The Southern Truth Second Time Around: Mayor Bass Treks Back to Sacramento Seeking Help to Curb L.A.’s Crisis
Mayor Karen Bass
By Gloria Zuurveen, Editor-in-Chief
The Southern Truth
On Wednesday, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass made her second trip back to Sacramento—and once again, she didn’t come to celebrate, she came to seek. This time, the weight on her shoulders was even heavier: a nearly $1 billion budget deficit driven by worsening economic trends, increased personnel costs tied to the city’s emergency response during the devastating Palisades fire, and a stunning tripling of liability payments.
It’s clear: the stakes have never been higher.
Just days earlier, the mayor gave what many called a sobering and necessary address. Her words, while calm in delivery, landed like thunder on thousands of city employees.
Layoffs were on the table—and now, so are livelihoods. With a solemn face and a steel tone, Bass outlined the reality: tough decisions were here, and more were coming. Now, while she didn’t use the phrase “real mess” to describe the city, it’s clear she didn’t come to sugarcoat anything either. The numbers speak for themselves. The city’s deficit isn’t just a crack in the foundation—it’s a widening sinkhole, and Bass is trying to keep Los Angeles from slipping in.
She’s moved quickly before—especially in response to the Palisades fire, which destroyed homes and upended lives. But that fire was just one front in a broader battle. The homelessness crisis continues to grow more complex by the day, and the city’s ability to manage it took a major hit recently.
After months of troubling reports about LAHSA—the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority—city and county officials could no longer ignore the warning signs.
The handwriting was already on the wall, with concerns about mismanagement and ethical conflicts surfacing in public reports.
Then came the final break: Los Angeles County withdrew from its joint agreement with the city, pulling out $300 million in funding. Not long after, LAHSA’s CEO, Va Lecia Adams Kellum, resigned under pressure. The timing said it all—even if the words didn’t.
Now Bass, joined by City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto, has made her return to the state capitol, hoping that Sacramento will open its wallet and not just its ears. And let’s be real: with the federal landscape murky and local resources shrinking, California may be the mayor’s best hope to bring back something—anything—that can help stop the bleeding.
Because this isn’t just about politics or spreadsheets. It’s about people.
From South L.A. to Skid Row, from families still reeling from fires to those facing eviction—this city is holding its breath. Mayor Bass is asking for support not just for Palisades, but for the entire 500-square-mile stretch that makes up the beating heart of L.A. And we at The Southern Truth are watching closely.
We’re hoping. We’re holding her accountable. And we’re rooting for her—for the sake of all of us. Because if this second trip to Sacramento doesn’t deliver, who will?
