Mayor’s State of the City Highlights City’s Budget Woes

Mayor Karen Bass recently delivered her second State of the City speech, in which she discussed the budget shortfall and increasing crime rates.  

What You Need to Know  

• Budget Deficit: The city is short on money by $467 million for the next year. This is likely due to spending more than they planned, especially on the police and fire departments, and not getting as much money as expected.  
• Homelessness: The latest numbers show that homelessness went up by 9% in the county and by 10% in the city. Mayor Bass is trying to deal with this problem by implementing programs like the Inside Safe program, which has provided temporary housing to about 2,500 people. But some people say this program costs too much, and they need better solutions.  
• Crime: The temporary LAPD Chief said violent crime, especially robberies, went up compared to last year. Mayor Bass knows that keeping people safe is important, so she wants to hire more police officers and have more mental health teams that don't carry weapons to deal with some situations.  

How It Impacts You  

As crime rates rise, businesses need to focus on security to protect their properties from theft, using measures like surveillance and trained guards.   

In an effort to fix the budget deficit, Mayor Bass says she will cut the city’s vacant positions. Stating “vacant positions do not fill potholes, sweep streets or staff parks.” However, both LAFD and LADBS would want to preserve necessary positions to ensure necessary services like plan checks and inspections happen in a timely manner.  

They have already been working diligently to fill vacant positions as they try to ensure their lead times for necessary services are reduced.  

Mayor Bass said she has helped increase permit help for business owners, accelerate the restaurant and small business express program, and ensure same-day sanitation inspection times.  

She says there are exciting new initiatives to look forward to, like the potential modernization of the Convention Center. This could mean businesses in DTLA should prepare for an increase in business if this happens.  

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