Street homelessness went up in Los Angeles. In Nithya Raman's district, it was nearly cut in half

Key Points:

• Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman highlighted a 49% decrease in street homelessness in her district, contrasting with a nearly 8% citywide increase, as she campaigns against Mayor Karen Bass.
• Citywide homelessness, including those in shelters, rose by 3.4%, with an estimated 45,194 homeless individuals in Los Angeles, 36% of whom are in shelters, according to LAHSA’s January count.
• Raman credits her district’s success to her office’s aggressive interventionist approach and close tracking of homeless individuals and encampments, while Bass’ campaign argues that the Inside Safe program was instrumental in reducing homelessness in Raman’s district.
• Bass defended her administration’s efforts, citing state and federal funding cuts and inadequate county services as factors in the overall increase, and emphasized her commitment to ending street homelessness despite recent setbacks.
• Raman, chair of the City Council’s housing and homelessness committee, shifted responsibility for citywide outcomes to the mayor, while Bass stressed ongoing efforts to address years of neglect in tackling homelessness.