Mayor Bass lifts LA’s homelessness emergency declaration

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Background: Bass declared the state of local emergency in late 2022. That declaration gave Bass the power to streamline processes for her signature Inside Safe program, which moves unhoused people into hotel rooms. It also led to Executive Directive 1, Bass’ policy that waived certain regulations for affordable housing developments, including public hearings and environmental reviews.

Emergency over? Bass and L.A. city councilmembers said the emergency declaration always was meant to be temporary. The mayor noted the homelessness crisis is ongoing but said there has been progress. She cited two years of declines in the city’s unhoused population estimates. Additionally, Bass and other city officials are pushing to turn Executive Directive 1 into a permanent law.

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