Mayor Bass: “We Will Continue Urgently Confronting the Crisis of Homelessness”

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With Permanent Tools Now in Place, Mayor Bass Continues Leading Unprecedented Action to Bring People Inside and Restore Neighborhoods

LOS ANGELES - Mayor Bass issued a State of Emergency on homelessness on her first day in office. This declaration allowed the City to expedite contracting, accelerate housing solutions and launch Inside Safe, which has brought thousands of people indoors with dignity and support. It also facilitated Executive Directive 1 (ED1), soon to be codified as an ordinance, the City's most sweeping cut of red tape to speed up affordable and homeless housing. More than 30,000 units of housing are now moving through the ED1 pipeline.

Mayor Bass sent the following letterto City Council:

November 4, 2025

Honorable Members of the City Council

c/o City Clerk

City Hall, Room 395

Subject:Notice of the Status of Local Emergency - Homelessness Crisis

(Council File - 22-1545)

Honorable Council President and Councilmembers:

On my first day in office, I declared an unprecedented State of Emergency on homelessness. For decades, this crisis had worsened - year after year, Angelenos endured increases in the number of people living and dying on the streets.

The State of Emergency gave us the authority to take bold and swift action to upend the failed status quo. As a result, we have begun a real shift in our city's decades-long trend of rising homelessness. For the first time ever, Los Angeles has seen two consecutive years of reduction in homelessness, including a 17-percent drop in street homelessness.

The Emergency Declaration allowed the City to expedite contracting and to launch Inside Safe, which created interim housing to bring people off the streets with dignity and support across the city. It also facilitated Executive Directive 1 (ED1), soon to be codified as an ordinance, which is the city's most sweeping cut of red tape to pave the way for affordable housing and housing for the homeless. More than 30,000 units of housing are now moving through the ED1 pipeline.

As a matter of law, States of Emergency are not designed to be permanent - even when the crisis persists. Because many of the tools created under the declaration are now in place, we can continue urgent action without the temporary declaration.

Therefore, with the City firmly pointed in a new direction on homelessness, I am lifting the official declaration of a State of Emergency. Let me be clear: the crisis remains, and so does our urgency. Every day, we will continue to be on the streets, engaging with people living in encampments and RVs, bringing people Inside Safe, and restoring neighborhoods across Los Angeles.

If at any point extraordinary authority is needed to maintain or accelerate progress, I will not hesitate to reinstate an emergency declaration.

I look forward to our continued partnership and thank you for your commitment to serve the people of Los Angeles.

Sincerely,

Mayor Karen Bass