crimes, Bass credited the Organized Retail Crime Task Force and the Heavy Metal Task Force for recovering over $36 million in stolen merchandise and thousands of pounds of copper wiring. Motor vehicle thefts, burglaries, and thefts from vehicles all saw sharp declines compared to the previous year.
Even traffic safety saw improvement, with a 36.7% drop in DUI-related fatal crashes and a 7% decline in pedestrian deaths.
Tackling Homelessness Head-On
“We are taking action and making change,” Bass said of the homelessness crisis. “After years of increasing homelessness, we are finally reversing that trend.”
Indeed, homelessness in Los Angeles has declined by 10% on the streets and 38% in makeshift structures—an encouraging turnaround as national rates rose 18%.
Bass credited this progress to bold reforms, including eliminating burdensome requirements for unhoused individuals to “prove” poverty and securing housing vouchers for every homeless veteran in LA through a coalition effort involving more than 50 mayors lobbying in Washington, D.C.
She also defended the city’s investment in interim housing, such as the Inside Safe program, which reclaims underutilized motels to immediately bring people indoors. Highlighting LA4LA, a public-private partnership acquiring existing buildings to offer faster, cheaper housing, she announced that nearly 60 people from Inside Safe are now housed in a Koreatown property.
The Mayor issued a heartfelt plea to landlords: “Be a patriot. Take a voucher. House a veteran.”
Despite these successes, Mayor Bass acknowledged the city’s serious financial strain—facing a more than $800 million deficit. Pandemic-era lawsuit settlements, rising personnel costs, and the economic fallout from recent disasters all contribute to what she called “a very difficult budget to balance.”
Bass vowed to fight for the city’s workforce even while proposing layoffs as a last resort. She outlined plans to streamline city departments, eliminate redundant positions, and prioritize essential services. “The departmental changes… must only be the beginning,” she said, citing the need for deep structural reform.
Looking to the future, Mayor Bass spotlighted economic development projects that promise to revitalize the city: the new Rams practice facility in the Valley, Destination Crenshaw, and airport upgrades at LAX.
She also reaffirmed support for Hollywood through the state’s expanded Film and TV Tax Credit, a program she helped author as Assembly Speaker that has already generated tens of billions in investments and nearly 200,000 jobs.
With global attention turning to L.A. ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympic Games, Bass announced Shine LA, a new monthly citywide activation designed to energize residents and prepare the city to host the world.
Residents can sign up for Shine LA here: https://mayor.lacity.gov/ShineLA
Mayor Bass closed with a rousing challenge: “Let’s go win. Let’s win on the world stage, yes—but let’s especially win here at home. We owe it to ourselves. We owe it to each other. But most of all, we owe it to the next generation of Angelenos.”
In her second year as Mayor, Karen Bass demonstrated not only her capacity to lead in crisis but also her determination to lay the foundation for a stronger, more inclusive Los Angeles—one that rises, once again, with dignity and hope.
