CNN’s Elex Michaelson sat down with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass this week as she faces criticism over her response to the Palisades fire, the city’s homelessness crisis, and attacks from challenger Spencer Pratt.
When pushed on her homelessness record, Bass blew up.
“When you talked to Jake Tapper in 2023, you said your goal was to end street homelessness in LA by 2026. It’s now 2026, and we haven’t ended it, and we’re not close to ending it. How were you so off?” Michaelson asked.
“Well, basically, when I said that, it was at the beginning of my term,” Bass said. “I’m very committed to achieving that goal. I didn’t anticipate some of the bureaucratic barriers that I would experience, but I am prepared to take those on now.”
Bass continued: “Los Angeles made a decision twenty or twenty-five years ago to not address street homelessness; to focus solely on building. I have fast-tracked 42,000 units of affordable housing, but it still takes a couple of years. So, basically, the policy of LA city and LA county was, we could accept street homelessness as long as we were building.”
“We have got to have a commitment that these needs to end — the city and the county never made that commitment before, and I found something that surprised me. I found a lot of people who are internal in the system who are very resistant to ending street homelessness,” Bass added.
“But, you promised that it would go away 100%. But it’s only gone down about 17.6%. So, why should people trust you that you’re going to be able to get to the 100%? Michaelson followed up.
Watch Bass’ response in the clip below:
🚨 OMG. This is BRUTAL for Karen Bass!
CNN: Your goal was to end street homelessness by 2026 in LA. It's now 2026. We haven't ended it, and we're not close. How are you so OFF?
BASS: When I said that…I didn't realize the bureaucratic barriers. I'm prepared now.
CNN: But you… pic.twitter.com/FgTjr6Jpbp
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 20, 2026
